DO IT! I already mentioned how I much I enjoyed the Hiroshi Loop trail. This loop is just as awesome and more of it! https://mikicc.org/mikis-picks/

February 2024. It was magical. Get off your comfy couch, stoke your stove, and head into the snow. No snowshoes required as there have been those before you. We hiked through sticky snow at the base, but consistency was great at higher elevation. There were moments of breathtaking beauty and loads of wildlife tracks.

I love trails with history, wildlife and views. This group of trails knocks it out of the park. On our way we met a couple of locals who do the trail often. Jennie said she always finds something different every time. Not surprising!

Parking has been updated. Please check the Harris Center website for more information.

Parking is off Bailey Brook Rd in Nelson, NH. Limited parking on weekends. If full, please access trail from the Brickyard (Partridge Woods). Check for trail information here under HARRIS CENTER: Partridge Woods. Partridge Woods includes the historic Wheeler Trail as well as an alternate route to Osgood Hill and Hurd Hill off Brickyard Road. Please respect landowners and do not park on road or on their land.

Nelson Trail committee sign. Sorry out of focus. Rusty jerked. A reminder of black flies.
View from parking.
Be sure and pick up a map. And leave a love note.

The Kulish ledge trail is named after  John Kulish the first teacher/naturalist at the Harris Center. Click on the link to learn more about this interesting man.

The trail starts on an old road.

Bear Right to take the Kulish ledge trail. You will cross Bailey Brook on a wooden bridge.

Beavers are so incredibly fascinating. Their pelts opened the western US for us and before that, they provided food and fur for Indians. Just one little rodent! One rodent, who, along with its family, can build huge ponds and mow down a foot in diameter tree. They are truly fascinating. They can be up to 3 feet long and weigh up to 60lbs. More information can be found at: https://www.chattnaturecenter.org/visit/experience/wildlife/animal-facts/beaver/

The dam seems to be in disrepair as there was not a lot of water behind this huge structure. Underneath lies the old stone dam built around 1815 as a holding pond for the Osborn Mill, 200 yards down stream. Someone at some point, not a beaver, had been able to put a canoe in. There is another beaver dam further up we passed on our way down that was holding water.

We traversed a few board or should I rephrase, log walks as we went by the beaver pond area. Some are sturdy but a little woggly.

We headed toward the Osgood Summit, planning on returning via the Holt trail.

Missing letters courtesy of squirrels. Not sure what they want vinyl letters for?

Here is what it looked like in February 2024.

Some great Fungi along the way. I believe these are Birch Polypores. Please correct me if wrong.

And, I have recently learned from Tom Wessels, that a tree turning in this direction is rare. 90% of trees spiral to the right or counter clockwise. Who knew.

We started to climb along a very straight stone wall. Someone some years ago had a good eye.

What do you see? A sleeping whale? An ape? Let me know.

And, being a Harris Center property. Of course there are spider trees.

And I have a low survival rate when I plant trees. Not fair.

There is a small rocky section. On the whole the trail is easy to navigate.

This is also where you will pass the split rock, noted on the Map.

Two foot bridges take you across the “North Branch of Bailey Brook” actually South of the main branch. Gotta love New England directions.

There is an old stove. Which someone has added some cast iron pots to over the years. Old photos show just one pot. Apparently there was once an old hunting cabin here. Quite a way to haul a stove, but perhaps the beavers had not arrived so not as wet an access?

If old stoves could talk! In the snow. All that was seen was the pots on top.

As we traversed upward, we passed through a grove of young trees, by some Starflowers and Indian Cucumber Root.

This area had been clear cut some time ago.

We continued to climb. Rusty was on the lookout for a view.

We passed through many lovely fern glens.

Not a fern, but club moss.
Netted Chain ferns.
Netted chain ferns are said to symbolize magic. This place certainly lives up to that symbolization.

The recent addition of the Holt trail adds so much to this trail and makes a wonderful loop. It passes by a huge rock ledge which I understand is large enough to be seen from outer space. A view this hiker will NEVER see in person. Sorry Branson and Bezos. Not on my bucket list.

Ruby and Rusty found this view and seemed to enjoy it. Smaller, but equally impressive.

East pinnacle viewpoint. A bit different in the snow.

We headed over to the new section and Osgood Hill. This can also be accessed via the Brickyard Road parking. Please use this access if Bailey Brook parking is full. You will find a specific blog for the Brickyard Road trail here: mikicc.org\HarrisandNelson.

Being newer, and less traversed, this trail is a bit narrower. But still provides some wonderful fern glens. I believe Homestead Lane Parking is currently closed.

The signage on these trails is fantastic. The Osgood summit reached. Our path lay ahead. We came up the Kulish Ledge trail from the Kulish Ledge parking lot and headed down the Holt trail back to Kulish parking. Ridge trail blogged on previously mentioned post.

Look at the size of this crown gall on this black cherry!

Rusty took a break amongst the cinnamon ferns.

He does love a good wallow.

As an American History major I love foundations. The Nelson Trails Assoc. has labelled many of the foundations around this area. Imagine having to travel and build here in the 18th Century. Most of these foundations were from settlers after the Revolution. What a wonderful feeling to be Americans, thanks to the bravery and dedication of people like the Parkers. While George Washington did not sleep here Capt. Parker did know him.

The ferns are covering much of the foundation.
More history about the Parkers can be found at Nelsonhistory.org

The drawing of this mill is actually one in Derry. Not the one on Bailey Brook. However the message certainly pertains to all historic sites. Rick Church informed me that the Bailey Brook mill was close to this size!

I will come back for foundation pictures when the leaves are gone.

Thomas was born in 1765 in Lunenburg, MA and died at the age of 81 in Morrisville, NY. His wife Polly was born in 1762 in Wilmington, MA and died in Morrisville, NY in 1840.

We headed downward through a gap in the forest. Looked like good moose country.

Such a handsome rescue Turk

I believe the view here might be worth pausing for in the winter.

There had obviously been some clear cutting here, but mother Nature is taking care of healing the wound.

And sometimes, she just does weird things on her own. How did THIS happen?

We wend our way down along I believe, Bailey Brook’s meager beginnings, before it reaches the beaver ponds.

The babbling is restful.

The brook is bordered by Hobble bush. In May these will be filled with fragrant white flowers. The red berries produced in autumn are edible, or so I have heard. I am a bit squeemish about eating in the wild.

And on to the upper beaver pond. There should be a bench here. Be sure and pause. We saw much wildlife including a tree swallow tending to its nestlings. (this photo was taken in the spring). For more information: http://allaboutbirds.org

And so we headed back toward our beginnings. This is the top of the now defunct beaver pond.

Along the way we enjoyed the Creeping Dogwood. The fruit is a valuable source of food for many species of birds.

Also known as Bunchberry Dogwood.

While we were out hiking, the lower beaver pond had some visitors.

Possibly red fox or bobcat?
same mystery. Leaning toward bobcat.
Deer?

In the snow, there were an incredible amount of tracks.

And so, we head down the brook, over the bridge and back to parking.

And here is my journal entry of our hike. There is so much to see on this trail!  I am looking forward to going out again this fall and winter. Hope to see you there. Check out my other blogs at mikicc.org and selfemployedagain.wordpress.com And please, like, and follow them. Thank you.

Stay tuned this fall for a detailed hike on the Bailey Brook trail. Including photos of the old mill.

Thank you Harris Center and Nelson Trails committee.

Your comments are welcome. Thank you to the Nelson Trails committee and the Harris Center for this great network of trails. For more information:

Nelson Trails Committee: Check out the Nelson Conservation Committee and “Nelson in Common” on the web and please consider donating. Donation information provided on Nelson in Common page.

Harris Center: Contact Miles at stahmann@harriscenter.org or (603) 525-3394, or me at mikiclementscollier@gmail.com
These trails — and all of the Harris Center’s work — are made possible through the support of donors like
you: harriscenter.org/donate.

https://mikicc.org/2021/08/20/you-wanted-more-information-2/

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/DD4071E7-E22D-4088-A73D-35D7A9324543/?_encoding=UTF8&linkCode=ib1&tag=myblogs22-20&linkId=d31c850f37a76fbfc36a6be5e0e3c19c&ref_=ihub_curatedcontent_76dd997c-72f6-4809-b602-39a19c2233a3">Give your pet's space a summer refresh with Amazon basics</a>
Advertisements