Trip Report: East Pond, from the Kanc

East Pond. Livermore, NH. 2024-09-30 (Monday.)

Via East Pond Trail. Approx 7 miles round-trip. About 1,300 feet of cumulative elevation gain.

Clement, approx temps were in the high 60s. No real winds to speak of. Overcast.

About 3 1/2 hours, end-to-end.  

Finishing unfinished business.

It’s been far too long. Whether that is measured by the time spent away from the trail or from writing about it, truth. But here we are, having reset both, with a fine jaunt up a relatively easy trail.

School has been keeping me under its thumb. Odd things happen, though, and I found myself with time to spare through the end of this semester, for reasons I won’t go into here. But I saw an opportunity to get out into the woods, and grabbed it. This is my first post since 2023, and in fairness to you my reader, it’s not my first outing since then. I’ve been on a couple quick jaunts up Pack Monadnock, but nothing of particular consequence. I didn’t write about the overnight on the Kinsmans last Springtime, and yes, that ought to come out at some point soon. There was another trip to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust peaks… yeah, I’m behind by a bit. Writing is one of the casualties of school, and I miss it dearly. Having your feedback is a motivator.

In any case… East Pond. This being an autumnal trip, there weren’t any great throngs of people present. I suspect had the weather been warmer, there might have been a few dipping their toes into those crystal clear waters. As it was, I met up with a couple nice folks, one with her intrepid dog who had indeed gone bathing in the pond. No worries, a wet dog is as good as any. This one was very laid back, happy to be the object of affection. I was told the water was “cold, then it isn’t.” I suspect once your feet got numb, it wasn’t cold anymore. It not at all being north of mid-summer temps, I wasn’t going to try it out for myself. I’m game for most things, but this one, not so much.

The trail is pleasant, although it’s an uphill for the vast majority of the 3 1/2 miles to the pond. You gain height-of-land and then go back down for about 200-300 feet or so over half a mile to the pond. Much of it is on former logging rail beds or roads, and the footing is very mild throughout. There’s one water crossing at Pine Brook, about half a mile or so from the trailhead; at the moment, it’s a couple hops, and if you plan your movements properly, your feet won’t get wet at all. The stepping stones might be a bit greasy, so move with care. The only thing I noticed is that it’s a steady uphill for almost all the hike in, and then on the hike back out, there’s more uphill while you’re getting going. The nice thing is you’re at height-of-land relatively quickly on the return. After that, it’s all downhill, and you make good time getting back to the car. I got going relatively late in the day, so this was nice. I returned with a reasonable amount of daylight left. Woo-hoo!

This trip was all about shaking my bones and knocking one more trail off my redlining list. Nothing amazing other than logging some miles, and getting outside. At the same time, does it matter? And hey, looking at my map with another trail knocked off… it’s nice. And being an easier walk in the woods, I can totally see myself returning. This was a very pleasant afternoon outing. Low stress, enough to see, and a very nice reward at the far end. If I’d brought a companion or three, a picnic lunch with some bread, nice cheese, and a fine bottle of vino, wow, that would have been a great day out, especially if the sun were shining. If people are mindful, the shores of the pond have enough room for a few.

I’ll let the pics tell the rest of the tale.

Nuts and Bolts: The trailhead is just “this side” of the Mt Hancock trailhead. If you hit the hairpin turn on the Kancamagus Highway, you’ve gone too far by a fair bit. From Lincoln (exit 32 on Route 93) you shouldn’t drive more than 15 minutes. Look to the right just as you’re passing the Discovery Trailhead, and with 1-2 minutes, you should see the signs for the East Pond Trailhead. Parking is tight — about 6-8 cars or so if everyone plays nice. In busier seasons, plan on arriving early if you want to guarantee a spot.  

There are no blazes that I saw. That said, the trail was easy to follow. For the most part, follow your nose.

If you enjoy reading these posts, please subscribe — stay in the loop! Your email will only be used to alert you of new posts — typically 1-2 times per week. I will not use or share your email for any other purpose without your express permission. And feel free to share via social media using the buttons below.