Adventure with Carey – Best Beer Hikes

PHOTO: Guidebook author Carey Kish heading up the Mount Roberts Trail–there is a view around every turn. The Mount Roberts Trailhead at the Castle in the Clouds is located at Shannon Pond at the top of Ossipee Park Road, Moultonborough. The Lakes Region Conservation Trust maintains 28 miles of hiking trails on the estate ‘s 5,500+ acres. Trail maps are displayed at the information kiosk and can be purchased in the gift shop

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

Carey Kish asked me to tag along for a few hikes in New Hampshire while he did research for his next guidebook. He didn’t have to ask me twice and there is nothing I like better than showing off New Hampshire to my friends.
His publisher is smart to have chosen him to write a guidebook pairing great New England hikes with craft breweries.
Carey, otherwise known as Beerman on the Appalachian Trail, is also the compiler/editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast. Carey is a talented outdoor writer and columnist; he recently had a piece in Outside Magazine. We tackled Mount Kearasarge from Winslow State Park. NH State Park is requiring on-line registration for day passes. We went up the Winslow Trail and down the Barlow Trail. It was tad cloudy but it was a good day. Then having lunch at the Flying Goose Brew Pub after our hike made the outing even better.
The following day we went to Pisgah State Park in Winchester. I learned that Pisgah is our largest State Park with over 13,000 acres. The park offers trails for numerous activities beyond hiking including trails for mountain bikes, ATVs and horses. From the Route 63 trailhead we walked a nine mile loop over Mount Pisgah and along the Pisgah Reservoir. It was a long walk in a big Hemlock forest with ledgy perches offering vistas towards Mt. Monadnock. The outing was made even better with a visit to Keene’s Elm City Brewery.

Next up we headed north and hit the Sugarloafs high above the Zealand Valley. The bare ledgy tops of North and Middle Sugarloaf are a moderate hike with a big reward. The bluebird day coupled with hot sunshine made for a perfect day to view the Presidential Range and smaller peaks all around. Across from the trailhead kiosk is a short path to the Wildlife Pond. We didn’t see any wildlife but the view over the water up to the ledgy top we just came from is well worth the little effort. The brewery we sampled was nearby Rek-Lis Brewing in Bethlehem. I could get used to pairing hikes with brews.

Carey’s hand is always either holding his notebook or his camera. I often walked ahead and would find a good place to wait a bit while he did his work. Sometimes he would direct me to stand someplace and tell me how to stand there. At times I couldn’t tell if he was serious.
We’re lucky that Carey enjoys writing guidebooks. He gives us clear instruction and provides details that are important to know. He is also good at drinking beer. His notebook is right beside his flight of different brews. He jots notes between sips. Imagine making hiking and drinking beer work.
Before meeting up with me he hiked up Mount Shaw in the Ossipee Range and although it is a fine mountain the trail wasn’t a good fit for his book. He was happy with his apres hike brewery choice of Hobbs Tavern & Brewing in Ossipee.

I suggested going back and hiking my favorite Ossipee, Mount Roberts. Castle In the Clouds Tours are open and a few things are different this summer. The access to Castle and the lands formerly known as the Lucknow Estate are at the top of Ossipee Park Road, free admission to the grounds. There is hiker parking at the first kiosk and there is additional parking near Shannon Pond. Visitors for the Castle tours should continue further up the road just past the snack bar.
We won the lottery with the weather again. There were many people walking around Shannon Pond and the shorter lower trails. We headed up the Mount Roberts Trail past the pasture and it was sad to see the stables empty this summer.
This is my favorite Ossipee Mountain because there is a view around every turn and the trail never gets too steep.
From Shannon Pond to the top of Mt. Roberts is just 2.6 miles. The first big view ledge is just a mile up the trail between scrubby Oak trees and from there on up your eyes are going to get tired of being so full of marvelous views of Lake Winnipesaukee and its islands and far over to Gunstock and the peaks of the Belknap Range.

Again Carey took many notes and photographs. We leaped-frogged several times with a pair of college boys that would pass us and then stop to wait for their mother. From the trail there were good views of Mount Shaw and the other peaks in the estate.
From the summit there are more views all the way to the White Mountains. Whiteface, Passaconaway and Mount Chocorua were easy to point out. After a few minutes the clouds cleared and more mountains came into view–Carrigain and Mount Washington too.
We had the summit to ourselves for a short while before the boys arrived with their mother. After studying the map Carey stuck with his plan to make a loop by continuing on the estate’s old carriage roads, the High Ridge Trail and going down the Faraway Mountain Trail to make a 8.7 mile loop.
I had gone that way the last time I was here so I decided to continue on the ridge and descend the Oak Ridge Cut-Off. It was a little longer but I wasn’t stopping to take notes. I beat Carey back to our cars by a few minutes.
I think the fact that the snack bar sold ice cold beverages helped make Mount Roberts Carey’s favorite Ossipee Mountain too.
Carey continues his research with a few more hikes in New Hampshire before heading to Vermont to find more of the best beer hikes in New England.
Have Fun.

Amy Patenaude is an avid skier/outdoor enthusiast from Henniker, N.H. Readers are welcome to send comments or suggestions to her at: amy@weirs.com.