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After
crossing over to the northwest side of the river, we stopped to
rest on the suspension bridge over Franconia Brook. Here, the
Wilderness Trail passes a sign and officially enters the Pemigewasset
Wilderness. Our rest was cut short by the mosquitoes (I hate putting
on repellent if I can avoid it), and we soon started off toward
the Bondcliff Trail, 1.8 miles away.
The
going was easy and we made excellent time. The trail still followed
the bed of an old logging railroad, but began to narrow somewhat.
Near the Bondcliff Trail junction, we came across some other hikers,
who were also looking for a spot to camp. I told them that I had
heard that there were some good legal sites a short distance up
the Bondcliff Trail. Camping is prohibited in the area right around
this trail junction, which is known as Camp 16, as it is the site
of an former logging camp.
We soon found a good secluded spot overlooking Black Brook, and
before long, I had set up the tent and we lay down for a rest
before supper.
I
took several pictures in and around this area which, when developed,
revealed strange white spots that I could not reasonably account
for. This led me to post a message on one of the AMC bulletin
boards that spawned some fifty responses and sparked a small controversy.
In
part, I asked, "I took a lot of photos (three rolls) on this
trip. In only four pictures out of all I took, I got those strange
white orbs that some people think are spirits. Two of these pictures
were of the old railroad bridge next to the Wilderness Trail.
The other two were at my campsite nearby. The campsite pictures
were taken on Thursday, the bridge pictures on Friday. Only one
of these pictures was taken with the flash on. And all four pictures
were taken from different angles. And all the pictures in between
these were normal. Now I'm not the kind who normally believes
in this kind of thing, but I just wondered. Has anyone else had
any kind of experiences in this area of the woods?"
Many
people shared similar incidents or strange occurrences, others
scoffed. In the end, the discussion thread degenerated into a
debate on the merits of spam (the food, not unwanted emails).
I myself keep an open mind on the subject of ghosts. At any rate,
nothing unusual happened while we were camped there.
We
ate supper on some flat boulders in the brook. The water and a
breeze helped keep the mosquitoes at bay.
After eating, we went to bed early so we could get an early start
the next morning. Not having the benefit of weather forecasts
out in the woods, I checked my watch altimeter before going to
sleep so I could note any changes overnight that might signal
a downturn in the good weather. |
Muffin
on the Franconia Brook suspension bridge. After crossing this
bridge, the Wilderness Trail enters the Pemigewasset Wilderness. |
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