In Search of Nottingham Mountain/Lynx tracks

Lynx Tracks top 2 pics, Bobcat Tracks bottom 2, note- scale: black lens cover next to tracks




On a cold but perfectly clear Friday March 13 2009 My brother in law Keith and I met up at the Citgo Station on Rte 43/107 in Deerfield. our goal-climb the highest peak in Rockingham county old school style-without using a GPS or compass. We were unfamiliar with this area for hiking. It is tucked away on the county line in far west Deerfield. Directions to the summit were hard to find online. We turned of 107 onto Echo Valley Rd. The tornado damage there is still a sight to see. We parked on Mountain rd in Epsom. We first veered to the trail on the right and climbed McCoy mountain because it was there. The snow was 2 feet deep in the woods but supersaturated with water that had refrozen solid with a dusting of fresh snow on top. Perfect winter hiking conditions, now snowshoes or even gaiters were needed. No bugs, bushwacking was a piece of cake. Keith said we were on Fort Mt once we reached the top. So we were thinking we were on Fort Mt. We could see the snowy summit of Mt Washington from the top. After snacks and discourse headed down the mountain and up the other trail. This part was more exciting because we saw fresh Lynx tracks, Snowshoe Hare tracks, Moose tracks, and Bobcat tracks, and coyote tracks. We heard an animal over by a falling fir tree- perfect and necessary habitat for Hares and Lynx'. I took pictures of all on the way down and posted them here. We ended up bushwacking after the trail ended and went to the summit which had lynx tracks showing that this elusive cat went right over the top. The mountain had a communications center and turned out to be the real Fort Mt. The view from the top of Fort mountain is nothing short of spectacular. Nottingham Mt. was still further to the east just over the county line. The sun was getting low in the sky and we descended. We had inadvertently climbed the highest peak in Merrimack County instead of the highest peak in Rockingham county. The discovery of the Lynx tracks was an added bonus, the area of southeast Epsom was very similar to the Lemon Stream in area in topography and in animal tracks.