A Spring Hike - Part 3

by Brad Sylvester

Just past the sign we come to a clearing.  This is the beginning of the managed blueberry fields.  This place is visited by tens of people every day during the summer, but it never runs out of blueberries during the season.  You can pick quart after quart.  I like to freeze some and pull them out in the middle of winter as a reminder of the summer sun.  To freeze blueberries (and most other berries), first spread them out on a flat sheet.  You want them to freeze as individual berries and not as a big mushy lump.  Place the flat sheet carefully in the freezer.  Leave them overnight or until each berry is frozen.  Then you can transfer them into any relatively air-tight container without worrying about them freezing into one big clump.  Some people will dehydrate berries as well.  Blueberries don't work so well because the outer skin tends to seal in the moisture.  If you do dehydrate them anyway, use a pin to poke a small hole or two in the blueberry skin and you'll have better luck.  Then you can mix them in with trail mix or eat them plain as a refreshing, and healthy snack. 

But, now that we've got our fill of blueberries, back to the hike.  From this clearing, we can look up to the right and see a radio broadcasting tower and a fire-tower on the peak of Blue Job Mountain.  Following the trail to the right will bring us there.  Visitors are allowed to climb to an observation platform on the fire tower for a great view of the surrounding countryside. 

If we look to the left, however, we see Little Blue Job Mountain's rocky peak.  The trail up is marked by cairns (piles of rock) since there are no trees to blaze.  Here there are open blueberry fields, and great expanses of the bedrock from which the mountain is made.  The wind sweeps over the rock making it seems as if one could spread their arms wide and take flight.  Indeed, this is hawk country and we frequently see several different species of them here.  because the top of Little Blue Job Mountain is mostly barren rock (and low blueberries) we can see for miles and miles in all directions.  To the East we can just make out the ocean on a clear day.  To the Northwest, Mount Washington looms like a distant cloud on the horizon behind the nearer mountains.  Arrayed below us are woods, rivers, bogs, farmhouses, and sleepy New Hampshire towns.  Even though we are at the summit and it is all rocky ledge, the slopes on all sides are gradual and there is no danger of falling off.  It is not unusual for hikers to let their dogs run around the top of the mountain, revelling, as we do, in the wind-swept grandeur of the place.  Because it is still early in the spring, there is still some snow up here, but not much.  The wind absorbs the moisture and the sun heats the underlying rock to melt off it's snow blanket.  Even so, it is fairly dry and easily walkable since the water quickly runs off the rock.

There are beautiful stone walls all across the top of the mountain.

Many people try to make at least one visit up here each year to watch the sunset over the distant peaks on the horizon.  Unfortunately, it's too early in the day for that this time. 

After enjoying the view for a while, we reluctantly head back down the path.  This time we'll head back down the path we used to get here, but there are many others here as well.  There are trails that lead over to the Fire Tower on Blue Job Mountain, there's a trail that leads to Scruton Pond Road, another to First Crown Point Road, and several that I haven't explored yet.  As we prepare to leave, we notice the many birdsongs that are being caught and carried on the wind.  On another day, we'll bring a recorder and put some short audio files of the various birdsongs up on the sight along with some pictures.  With a little practice you'll be able to match the songs you hear with the bird that's singing.