I did a five-and-a-half-mile circuit of Sugarloaf Mountain this afternoon. The area around the summit was full of children (and one or two unleashed dogs!) but once I got onto the blue-blazed Northern Peaks trail, things got quiet. Elevation change is 450 feet. Not much in the way of birds, but I did hear one or two Common Ravens up high. Lots of recent blowdown, presumably from Hurricane Isabel, but the trails are all passable. In a couple of cases, there is a mini-staircase cut into a downed tree athwart the trail.

posted: 8:37:39 PM