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From an e-mail about a winter hike in New Hampshire, sent to
family and friends when I was on vacation during the Christmas break in 2000….
28 December 2000
Re: Maybe there is something to be said for snowmobilers
Well, that was an adventure.
The only time I had been on the Kilburn Loop Trail, to
Kilburn Pond in Chesterfield, was the [summer] day after
 Hurricane
Bertha about four years ago, and then it was
incredibly muggy and buggy. Not today [crisp 20s]. On the other
hand, the pretty obvious and easy trail quickly turned
out to be obscured by winter conditions (but only a
couple of inches of crunchy snow) and I lost the
blazes a little after that. But I could follow in the
tracks of someone who had been by in the recent past
(only hoping that he got to where he was going and
that I was going the same place). After a while I
picked up the blazes again, but then when I finally
came down to a view of a pond, the blazes ended and
the brush became very thick along the shoreline. (I
now think I was not at Kilburn Pond at all, which I
should have only seen at about the five mile point in
the loop trail, but at Pisgah Reservoir.) So I
decided to turn back and retrace my steps. Not so
easily done. I made it back across a stream that, I
think, fills into Kilburn Pond and then got hopelessly
lost.  I
couldn't pick up the blaze after climbing the
slope that rises above the stream. (Now I realize I
should have conceded the point, recrossed the stream,
reconnected with the blazes and crossed again (which
would have been the fourth time over). I circled
round and round without finding anything useful and so
decided my only option was to keep heading west,
making my own trail but heading west so as to hit the
north/south state highway that runs by the trailhead.
This "only option" wasn't looking too promising either.
(I rechecked my view of the sun with my
compass--which I am not confident in using--but I was
fearful that what looked like the setting sun might be
reflected light on eastern hills, which would mean I
was headed entirely wrong (there are state highways
running along the northern and southern sides of
Pisgah State Park but it is a long walk indeed
till
you come out on the eastern side). If only Jeremy or
Benjamin [my sons] had stayed with Cub Scouting longer, I might
have learned some much needed skills.) Finally, while
I was thinking about all the things I should have told
you before I froze to death, I came upon a trail. Not
my trail, but a good snowpacked trail with blazes.
Figuring that any trail is better than no trail, I
turned toward what I figured/hoped was the westerly
section and took off. It was westerly and--punchline
coming--turned out to be a snowmobile trail that got
me back to the trailhead and my car.
Oh, and about all those things I should have told you
but never did--never mind.
 Follow-up:
On the 31st, three days after my misadventure in Pisgah
State Park (trying to do the Kilburn Pond loop) I went back after an 8-10
inch snowfall to do a very pleasant snowshoe on the snowmobile trail that proved
my salvation. And…I ended up giving directions to two lost convoys of
snowmobilers. Turn-around is fair play.
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