The Pemigewasset Wilderness is a federally designated

Wilderness Area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

in the heart of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

's White Mountains. It is a part of the

White Mountain National Forest The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a federally managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had alre ...

. It is New Hampshire's largest wilderness area. The Wilderness Area consists of the upper watershed of the

East Branch of the Pemigewasset River The East Branch of the Pemigewasset River is a river located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, part of the Merrimack River watershed. The East Branch is a longer and larg ...

, and includes the

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper F ...

Twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with t ...

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is th ...

, and

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshire * ...

mountain ranges, but excludes the summits of the ranges and the trail along them. As a result of the region's rugged character, the Pemigewasset Wilderness is a popular recreation area; its large trail network receives heavy use, in the form of

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

, and others, throughout the year. The area is also noted for its ecological recovery from the logging era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After years of unchecked

clear-cutting Clearcutting, clearfelling or clearcut logging is a forestry/ logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, it is used by foresters to create certain types of fore ...

, during which the zone had the largest logging railroad system in the White Mountains, the area's inclusion in the

and later designation as a Wilderness Area has led to a substantial rebound in the forest ecosystem.

Geography

The Pemigewasset Wilderness consists of two horseshoe-shaped "lobes" characterized by relatively low, wet river valleys surrounded by high mountain ridges.Daniell, Gene, and Smith, Steven D. ''White Mountain Guide''. 27th ed. AMC Books, 2003. . 150

Western lobe

The western lobe is enclosed by the Franconia, Twin, and Bond ranges, though the top of the ridge defining the ranges is outside the Wilderness boundary. Moving clockwise from the south near the Lincoln Woods trailhead, the ridge ascends

Potash Knob Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salt (chemistry), salts that contain potassium in water-solute, soluble form.Whaleback Mountain (2586 ft/1093 m) before reaching

Franconia Ridge The Franconia Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is the second-highest range of peaks (after the Presidential Range) in the White Mountains. Franconia Ridge is a prominent ridge which ...

itself at the ledgy summit of

Mount Flume Mount Flume is a mountain at the southern end of the Franconia Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. Mount Flume is the lowest in elevation of the peaks in the Franconia Range that are accessible by official hiking trails ...

(4328 ft/1319 m).USGS 7.5 Minute Topographic Map Series: Franconia, Lincoln, Crawford Notch, Mount Osceola, Mount Carrigain, South Twin Mountain Quadrangles From Mount Flume, the ridge dips and rises between peaks in a parabolic manner, flirting with treeline in the cols and running open and exposed at the summits. Peaks crossed at this point of the ridge after Flume include Mount Liberty (4459 ft/1359 m), and Little Haystack Mountain (4780 ft/1457 m), where the ridge rises out of the scrub for good. As it heads north, the ridge assumes a "knife-edge" character, dropping off dramatically on both sides as it crosses

Mount Lincoln Mount Lincoln may refer to one of several mountains located in the United States: {{Mountainindex, Lincoln ...

(5089 ft/1551 m) before reaching its high point at the summit of

Mount Lafayette Mount Lafayette is a mountain at the northern end of the Franconia Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. It lies in the town of Franconia in Grafton County, and appears on the New England Fifty Finest list of the most to ...

(5249 ft/1600 m). PemigewassetRiverNH

From the summit of Lafayette, the ridge, thence known as Garfield Ridge, makes its way toward the

Twin Range The Twin Range is a mountain range within the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Summits Notable peaks within the range include North Twin Mountain, South Twin Mountain, Mount Guyot, Mount Bond, Mount Garfield, Zealand Mountain, and Moun ...

. It passes over a small subsidiary peak of Lafayette before descending abruptly into the scrub below timberline; after several small knobs, the summits of

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the t ...

(4500 ft/1372 m) and

Galehead Galehead Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. Galehead is flanked to the east by South Twin Mountain, and to the west by Mount Garfield. The summit is ...

(4024 ft/1227 m) mountains are crossed, and the ridge breaks into the open and begins a steep climb to the summit of

South Twin Mountain South Twin Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. South Twin forms the high point of a north-south ridge, with North Twin Mountain lying approximately one ...

(4902 ft/1494 m).Daniell and Smith 167 As a spur ridge extends north to North Twin Mountain (4761 ft/1451 m), the main ridge makes a southward turn and runs in the open to the summit of

Mount Guyot Hills and mountains named Guyot, after geologist Arnold Henry Guyot (1807–1884): * Mount Guyot (Great Smoky Mountains), on the Tennessee/North Carolina border * Mount Guyot (New Hampshire) * Mount Guyot (California), on the Sierra Peaks Section ...

(4580 ft/1396 m).Daniell and Smith 173 Enclosing the western lobe, the Bond Range extends south from Guyot, passing over Mount Bond (4698 ft/1432 m) and Bondcliff (4265 ft/1300 m) before descending sharply into the woods to the East Branch of the Pemigewasset.Daniell and Smith 196-197 In the center of the western lobe is the long, broad ridge of Owl's Head (4025 ft/1227 m), which rises abruptly from the valley of

Lincoln Brook Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Linc ...

and extends north for roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) to a low saddle connecting it to Garfield Ridge. Almost completely encircling Owl's Head are two tributaries of the East Branch, Lincoln Brook and

Franconia Branch Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Uppe ...

; Lincoln Brook drains the east face of

, while Franconia Branch drains the southern and western faces of the Twin and Bond Ranges through Twin, Redrock, and Hellgate Brooks.

Eastern lobe

The eastern lobe of the Pemigewasset Wilderness follows fewer well-defined topographic features than the western lobe. The "boundary wall" formed in the west by the

, and Bond Range is present in the eastern lobe to a degree, but is less obvious. From Mount Guyot, the eastern lobe's main ridge continues east rather than following the Bond Range to the south. Passing over Zealand Mountain (4260 ft/1298 m) and a small knob known as Zeacliff Pond Peak (4060 ft/1237 m), the ridge reaches an abrupt end at Zeacliff, a dramatic overlook into Zealand Notch.Smith, Steven D., and Mike Dickerman. The 4000 Footers of the White Mountains. Littleton, NH: Bondcliff Books, 2001. 134-135 From Zeacliff, the Wilderness Boundary plunges into the notch following the Twinway trail, and follows the Ethan Pond Trail into the flatter sections of the lobe. After a few miles, the boundary picks up the ridge of Mount Lowell, and runs over

Mount Nancy Mount Nancy, formerly Mount Amorisgelu, is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, on the eastern boundary of the Pemigewasset Wilderness of the White Mountains. The mountain is the highest point and namesake of the Nancy Range. ...

(3926 ft/1197 m), Mount Anderson (3740 ft/1140 m), and near the summit of Lowell itself (3740 ft/1140 m) before crossing Carrigain Notch and rising to Vose Spur (3862 ft/1177 m) and the summit of

Mount Carrigain Mount Carrigain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Phillip Carrigain, NH Secretary of State (1805–10), and is on the south side of the Pemigewasset Wilderness, the source of the East Branch of t ...

(4700 ft/1433 m).Daniell and Smith 206-207 Confined to a more obvious ridge at this point, the boundary passes over The Captain (3540 ft/1079 m) and the main summit of Mount Hancock (4420 ft/1347 m) before descending to the East Branch across from Bondcliff via Mount Hitchcock (3620 ft/1103 m) and its several small knobs. Note that the boundary as implemented excludes the Appalachian Trail and the summits it passes over as well as Mount Carrigain. The East Branch of the Pemigewasset drains the eastern lobe through a number of small streams. Mounts Hancock and Carrigain are drained by Crystal, Carrigain, and Notch Brooks, while the center drains to the North Fork of the Pemigewasset and Shoal Pond Brook.

Geology

While most of the White Mountains consist of highly metamorphicized

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...

s and

gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures a ...

es formed during the Acadian Orogeny, the Pemigewasset Wilderness is part of the White Mountain

Batholith A batholith () is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in Earth's crust. Batholiths are almost always made mostly of felsic or intermediate rock types, su ...

and is therefore composed primarily of the

igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma o ...

White Mountain

plutonic Intrusive rock is formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground to form '' intrusions'', such as batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, and volcanic necks.Intrusive RocksIntrusive rocks accessdate: March ...

-volcanic

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

series.Billings, Marland P. The Geology of New Hampshire: Part II-Bedrock Geology. Concord, New Hampshire: The New Hampshire State Planning and Development Commission, 1980. 69-88. The Franconia and Twin Ranges form a massive

ring dike A ring dike or ring dyke is an intrusive igneous body that is circular, oval or arcuate in plan and has steep contacts. While the widths of ring dikes differ, they can be up to several thousand meters. The most commonly accepted method of ring dik ...

in the western half of the White Mountain Batholith made up of a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

porphyry backbone that emerged roughly 170 million years ago."Geographic Marvels of the Northeast." AMC Outdoors. Sept. 2006. AMC. 25 Mar. 2007 . This rock appears pink, red, green or grey, with medium-sized

phenocryst 300px, Swiss side of the Mont Blanc massif, has large white plagioclase phenocrysts, triclinic minerals that give trapezoid shapes when cut through). 1 euro coins, 1 euro coin (diameter 2.3 cm) for scale. A phenocryst is an early forming, relati ...

s. Such phenocrysts, usually

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

feldspar Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feld ...

, make up 20%-40% of the rock, and are embedded in a

groundmass The matrix or groundmass of a rock is the finer-grained mass of material in which larger grains, crystals, or clasts are embedded. The matrix of an igneous rock consists of finer-grained, often microscopic, crystals in which larger crystals, c ...

of similar composition. Enclosed by the ring dike and extending in to the flat floor of the wilderness is a large area of

biotite Biotite is a common group of phyllosilicate minerals within the mica group, with the approximate chemical formula . It is primarily a solid-solution series between the iron- endmember annite, and the magnesium-endmember phlogopite; more alum ...

and

amphibole Amphibole () is a group of inosilicate minerals, forming prism or needlelike crystals, composed of double chain tetrahedra, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures. Its IMA symbol is ...

granite.Creasy, John. "BEDROCK GEOLOGY OF THE EASTERN WHITE MOUNTAIN BATHOLITH, NORTH CONWAY AREA, NEW HAMPSHIRE." Bates College Geology. Bates College. 25 Mar. 2007 .

References

External links

Pemigewasset Wilderness
- Wilderness.net
Roadless Area Profiles
- USDA Forest Service {{Merrimack River Wilderness areas of New Hampshire White Mountain National Forest White Mountains (New Hampshire) Protected areas of Grafton County, New Hampshire