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A Mount Crescent Trailhead? This spring the RMC was presented with a rare and important opportunity: to secure permanent, deeded access from Randolph Hill Road to our trails on Mount Crescent. No doubt many of us who make use of the Crescent Range trails have not stopped to ponder the underlying access issues related to these paths. Because they have always been accessible to us, it is easy to assume that the right to reach these trails will be there indefinitely. However, as it stands today, hikers, walkers, snowshoers and skiers could easily lose their ability to use the Carlton Notch Trail, Mount Crescent Trail, Cook Path, Castleview Loop, and Boothman Spring Cutoff, should the land through which they pass be sold to owners who for whatever reason need to cut off that access.
If secured, the land could provide a safe, permanent trailhead at the very end of Randolph Hill Road. Access to the Mount Crescent Trail, Carlton Notch Trail and Cook Path would start at a small new parking area just north of the end of the road. An additional benefit of a new trailhead would be to supplement currently inadequate parking. Today, hikers must park at the pull-off opposite Bill and Barbara Arnold's house. In good conditions, this location has room for just a few cars, and is quickly filled by one group of hikers. During mid-winter months, when snow is piled high, plowing challenges result and parking can be iffy at best-culminating in the all-too-familiar stuck vehicle. The Mount Crescent Trailhead Project is an opportunity that the RMC Board of Directors has eagerly embraced. At its spring meeting, the Board unanimously passed a resolution that enthusiastically endorsed the proposed project. The Board then agreed to several additional steps, including covering $1,500 of out-of-pocket administrative costs incurred by the Community Forest Commission and offering to assist with fundraising. The board then offered to make the first donation, with an amount to be determined later. The out of pocket expenses were paid for from RMC's Andrew Stuart Tucker Fund for Trails Stewardship. Also this spring, at the Randolph Town Meeting residents authorized the Selectmen to purchase the land with donated funds and designated the land, once acquired, as part of the Community Forest. Residents also established a contributory trust fund entitled the Mount Crescent Conservation Land Trust Fund for the purpose of accepting donations towards the purchase price. Though it may appear otherwise from a distance, such opportunities do not always arise easily. Behind the scenes, a lot of hard work has already been accomplished to bring the project to this point. Early discussions over the course of many months included Wayne Parker and Becky Boothman, the Randolph Community Forest, the RMC and others. We all owe a heartfelt debt of gratitude for the tireless efforts of John Scarinza and David Willcox, and the generous consideration of Becky Boothman and Wayne Parker. Thank you! Later this summer, we hope that the project will move into its next phase: namely, fundraising. The land has been appraised at $105,000. The Randolph Community Forest, in conjunction with the RMC and the Randolph Foundation, will be working to secure grants. However, private gifts will be a necessary and important component of the project. There will be three ways to make or pledge donations: through the RMC, through the Randolph Foundation or to the Town, with a notation that the funds are to be deposited in the Mount Crescent Conservation Land Trust Fund. All are tax deductible. If for any reason the project should not be completed, all donations will be returned in full and pledges excused. Today we have a chance to take action for which generations of hikers, skiers and snowshoers will no doubt be thankful. Who among us would not want to hike up Mount Crescent, taking comfort in the knowledge that we have done our part to secure this classic mountain experience for the future? We hope all RMC members and friends will lend a hand in helping the Mount Crescent Trailhead become a happy reality. Said Becky Boothman, "Our family properties have always been a point of access for RMC trails. My whole reason for spearheading this is to make sure that the trails continue to be accessible for everyone. I'm really happy to be able to do this. It's a privilege for me to be able to continue our family tradition."
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As
part of a larger subdivision, Becky Boothman and Wayne Parker
have agreed to sell ten acres of land to the Town of Randolph's
Community Forest at fair market value. Together, the Community
Forest Commission, the Randolph Mountain Club and the Randolph
Foundation have begun exploring how best to reach this exciting
goal.