Lebanon, NH (USA)

After several days of rain, I finally had a chance to explore the trails near the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center again.  It had been a few weeks since I last tried to locate the Boston Lot and that had given me time to study the rudimentary maps I had.  Decided to drive to the south side of the Hospital Complex and park (0830) at the trailhead I’d seen there and hike up a gravel road that (apparently) spawned some other trails.  After reaching the top of the hill, though, I found the water tower I’d expected but no trail signs.  Backtracked a short distance and noticed a tree with a white over blue black.  Tentatively walked into the woods there and found myself at a sort of “Narnia Lamp Post” for the Boston Lot.  Signage and trail maps increased significantly and I was able to navigate more easily.  Most of the trails were for mountain bikes but I found a few for pedestrians only.  As I made my way west, I encountered the junction for the Indian Ridge Trail that starts in my neighborhood - that would have gotten me into the zone a lot easier...  Eventually located another junction that clearly provides access to the Lake (the water was visible through the trees) and I reached my target.  It was a perfectly isolated patch of land - I couldn’t have been more than two miles from a road but it felt like I was in the middle of a huge swath of wilderness.  Decided to walk around the lake (counterclockwise) and was not disappointed with the trail, solitude or scenery.  I noticed that all the trails had the same blazes - a hiker needed to read the name of the branch to know where to go.  I eventually reached an earthen levee on the southwest side of the lake, which I thought was the dam that all the signs referenced.  However, I learned later that the “Wilder Dam” was actually on the Connecticut River and could be accessed by using a gravel road that I found during my walk.  I met some people (young couple with dog) in that area and they told me there was a parking lot nearby (on NH-10).  After that, I completed my circuit of the lake (muddy, rocky and hilly) and retraced my steps to the car - mission accomplished!  There were lots of places to have a nice picnic or even camp near the lake.  I backtracked through the woods and the water tower access road and finished the hike at around 1030.  Today’s walk reinforced the idea that I need to keep trying out different trails near my new home - the complex system will take years to explore!