Tropical Storm Irene, White Mountains – From 6PM Saturday, August 27, 2011 through midnight Monday, August 29, 2011 the White Mountain National Forest was closed because of Tropical Storm Irene. This tropical storm caused massive damage along the East Coast of the United States and the White Mountain National Forest was officially closed during the storm. The above photo of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, near the Lincoln Woods Trail, shows how the river looked just days after the storm.

With the large amount of damage Tropical Storm Irene has caused throughout the state of New Hampshire, I thought it would be interesting to show some before and after scenes of a few locations in the White Mountains that have been impacted. Many of the brooks and rivers have been drastically altered.

Cedar Brook, Pemigewasset Wilderness

Cedar Brook (above) in the Pemigewasset Wilderness suffered massive erosion damage, which is visible right where the Pemi East Side Trail crosses Cedar Brook. The below photo shows the same location after Tropical Storm Irene. It is hard to believe that the above and below photos are of the same location.

Thoreau Falls Trail Bridge, Pemigewasset Wilderness

The footbridge (above) that crosses the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River along the Thoreau Falls Trail in the Pemigewasset Wilderness suffered damage but is still standing. The bottom of the two giant logs supporting the bridge has some peeling (below).

Trestle 16, East Branch & Lincoln Railroad

The historic Trestle No. 16 (above) along the abandoned East Branch & Lincoln Railroad in the Pemigewasset Wilderness was damaged. The stone footing on the right side in the above photo was washed away during the storm causing this section of the trestle to drop about two feet. The below image shows how the trestle looked days after Tropical Storm Irene. The pile of rocks in the foreground is from the footing that washed away.

East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, Lincoln Village

On August 28, 2011, during the storm (above), the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River in Lincoln, at the levee, was an unbelievable site. Trees were being dragged down the river! Never have I seen the East Branch of the Pemi so high, and it was an amazing site to see. The below photo shows the above location the day after the storm.

Tropical Storm Irene is a storm I will never forget, and after seeing the destruction that has been left behind, I hope we never get another storm like it. It is going to take years for the White Mountain National Forest to recover.

All of the above images can be licensed for publications by clicking on the image you are interested in. And you can view more images of storm damage here.

Happy image making..

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Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.