chinooktrail
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- Feb 27, 2004
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A small group of us decided a backpack on the Grafton Loop would be a great way to spend the long Fourth of July weekend, BUT, since we were all suffering from lack of backpacking much lately, we decided on a more 'leisurely' pace and just opted for the Northern/Eastern half of the loop.
The VERY quick trail report of the journey is that there is a lot of mud, a lot of blow-downs and a lot of beautiful stone steps on the trail.
The longer version is that we did this half loop clockwise, spotting cars at the southern end. Both the parking lots had a lot of cars in them, so we were expecting to see loads of people. But, as soon as we got past the Table Rock loop trail the people certainly diminished from view.
The hike to and the climb up the Baldpates was really enjoyable, quite a lot of mud, and more than a few blow-downs, but overall pretty easy to follow the trail and the weather was perfect. Once up on the summit of East Baldpate we had some much needed food and beverages and a nice long break taking in the 'extraordinary' views and enjoying the nice breeze.
Once off the AT we saw even fewer people. The walk to East Baldpate Campsite was quite muddy, which Geneva naturally took advantage of. There were a few ladders and steep sections in this part, and Geneva was a total trooper and just kept making the right decisions of how to get around them. Unfortunately, it took some of us a bit longer than anticipated to get to the campsite, since we took the scenic bypass and kept on going up the trail toward Lightning Ledge before finally realizing my mistake and pulling out the map to realize the campsite was the LEFT at the intersection, not the RIGHT, where the sign was... Completely my mistake for just being in a hurry to get to the site and not looking at my map...
This campsite was nice and spacious for everyone and spread out so much that we didn't realize how many people it really will accommodate. The water source is quite a walk when you don't pull into camp until 8:30ish and are tired and maybe a bit hungry and dehydrated.
Got up to an overcast day and made pretty quick work of breakfasts and packing up getting ready for the 'big miles' day of the trip. Lightning Ledge was super scenic and a nice place to take a quick break and snap off some photos. Great views and a nice breeze to keep the bugs at bay. The section between East Baldpate Campsite and Town Corner Campsite still had plenty of mud and more than enough water for the dog and quite a number of blow-downs still. It seems that the Knoll Campsite is closed, there were no signs for it and where we believe it was is now growing in a bit. After a nice break at the intersection of Town Corner Campsite and refueling and refilling water bottles it was a brief climb up to Long Mountain. From here on out the blow-downs were nearly nonexistent. Clearly someone is maintaining this section of trail, and doing a great job of it.
We walked into Stewart Campsite around 7:00 and made quick work of setting up and making dinner. None of us had ideal spots here, ground was a bit on the nearly muddy and lots of evidence of people having illegal campfires was evident. Not any completely flap ground so we all slept at slight angles. We invited a solo hiker we had seen at the last campsite down to have dinner and hang out with us. Always great meeting like minded individuals out hiking! He had been planning on a full loop, but decided that hiking in Maine was a bit different than hiking in Virginia, and he decided to walk out with us and take us up on an offer to bring him back to his vehicle.
The next morning was sunny and cool, perfect for hiking! Unfortunately the flies descended upon us while we were having breakfast. A LOT of flies, not a very relaxing way to drink your coffee. Quick work of packing up and then it was a slow hike up to Puzzle Mountain, and here we had some confusion. Half of our group went ahead and completely missed some signs pointing out a new loop trail called the Woodsum Spur Trail off the Grafton Loop Trail. Each group waited for the other at a beautiful view, then made plans in case someone in the other group was injured, then regrouped up with no injuries! Only one of us had this new spur trail on the map. Time for new maps, and time for the MATC to update their online map as well perhaps.
The rest of the hike was a pleasant downhill and we all stayed together in one group. As a side note for dog owners, this section from Puzzle down to Route 26 has much less water available.
After the hike it was a few ice cold beverages in the parking lot and then off the the sketchy orange trailer for some yummy BBQ!
Great weekend out in the woods!
Thanks so much to Adventurous for organizing and all the wonderful company!
The VERY quick trail report of the journey is that there is a lot of mud, a lot of blow-downs and a lot of beautiful stone steps on the trail.
The longer version is that we did this half loop clockwise, spotting cars at the southern end. Both the parking lots had a lot of cars in them, so we were expecting to see loads of people. But, as soon as we got past the Table Rock loop trail the people certainly diminished from view.
The hike to and the climb up the Baldpates was really enjoyable, quite a lot of mud, and more than a few blow-downs, but overall pretty easy to follow the trail and the weather was perfect. Once up on the summit of East Baldpate we had some much needed food and beverages and a nice long break taking in the 'extraordinary' views and enjoying the nice breeze.
Once off the AT we saw even fewer people. The walk to East Baldpate Campsite was quite muddy, which Geneva naturally took advantage of. There were a few ladders and steep sections in this part, and Geneva was a total trooper and just kept making the right decisions of how to get around them. Unfortunately, it took some of us a bit longer than anticipated to get to the campsite, since we took the scenic bypass and kept on going up the trail toward Lightning Ledge before finally realizing my mistake and pulling out the map to realize the campsite was the LEFT at the intersection, not the RIGHT, where the sign was... Completely my mistake for just being in a hurry to get to the site and not looking at my map...
This campsite was nice and spacious for everyone and spread out so much that we didn't realize how many people it really will accommodate. The water source is quite a walk when you don't pull into camp until 8:30ish and are tired and maybe a bit hungry and dehydrated.
Got up to an overcast day and made pretty quick work of breakfasts and packing up getting ready for the 'big miles' day of the trip. Lightning Ledge was super scenic and a nice place to take a quick break and snap off some photos. Great views and a nice breeze to keep the bugs at bay. The section between East Baldpate Campsite and Town Corner Campsite still had plenty of mud and more than enough water for the dog and quite a number of blow-downs still. It seems that the Knoll Campsite is closed, there were no signs for it and where we believe it was is now growing in a bit. After a nice break at the intersection of Town Corner Campsite and refueling and refilling water bottles it was a brief climb up to Long Mountain. From here on out the blow-downs were nearly nonexistent. Clearly someone is maintaining this section of trail, and doing a great job of it.
We walked into Stewart Campsite around 7:00 and made quick work of setting up and making dinner. None of us had ideal spots here, ground was a bit on the nearly muddy and lots of evidence of people having illegal campfires was evident. Not any completely flap ground so we all slept at slight angles.
We invited a solo hiker we had seen at the last campsite down to have dinner and hang out with us. Always great meeting like minded individuals out hiking! He had been planning on a full loop, but decided that hiking in Maine was a bit different than hiking in Virginia, and he decided to walk out with us and take us up on an offer to bring him back to his vehicle.The next morning was sunny and cool, perfect for hiking! Unfortunately the flies descended upon us while we were having breakfast. A LOT of flies, not a very relaxing way to drink your coffee. Quick work of packing up and then it was a slow hike up to Puzzle Mountain, and here we had some confusion. Half of our group went ahead and completely missed some signs pointing out a new loop trail called the Woodsum Spur Trail off the Grafton Loop Trail. Each group waited for the other at a beautiful view, then made plans in case someone in the other group was injured, then regrouped up with no injuries! Only one of us had this new spur trail on the map. Time for new maps, and time for the MATC to update their online map as well perhaps.
The rest of the hike was a pleasant downhill and we all stayed together in one group. As a side note for dog owners, this section from Puzzle down to Route 26 has much less water available.
After the hike it was a few ice cold beverages in the parking lot and then off the the sketchy orange trailer for some yummy BBQ!
Great weekend out in the woods!
Thanks so much to Adventurous for organizing and all the wonderful company!
