BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 6, 2012: Cabot
Trails: York Pond Trail, Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail
Summits: Cabot
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Cabot is getting a lot of attention from us recently. It is hanging around on a number of months and now it’s time to clean up loose ends. After the usual stops along the way we reached the trailhead on York Pond Road with sunny but cool conditions. We also had a moderate breeze from the northwest and realized we would be out of it once we were hiking. One other hiker was just setting off as we arrived. His plan was the same as ours for the day.
We grabbed our things and took off. Based on recent reports and experience, we left the snowshoes behind and only brought MICROspikes in case we ran into ice. At the start, the trail was clear and dry. After the trail split, Bunnell Notch Trail follows a logging road and there are a few places were we found mud pits that we skirted and the stream crossing was an easy rock hop. We reached the place where the trail makes the turn off the road and starts the climb.
From leaving the logging road to the height-of-land we were generally sheltered from the wind. We had bright sunny conditions and no snow or ice, but we had mud in all the usual places. We never ran into the snow until ~2900 feet (a short distance before reaching the height-of-land). To this point the hiking was easy with the only caution was to stay clean at the muddy places. As we started into the snow and ice we needed to watch for areas of poor footing. Fortunately, the recent snow left a surface condition with great traction and slippery conditions were not an issue.
We reached the junction with Kilkenny Ridge Trail and it was snowman time. It was the usual routine; Sue made a snowman, I had a snack, and then we both took pictures. Leaving the snowman guard at the trail junction we found a pleasant trail surprise; the mud pits between the Bunnell Notch – Kilkenny Ridge trails junction and the junction with the abandoned Mt. Cabot Trail are still frozen over. This is typically the muddiest section of the hike and we had very little mud to get past. I’m sure this condition will change quickly.
We reached the junction with Mt. Cabot trail and started the climb. On the way we met Bryan Cuddihee on his way down having hiked in from Heath’s Gate via the Mt. Cabot Trail. We stopped for a short visit. We also ran into Bryan on Carrigain a couple weeks earlier. It’s always good to see him. Bryan claims to still be employed but he seems to be always on a mountain somewhere. Nice work if you can get it.
Next diversion along the way was Bunnell Rock. The past couple visits to Cabot had poor visibility conditions and there were no views to enjoy. On this trip through we had outstanding conditions and the viewpoint is situated in a way that provided protection from the northwest wind. Sue commented it would be a good place for summit cookies, later. After a few pictures we were back to the climb.
Still bare booting but now on a complete cover of snow and ice we had no trouble with footing at all. We made it to Cabot Cabin and found it occupied with an unknown number. After a couple pictures we were on our way to the summit. At the tower viewpoint we stopped to enjoy views east to the Mahoosuc Range including Baldpate, Old Speck, Goose Eye, and Carlo; nice! From there to the summit, the trail wanders through a series of trimmed blowdowns and eventually comes to the summit area. We didn’t find any diverging tracked-out sections that would cause confusion in finding the summit; the recent snow did a good job of covering all of the bad decisions and now there is only a single route. We hit the summit, grabbed our usual pictures, and u-turned for Bunnell Rock and some cookies.
Even descending we had no trouble with the footing. If we were to need MICROspikes it would be on the descent from the area of Cabot Cabin. That wasn’t the case. We simply watched for the ice and avoided it. Soon we were sitting on Bunnell Rock enjoying the sunny conditions, great views, and cookies. After the energy break we were again on our descent to the junction with Bunnell Notch Trail. A short distance before the trails junction I needed to make a quick stop and Sue continued. When I eventually reached the trail junction I found the snowman had pulled out his sunglasses and a towel, evidently planning to take a dip in the spring runoff. He’s just like Bryan – plenty of Mountain Time and enjoying all of it.
A short distance past the trails junction we were again on clear trail with our only obstacle being an occasional mud pit; for a while occasional was actually frequent. We made it through all of the little tests along the way back to the logging road, on to the trail split, and finally to the trailhead. Once back to the trailhead we paid a visit to the runway to see the thousands of brook trout that will soon need a change-of-address card. A little movement from us and they all crowd in expecting some food.
Packing to leave didn’t take long and we were slowly driving York Pond Road on the lookout for wildlife. More often than not while driving York Pond Road we are able to see a moose, but not on this visit.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: York Pond Trail, Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail
Summits: Cabot
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Cabot is getting a lot of attention from us recently. It is hanging around on a number of months and now it’s time to clean up loose ends. After the usual stops along the way we reached the trailhead on York Pond Road with sunny but cool conditions. We also had a moderate breeze from the northwest and realized we would be out of it once we were hiking. One other hiker was just setting off as we arrived. His plan was the same as ours for the day.
We grabbed our things and took off. Based on recent reports and experience, we left the snowshoes behind and only brought MICROspikes in case we ran into ice. At the start, the trail was clear and dry. After the trail split, Bunnell Notch Trail follows a logging road and there are a few places were we found mud pits that we skirted and the stream crossing was an easy rock hop. We reached the place where the trail makes the turn off the road and starts the climb.
From leaving the logging road to the height-of-land we were generally sheltered from the wind. We had bright sunny conditions and no snow or ice, but we had mud in all the usual places. We never ran into the snow until ~2900 feet (a short distance before reaching the height-of-land). To this point the hiking was easy with the only caution was to stay clean at the muddy places. As we started into the snow and ice we needed to watch for areas of poor footing. Fortunately, the recent snow left a surface condition with great traction and slippery conditions were not an issue.
We reached the junction with Kilkenny Ridge Trail and it was snowman time. It was the usual routine; Sue made a snowman, I had a snack, and then we both took pictures. Leaving the snowman guard at the trail junction we found a pleasant trail surprise; the mud pits between the Bunnell Notch – Kilkenny Ridge trails junction and the junction with the abandoned Mt. Cabot Trail are still frozen over. This is typically the muddiest section of the hike and we had very little mud to get past. I’m sure this condition will change quickly.
We reached the junction with Mt. Cabot trail and started the climb. On the way we met Bryan Cuddihee on his way down having hiked in from Heath’s Gate via the Mt. Cabot Trail. We stopped for a short visit. We also ran into Bryan on Carrigain a couple weeks earlier. It’s always good to see him. Bryan claims to still be employed but he seems to be always on a mountain somewhere. Nice work if you can get it.
Next diversion along the way was Bunnell Rock. The past couple visits to Cabot had poor visibility conditions and there were no views to enjoy. On this trip through we had outstanding conditions and the viewpoint is situated in a way that provided protection from the northwest wind. Sue commented it would be a good place for summit cookies, later. After a few pictures we were back to the climb.
Still bare booting but now on a complete cover of snow and ice we had no trouble with footing at all. We made it to Cabot Cabin and found it occupied with an unknown number. After a couple pictures we were on our way to the summit. At the tower viewpoint we stopped to enjoy views east to the Mahoosuc Range including Baldpate, Old Speck, Goose Eye, and Carlo; nice! From there to the summit, the trail wanders through a series of trimmed blowdowns and eventually comes to the summit area. We didn’t find any diverging tracked-out sections that would cause confusion in finding the summit; the recent snow did a good job of covering all of the bad decisions and now there is only a single route. We hit the summit, grabbed our usual pictures, and u-turned for Bunnell Rock and some cookies.
Even descending we had no trouble with the footing. If we were to need MICROspikes it would be on the descent from the area of Cabot Cabin. That wasn’t the case. We simply watched for the ice and avoided it. Soon we were sitting on Bunnell Rock enjoying the sunny conditions, great views, and cookies. After the energy break we were again on our descent to the junction with Bunnell Notch Trail. A short distance before the trails junction I needed to make a quick stop and Sue continued. When I eventually reached the trail junction I found the snowman had pulled out his sunglasses and a towel, evidently planning to take a dip in the spring runoff. He’s just like Bryan – plenty of Mountain Time and enjoying all of it.
A short distance past the trails junction we were again on clear trail with our only obstacle being an occasional mud pit; for a while occasional was actually frequent. We made it through all of the little tests along the way back to the logging road, on to the trail split, and finally to the trailhead. Once back to the trailhead we paid a visit to the runway to see the thousands of brook trout that will soon need a change-of-address card. A little movement from us and they all crowd in expecting some food.
Packing to leave didn’t take long and we were slowly driving York Pond Road on the lookout for wildlife. More often than not while driving York Pond Road we are able to see a moose, but not on this visit.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
