Any thoughts on my next 4000 ?

[TracyH]

I do not think I have actually introduced myself to the forum- just hopped in with a couple of posts. However, I have 'met' quite a few of you on other forums.

So a brief intro and then a question if I may. I live in Bar Harbor, Maine at the back door of Acadia National Park. I have hiked almost every trail in the park- and plan to finish up those wee bits that I missed this summer. I spend the majority of my time hiking with my yellow lab Simon. We took on hiking as something to do together when his puppy energy was driving me nuts! That was over seven years ago and I have caught the hiking bug bad now. I hike in Acadia in all seasons and enjoy my annual winter quest for Snowy Owl sightings. I am not a fast hiker and I am ok with that.

A couple of years ago, I slowly started on the 48 4000 footers and have hiked four so far- Washington, Eisenhower, Pierce and Jackson. I have hiked all of these with my sister, but unfortunately she very well may not be available to hike in the Whites this summer. My husband is also not a good candidate as he has a wanky knee. So, I am thinking of trying to hike a couple by myself. I would love to have Simon come with me, but occasionally he has gotten to a place on a trail that he just can not seem to navigate- so we turn around, not something I am going to want to do after traveling over there on a 4000 F mission.

I have been thinking that two reasonable candidates for a first time solo hike in the Whites would be Osceola and Tecumesh. I figure I could do one on a Saturday and one on a Sunday. My question is - with all of your collective trail experience, do these seem like reasonable choices?

 

[jrgagne99]

Techumseh is one of the easiest 400 footers. Should be fine for dogs, especially if taking the trail that leaves from near the ski area. If you do Osceola, make sure you do East Peak at the same time, its only a mile or so farther. (I assume you're doing both from the waterville valley area, not the Kanc.)

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

If you do Osceola, make sure you do East Peak at the same time, its only a mile or so farther.

There is an "interesting" chimney between the two peaks, not sure how the dog would handle it.

 

[TracyH]

Yes, I am planning to do the East Peak at the same time.
Simon has successfully done some interesting, short, chimneys... but that is no guarantee he would the next time. I promised him he would never have to do anything he was uncomfortable with.

 

[iagreewithjamie]

My dog freaked out at that Osceola chimney. She couldn't get footing on the way around it, and doesn't like tight squeezes. So a buddy climbed up the chimney, and we had to lift an 85 pound Akita up the Chimney. She wasn't happy.

The best solo hike I ever had with my dog was Mt Moriah. Plenty of good swimming for her, easy footing and grades, great views. Plus its closer to Maine.

 

[TracyH]

The best solo hike I ever had with my dog was Mt Moriah. Plenty of good swimming for her, easy footing and grades, great views. Plus its closer to Maine.

Sounds like labrador heaven!!

 

[Lawn Sale]

Moriah, Cabot, Waumbek are all good candidates and pretty easy hiking with a dog, should be able to bag more than one in a day and it's an easy non-tourist drive to them from your location.

 

[Grey J]

The best solo hike I ever had with my dog was Mt Moriah. Plenty of good swimming for her, easy footing and grades, great views. Plus its closer to Maine.

You must have done Moriah via Stony Brook Trail as I don't recall much water on Carter-Moriah, where the ledges above Mt Surprise might be troublesome to a dog like Simon. I prefer the western approach to Tecumseh because that's where I saw a moose and I think its less traveled than the trail from the ski area. Waumbek and Hale both short and easy and Tom, Field, and Willey together is not difficult either.

 

[summitseeker]

There is an "interesting" chimney between the two peaks, not sure how the dog would handle it.

Good call. As soon as I read the previous post that's where my mind went immediately. That chimney is certainly no easy feet for a four-legged friend, IMHO.

Moosilauke is a great hike. Using the Gorge Brook Trail is a very reasonable, quick, and dog friendly route. The trailhead is by the Ravine Lodge.

I would also suggest The Kinsmans via the trailhead at The Basin. The Basin Cascade Trail, to the Cascade Brook (0.5), to the Kinsman Pond Trail was a great route for some "out-of-towners" I took up there this winter. There are several crossings but as long as the water table is low your dog should be fine and have plenty to drink along the way.

Cabot isn't too bad and I don't recall any scrambles along the way.

The aforementioned peaks, Moriah, Waumbek, and probably Tecumseh are all good options. I would suggest bearing to the right when approaching the summit loop. The trail to the left is very rocky with uneven sharp rocks that may be a little rough on the paws.

I hope this helps and welcome to Views.

Z

 

[IQuest]

My dog freaked out at that Osceola chimney. She couldn't get footing on the way around it, and doesn't like tight squeezes. So a buddy climbed up the chimney, and we had to lift an 85 pound Akita up the Chimney. She wasn't happy.

Why not take the bypass? Nothing too difficult there in dry summer conditions.

 

[Driver8]

Hi Tracy -

Welcome to Views from the Top. I'm a slow hiker, too, though I don't hike with a dog, and I'm 9 into my 48 - have done Washington, Lafayette and Moosilauke twice each.

A classic hike which you and your lab might enjoy, though it has a lot of dry time, is the Lincoln-Lafayette Loop. Plenty of water on the way up the Falling Waters Trail, though depending on the time of year, it could be pretty dry after the brookside walk ends, or there could be water for your dog at the Shining Rock spur path, as was true September 9 last year when I hiked it. Depending on conditions, you can adjust how much water to carry for you and for pup.

It's an amazing hike, comparable to Mt. Washington in length and difficulty - depending on which way you did W, it might be easier. The views are as splendid as they're cracked up to be on a clear day. A bit of scrambly stuff next to Cloudland Falls - the highest on FWT - and in the Agonies on OBP, but I found it doable with some butt-sliding on descent and with no problem climbing, and I expect your dog should be ok.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Why not take the bypass? Nothing too difficult there in dry summer conditions.

The bypass is no piece of cake either these days, it has become quite eroded. Unless there is a bypass-bypass ?!

 

[TJsName]

I have been thinking that two reasonable candidates for a first time solo hike in the Whites would be Osceola and Tecumesh. I figure I could do one on a Saturday and one on a Sunday. My question is - with all of your collective trail experience, do these seem like reasonable choices?

These are definitely reasonable. Take into account the weather conditions as well - Osceola has far better views, so if one day looks better do the Osceola. The chimney between the peaks isn't too bad. If you say to the left going to East/right coming back you will be fine. You'll likely need to give Simon one boost as the very bottom, but many 4 legged friends have found their way through the woods around that.

If you can get a ride, consider doing a loop over Tecumseh as the back side is very nice as well. You might not have cell reception on Tripoli Rd though, so it might make sense to go from Tripoli to the ski area. From the ski area, walking back into town isn't too bad if you take some of the XC ski trails.

Doing a loop over the Osceolas is a bit more work than an out and back from Thornton Gap, but doing a loop is usually better (IMO). There is trail work being done on the Greeley Ponds trail, so check on its status, but you could go up it and then climb up to East Osceola (which is fairly steep, but not exceptionally so). I've never done that stretch with a K9 though, so others might be able to offer better advice.

As for other peaks that are good for a solo hike with a dog:

Galehead
Tom
Waumbec
Field
Canon
Hale
Moriah
Carter Dome

 

[iagreewithjamie]

The bypass is no piece of cake either these days, it has become quite eroded. Unless there is a bypass-bypass ?!

The bypass is more of a steep ramp and than a climbable chimney. Jazzy is a tall dog, and she could never get good traction on the bypass. She'd go forward a couple of steps then slide back. We definitely tried that approach. Trust me - the LAST thing I wanted to do that day was pick up my dog.

If your dog is smaller, they could probably get enough footing to get up the bypass. Bigger dogs might have an issue.

 

[TomK]

Tecumseh, Hale also good

I did Tecumseh from the ski area side on Thursday of last week, and I can't think of anywhere on that trail that would give a dog any trouble.

The previous suggestion for Hale is also good.

TomK

 

[Raven]

The bypass is no piece of cake either these days, it has become quite eroded. Unless there is a bypass-bypass ?!

I may be mistaken but I believe there is a "bypass-bypass" for the chimney bypass in the woods to the side of the bypass (and on the same side of the chimney as the bypass). I have never taken the bypass-bypass but have been told it is there. Coming down the bypass a couple winters ago was tricky enough due to the low snow and heavy ice cover that winter.

I'm sure someone can correct or verify this.

 

[Stan]

Sounds like you're planning to be efficient in bagging multiple peaks during any given weekend trip. Oseola would certainly be a test but a dog, like children, might have to build up to things like the Chimney. Was there something comparable in Acadia?

Between hiking legs and confidence, better not to set anyone up for failure. Sandwich might be a better hike while you're in that area. Long but no unusual formations to scramble. Oseola is also accesible from the Kanc though I prefer the Tripoli Road approach ... maybe without any rationale.

TJSname has a good list but I would hold off on Tom and Field 'til you felt comfortable adding Willey to that hike. Zealand and Hale can be paired and some do it as one long hike.

We took 10 years to bag the NE 100 highest, starting with only a few trips a year and getting more gung ho as we went, eventually bagging some in winter. It does become addictive but there's no rush as long as you do it safely and enjoyably ... let that be the rush.

A couple other points: there are a lot of good hikes not on the 4000 footer list so don't restrict yourself for the sake of a list, and, leave no stragglers ... i.e. if you have an oportunity to do a hundred highest, work it into the hike or trip.

 

[TracyH]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I had read about the chimney between the Osceola peaks and had thought Simon would be skipping that one. He really has navigated some pretty tricky places- has done a number of chimneys in Acadia. If he hesitates I usually let him off leash ( must be leashed in Acadia) to find an alternate route around. I most cases he is able to to do that. The places where we have had to turn around ended up being places where we were scrambling over boulders and he got to a place where there was such a gap between boulders that from his vantage point it must have looked like he would be jumping into space or a gaping abyss. I actually got down on my knees to check it out and it did look a bit scary from that vantage point!

Stan: thanks for your advice. I do tend to hike the trails that capture my interest and greatly enjoy a variety of hikes, so do not limit myself to the 4000 footers. I am also in no rush- well, other than wanting to finish before I expire! And, as Steve Smith said to me, it is a nice little project. I am a cautious hiker and have read too many tales of tragedy in the mountains to not make safety a priority. Of course some would argue that hiking solo negates safety, but I try to make sure I am as safe as possible. (And I am not averse to company) Enjoying the experience of being on the trails is what matters most to me. A nice view, meeting fellow hikers, reaching the summit, seeing wildlife and hanging with my dog are bonuses.

 

[jrgagne99]

Oh yeah, I had forgot about the Chimney... Oh well, I glad it stirred up some talk about the so-called bypass-bypass.

 

[shamples]

Tecumseh and Osceola are two fine choices for back to back hikes.

Both considered on the easy side overall when comparing with all the 4,000 footers.

Add Hale and Waumbeck to that easy list as well. Tom and Field too.

Of course alot of these are wooded so Osceola would be your best bet!