poison ivy
Well-known member
From a 14'er to two 2ks... it's really interesting where my hikes take me! With the weather finally beautiful, it seemed like a great time to tackle one of the Maine AT sections I had skipped over earlier this year, which passes over the 2,945-foot Wyman Mountain and the 2,440-foot Moody Mountain. (I had skipped over this section earlier in the year because it was still snow-covered the weekend I had planned to hike it.) Getaway Girl agreed to come along with me even though I wasn’t expecting any fantastic views, so I was very grateful for the company.
We started up from East B Hill Road at 8:45 a.m. with what turned out to be a very gradual climb up Wyman Mountain. The trail in this area is surrounded by ferns, moss-covered rocks and small shrubs so my overall impression was that there was green everywhere! I was pleased to see Superfeet coming our way because I had eaten more than my fill of cobwebs for the day!
We made quick work of the miles to Surplus Pond -- strange to see that little black hole I remember viewing from Goose Eye last year from its actual shore. Someone lucky has a pretty little cabin on the pond -- a nice weekend getaway spot! We decided to take a snack break on the shore and found the tea-colored water clear enough to watch small fishes dart around submerged logs. We also searched in vain for a bullfrog that was croaking very close to us, but he was very well hidden apparently!
The rest of the climb up Wyman Mountain was strange -- I felt like we were losing and gaining the same 10 feet with every twist and turn of the trail. We must have been making some progress though, as we soon found ourselves at an opening with the helpful sign of “scenic view.” It was a pretty spot and we found ourselves heading downhill so I guess that was near the summit of Wyman.
We descended to Hall Mountain Lean-To, where we stopped for a long lunch break. We were surprised by two things there -- a thru-hiker had carried the new 600-page, hardcover Harry Potter book 45 miles to the shelter! Also there was a sign for a view and gunsight -- I’ve never seen a gunsight sign on the AT before! Unfortunately, we got to gabbing so much over lunch that we forgot to head up the hill to see it before heading northbound.
From the shelter, it was a knee-crunching descent to Sawyer Brook, which was somewhat pointless since we’d be climbing back up all those feet when we reached Moody Mountain. Getaway Girl suggested there should be some sort of tram or rope bridge that connected the two peaks. Sawyer Brook had the worst batch of black flies I’ve seen all year… and they chased us up the initial steps up Moody Mountain.
What can I say about Moody Mountain? A former thru-hiker told me that Moody Mountain was the steepest climb he remembered outside of Katahdin and Mahoosuc Arm… and I agree, at least as far as New England is concerned. We ascended with help from seven sets of iron rungs drilled into the rocks, three wooden ladders and too many rock staircases to count. Hard to believe this is just a 2,000-footer! I was never so happy to see a viewpoint in my life, which signified we were close to the top. I’ll admit that the views were the best in this section so I shouldn’t be complaining… but boy that hike up was tough!!
Once we crossed the summit of Moody, it was an easy hike back down to South Arm Road, which we reached at 4 p.m. It was a fine day to be out hiking, especially with such entertaining company, and great to hike my way off another one of the AT maps. Only three more sections to go before my 100-Mile Wilderness trek!
The pictures aren't particularly exciting but are
here for anyone who is interested.
- Ivy
We started up from East B Hill Road at 8:45 a.m. with what turned out to be a very gradual climb up Wyman Mountain. The trail in this area is surrounded by ferns, moss-covered rocks and small shrubs so my overall impression was that there was green everywhere! I was pleased to see Superfeet coming our way because I had eaten more than my fill of cobwebs for the day!
We made quick work of the miles to Surplus Pond -- strange to see that little black hole I remember viewing from Goose Eye last year from its actual shore. Someone lucky has a pretty little cabin on the pond -- a nice weekend getaway spot! We decided to take a snack break on the shore and found the tea-colored water clear enough to watch small fishes dart around submerged logs. We also searched in vain for a bullfrog that was croaking very close to us, but he was very well hidden apparently!
The rest of the climb up Wyman Mountain was strange -- I felt like we were losing and gaining the same 10 feet with every twist and turn of the trail. We must have been making some progress though, as we soon found ourselves at an opening with the helpful sign of “scenic view.” It was a pretty spot and we found ourselves heading downhill so I guess that was near the summit of Wyman.
We descended to Hall Mountain Lean-To, where we stopped for a long lunch break. We were surprised by two things there -- a thru-hiker had carried the new 600-page, hardcover Harry Potter book 45 miles to the shelter! Also there was a sign for a view and gunsight -- I’ve never seen a gunsight sign on the AT before! Unfortunately, we got to gabbing so much over lunch that we forgot to head up the hill to see it before heading northbound.
From the shelter, it was a knee-crunching descent to Sawyer Brook, which was somewhat pointless since we’d be climbing back up all those feet when we reached Moody Mountain. Getaway Girl suggested there should be some sort of tram or rope bridge that connected the two peaks. Sawyer Brook had the worst batch of black flies I’ve seen all year… and they chased us up the initial steps up Moody Mountain.
What can I say about Moody Mountain? A former thru-hiker told me that Moody Mountain was the steepest climb he remembered outside of Katahdin and Mahoosuc Arm… and I agree, at least as far as New England is concerned. We ascended with help from seven sets of iron rungs drilled into the rocks, three wooden ladders and too many rock staircases to count. Hard to believe this is just a 2,000-footer! I was never so happy to see a viewpoint in my life, which signified we were close to the top. I’ll admit that the views were the best in this section so I shouldn’t be complaining… but boy that hike up was tough!!
Once we crossed the summit of Moody, it was an easy hike back down to South Arm Road, which we reached at 4 p.m. It was a fine day to be out hiking, especially with such entertaining company, and great to hike my way off another one of the AT maps. Only three more sections to go before my 100-Mile Wilderness trek!
The pictures aren't particularly exciting but are
here for anyone who is interested.
- Ivy
