Bobby
Active member
Deciding to hike is easy. Where to hike is usually the problem. Sapblatt and I were back and for a few days on what peak we would hike on Thursday. Looking at the weather forecast, we figured that we would be in good shape if we stayed below the tree line.
We left at about 4:15 AM, with Middle Carter as our destination. When we got to the Imp trailhead, there was construction going on. Not wanting to leave the car in the way of the workers, we left the trailhead, and came up with a new plan. We went further north to Mount Cabot.
We got to the York Pond Trail and of course it started to drizzle. Sapblatt put on his raincoat; I was optimistic that it wouldn’t rain. We both put our pack covers on. I was checking out the fish at the hatchery and a large truck pulled up, it was a stock day. We were able to confirm with the driver that the gate would be open after 4 PM, the gate is broken, so it’s open all of the time.
At the beginning, the York Pond Trail is a logging road. It’s covered with high grass, but there is a small path to follow. We crossed the bridge over Bunnell Brook, which was running very high and fast. In short order we turned right onto the Bunnell Notch Trail. The early portion of the trail is similar to the York Pond Trail. The stream crossing early on the trail was a little tricky, I found a promising spot a little upstream, while Sapblatt charged right across. The Bunnell Notch Trail was muddy and had lots of standing water. We entered the woods and began a nice uphill. Both of us agreed that this was a beautiful trail. Lots of lush vegetation along the trail, it was very colorful. There were also some nice cascades flowing in the brook. Along the way there were numerous water crossings, none that were challenging. There was a lot mud along the trail, some of it we walked through, and in some places we had to go into the trees to get around it.
At the junction with the Kilkenny Ridge Trail, there was a small pond forming in the trail. We were able to get around the pond through the trees and began the uphill toward the Cabot Cabin and the summit. We met a group of about seven coming down from an overnight trip and watched them slosh down the trail as we sloshed up. The summit of Cabot is an open area marked with a sign and a small cairn. After a few photos, we went to the cabin and took a break. The clouds lifted for a few moments and we got some views of the valley below.
We started the hike down, and stopped at the outlook just off of the trail. The clouds cleared enough that we had a decent view from the ledges. As we hiked down, we were commenting on how the weather forecast calling for thunderstorms was off again. Immediately, there was a rumble of thunder, very close to us. We quickened our pace, hoping to get back to the car before things got interesting. We reached the stream crossing, which appeared to have dropped a few inches, making for a fairly easy crossing and were soon at the parking lot.
It began to rain as we got out to Rte. 16, so we had that going for us. We stopped for a dinner at the Woodstock Station, and then headed home. It was another fine day in the mountains. Many thanks to Sapblatt for driving, and for helping me get #41 on the list.
Sapblatt's pictures from Cabot
My pics from Cabot
We left at about 4:15 AM, with Middle Carter as our destination. When we got to the Imp trailhead, there was construction going on. Not wanting to leave the car in the way of the workers, we left the trailhead, and came up with a new plan. We went further north to Mount Cabot.
We got to the York Pond Trail and of course it started to drizzle. Sapblatt put on his raincoat; I was optimistic that it wouldn’t rain. We both put our pack covers on. I was checking out the fish at the hatchery and a large truck pulled up, it was a stock day. We were able to confirm with the driver that the gate would be open after 4 PM, the gate is broken, so it’s open all of the time.
At the beginning, the York Pond Trail is a logging road. It’s covered with high grass, but there is a small path to follow. We crossed the bridge over Bunnell Brook, which was running very high and fast. In short order we turned right onto the Bunnell Notch Trail. The early portion of the trail is similar to the York Pond Trail. The stream crossing early on the trail was a little tricky, I found a promising spot a little upstream, while Sapblatt charged right across. The Bunnell Notch Trail was muddy and had lots of standing water. We entered the woods and began a nice uphill. Both of us agreed that this was a beautiful trail. Lots of lush vegetation along the trail, it was very colorful. There were also some nice cascades flowing in the brook. Along the way there were numerous water crossings, none that were challenging. There was a lot mud along the trail, some of it we walked through, and in some places we had to go into the trees to get around it.
At the junction with the Kilkenny Ridge Trail, there was a small pond forming in the trail. We were able to get around the pond through the trees and began the uphill toward the Cabot Cabin and the summit. We met a group of about seven coming down from an overnight trip and watched them slosh down the trail as we sloshed up. The summit of Cabot is an open area marked with a sign and a small cairn. After a few photos, we went to the cabin and took a break. The clouds lifted for a few moments and we got some views of the valley below.
We started the hike down, and stopped at the outlook just off of the trail. The clouds cleared enough that we had a decent view from the ledges. As we hiked down, we were commenting on how the weather forecast calling for thunderstorms was off again. Immediately, there was a rumble of thunder, very close to us. We quickened our pace, hoping to get back to the car before things got interesting. We reached the stream crossing, which appeared to have dropped a few inches, making for a fairly easy crossing and were soon at the parking lot.
It began to rain as we got out to Rte. 16, so we had that going for us. We stopped for a dinner at the Woodstock Station, and then headed home. It was another fine day in the mountains. Many thanks to Sapblatt for driving, and for helping me get #41 on the list.
Sapblatt's pictures from Cabot
My pics from Cabot
