MEB
New member
Christmas in August!
Last year my Dad gave my sisters and me a one week rental up in Carrabassett Valley just down the road from his place. Oh boy….I was so excited when he told us!
Ok..kick off weekend at SherpaK’s for Bearly Live ’07. That Friday I hiked Pleasant Mountain with Pat, Audrey and Mike. We did the traverse going up the McKay Pasture Trail, across the ridge to the fire tower, and then down the ski trail. It was an absolutely beautiful day and perfect company! I wish I had brought a notebook with me though as Audrey really knows her wild plants and mushrooms and I as I think back I can’t remember half of what she shared with me. Oh, and the dragon flies on the main peak! It was like watching a miniature airplane show!
Saturday was an adventure on Tumbledown Mountain….I can’t believe this was my first time visiting this area. It’s definitely a must see area. The pond on top was awesome and the swimming was soooo refreshing! I’m looking forward to coming back here to do some more exploring on the other trails. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the most exciting part of this day was the drive over...anyone wanting an off mountain adventure I would suggest taking a drive with Caveman!
Sunday morning I was up early and ready to head out at 6:00 but my car thought otherwise, dead battery. No one else was awake yet so I paced around the campground waiting for people to wake up. Then I had a great idea, why not go to the office and ask someone there to help me out. So, I go into the building and tell the lady my dilemma. Her response when I asked her if anyone had jumper cables and could help me out was “Well, Don’t you have a husband?” After a brief pause I told her that I had left him at home. Lesson of the day, never leave home without the husband. Oh well….so off to the campsite. It was 7:00 by now and I felt that might be an ok time to see if anyone was stirring and I was so happy to see Caveman was awake. Thanks so much Steve for getting my car running again! So, off I was to tackle Saddleback and The Horn. It was an absolutely perfect day for hiking! What was even better was hearing my car start when I finished! Off to my dads now.
Monday Paul was coming up with the dogs so I decided to just hang around and sit reading by the river until they arrived. They showed up around noonish and then we headed off for an off road adventure on Caribou Valley Road. Ok…this drive was scarier then the previous day with Caveman. We drove in all the way past the pond until we one section that the truck got hung up on….I practiced keeping quiet and holding my breath for most of the ride. Later on that day my older sister Sue and her three beautiful girls arrived.
Tuesday we all woke up early, had a big breakfast and then headed off to Burnt Mountain ….another mountain I have never been too. The trail is very well marked and there is really only one steep section. My nieces flew up the peak like it was a walk in the park. This was their first mountain to climb and I’m so proud of all of them! Paul (husband) even did well on this one! The last section of the trail is all open and there were so many blueberries! The views were incredible! Another must do mountain.
Wednesday morning we all get up and have pancakes for breakfast…yum yum! Thanks to my nieces I got to have blueberry pancakes! My plan for this day was to do my first solo backpack over the Bigelows. When I told my dad my plan the night before I could tell he was not thrilled with the idea as beads of sweat collected on his brow. Sorry dad but I going, and off I went up the AT to the Horns Pond Shelter the following morning. My original plan was to hang out around the pond and then hit West and Avery the next day…..but the weather was just too nice. So, I dropped most of my gear in the lean-to and headed up South Horn. It was a much easier ascent then the last time I was there with my 40+ lb pack and temps in the 80’s or 90’s. Over to West Peak down the col and up to Avery Peak….and then back to the Horns Pond Shelter. I made the side trip over to North Horn on the way back and stayed there for a while just gazing at all the beauty surrounding me. Back at the lean-to I had some dinner and talked with some thru hikers who were staying there for the night as well….so, I guess it was not really a solo but I was so excited I did not chicken out. That night the moon was full and I lay awake for about an hour just watching it rise…so peaceful. Up early the next morning and I head back to the cabin for some couch lounging and hanging out with my dad.
Friday…I’m up early and on my way to Abraham. My sister and I had hiked this peak from the Fire Wardens Trail about 10 years ago and all I could remember was how steep it was after the cabin and how much complaining we both did. Well, this time around it was not bad at all and I actually liked the trail. When I hit the open section just before the summit I was greeted with strong winds and lots of clouds. Putting on extra layers I was off to the tower…I did take a few, well, maybe a lot, of breaks along the way to eat blueberries. This was my third time on this mountain but my first time with views….and wow! Fortunately, with my early start I escaped the rain showers that came down later that day. Oh, anyone looking for some yummy post hike food I strongly recommend The Schoolhouse Café.
Saturday, another early start as I head up CVR to tackle Sugarloaf and Spaulding. Again, the last time I had climbed these two peaks the weather was less than ideal. The river crossing this time was just a rock hop as opposed to a knee deep wade and the steep rocky section seemed a lot shorter for some reason too. Anyway, I decided to go to Spaulding first and what an awesome section of trail. I met several thru hikers along the way and they were all so inspirational…I hope some day I will be one of them and I thank them all for all the advice and information they shared with me. There are two side paths on Spaulding each offering some pretty decent views. Back towards Sugarloaf I go….I’ve been up on this summit countless times but it’s always been way of the ski lift. Looking towards Timberline made me want winter and ski season to come right now! The wind was howling, the clouds were scurrying and it was downright chilly out. Burrr…..this whole week has felt more like September than August. I hung out for a while, had some lunch, and then headed back to the car. Once again, I was lucky enough to escape the afternoon showers.
I have to say this was one of the best vacation weeks I’ve had in a long time! Here’s to hoping that Christmas comes in August again next year!
-MEB
here are some pictures from my trip...
http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=553079496&security=ffNVLd
Last year my Dad gave my sisters and me a one week rental up in Carrabassett Valley just down the road from his place. Oh boy….I was so excited when he told us!
Ok..kick off weekend at SherpaK’s for Bearly Live ’07. That Friday I hiked Pleasant Mountain with Pat, Audrey and Mike. We did the traverse going up the McKay Pasture Trail, across the ridge to the fire tower, and then down the ski trail. It was an absolutely beautiful day and perfect company! I wish I had brought a notebook with me though as Audrey really knows her wild plants and mushrooms and I as I think back I can’t remember half of what she shared with me. Oh, and the dragon flies on the main peak! It was like watching a miniature airplane show!
Saturday was an adventure on Tumbledown Mountain….I can’t believe this was my first time visiting this area. It’s definitely a must see area. The pond on top was awesome and the swimming was soooo refreshing! I’m looking forward to coming back here to do some more exploring on the other trails. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the most exciting part of this day was the drive over...anyone wanting an off mountain adventure I would suggest taking a drive with Caveman!
Sunday morning I was up early and ready to head out at 6:00 but my car thought otherwise, dead battery. No one else was awake yet so I paced around the campground waiting for people to wake up. Then I had a great idea, why not go to the office and ask someone there to help me out. So, I go into the building and tell the lady my dilemma. Her response when I asked her if anyone had jumper cables and could help me out was “Well, Don’t you have a husband?” After a brief pause I told her that I had left him at home. Lesson of the day, never leave home without the husband. Oh well….so off to the campsite. It was 7:00 by now and I felt that might be an ok time to see if anyone was stirring and I was so happy to see Caveman was awake. Thanks so much Steve for getting my car running again! So, off I was to tackle Saddleback and The Horn. It was an absolutely perfect day for hiking! What was even better was hearing my car start when I finished! Off to my dads now.
Monday Paul was coming up with the dogs so I decided to just hang around and sit reading by the river until they arrived. They showed up around noonish and then we headed off for an off road adventure on Caribou Valley Road. Ok…this drive was scarier then the previous day with Caveman. We drove in all the way past the pond until we one section that the truck got hung up on….I practiced keeping quiet and holding my breath for most of the ride. Later on that day my older sister Sue and her three beautiful girls arrived.
Tuesday we all woke up early, had a big breakfast and then headed off to Burnt Mountain ….another mountain I have never been too. The trail is very well marked and there is really only one steep section. My nieces flew up the peak like it was a walk in the park. This was their first mountain to climb and I’m so proud of all of them! Paul (husband) even did well on this one! The last section of the trail is all open and there were so many blueberries! The views were incredible! Another must do mountain.
Wednesday morning we all get up and have pancakes for breakfast…yum yum! Thanks to my nieces I got to have blueberry pancakes! My plan for this day was to do my first solo backpack over the Bigelows. When I told my dad my plan the night before I could tell he was not thrilled with the idea as beads of sweat collected on his brow. Sorry dad but I going, and off I went up the AT to the Horns Pond Shelter the following morning. My original plan was to hang out around the pond and then hit West and Avery the next day…..but the weather was just too nice. So, I dropped most of my gear in the lean-to and headed up South Horn. It was a much easier ascent then the last time I was there with my 40+ lb pack and temps in the 80’s or 90’s. Over to West Peak down the col and up to Avery Peak….and then back to the Horns Pond Shelter. I made the side trip over to North Horn on the way back and stayed there for a while just gazing at all the beauty surrounding me. Back at the lean-to I had some dinner and talked with some thru hikers who were staying there for the night as well….so, I guess it was not really a solo but I was so excited I did not chicken out. That night the moon was full and I lay awake for about an hour just watching it rise…so peaceful. Up early the next morning and I head back to the cabin for some couch lounging and hanging out with my dad.
Friday…I’m up early and on my way to Abraham. My sister and I had hiked this peak from the Fire Wardens Trail about 10 years ago and all I could remember was how steep it was after the cabin and how much complaining we both did. Well, this time around it was not bad at all and I actually liked the trail. When I hit the open section just before the summit I was greeted with strong winds and lots of clouds. Putting on extra layers I was off to the tower…I did take a few, well, maybe a lot, of breaks along the way to eat blueberries. This was my third time on this mountain but my first time with views….and wow! Fortunately, with my early start I escaped the rain showers that came down later that day. Oh, anyone looking for some yummy post hike food I strongly recommend The Schoolhouse Café.
Saturday, another early start as I head up CVR to tackle Sugarloaf and Spaulding. Again, the last time I had climbed these two peaks the weather was less than ideal. The river crossing this time was just a rock hop as opposed to a knee deep wade and the steep rocky section seemed a lot shorter for some reason too. Anyway, I decided to go to Spaulding first and what an awesome section of trail. I met several thru hikers along the way and they were all so inspirational…I hope some day I will be one of them and I thank them all for all the advice and information they shared with me. There are two side paths on Spaulding each offering some pretty decent views. Back towards Sugarloaf I go….I’ve been up on this summit countless times but it’s always been way of the ski lift. Looking towards Timberline made me want winter and ski season to come right now! The wind was howling, the clouds were scurrying and it was downright chilly out. Burrr…..this whole week has felt more like September than August. I hung out for a while, had some lunch, and then headed back to the car. Once again, I was lucky enough to escape the afternoon showers.
I have to say this was one of the best vacation weeks I’ve had in a long time! Here’s to hoping that Christmas comes in August again next year!
-MEB
here are some pictures from my trip...
http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=553079496&security=ffNVLd
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