Today I wanted to do something moderate but at least a bit off the beaten path. A recent post by Dr Wu had reminded me that I was vaguely interested in doing Flume peak, and had for a few years wanted to see what the Kanc. Brook XC ski trail was like.
I had heard that the Kanc. Brook trail is extremenly wet, but I hoped that it was cold enough to freeze (or at least harden) any mud. Little did I know ...
The start was smooth enough: 0.4 miles on Livermore Trail, then 1.2 on Greeley Ponds Trail. The start of the Kanc Brook Trail goes through an area with a lot of brush, but the trail is easily followed. It soon enters the woods, were it is easy to follow.
The first part, to where it makes a sharp turn at about 2,500 feet, follows the brook and is an extremely pleasant woods walk. With the sun shining through the trees onto the snow I enjoyed it very much.
At the sharp turn things start deteriorating. There are very many blowdowns, some seem rather old suggesting that maintainence has not been regular of late. Reasonably easy to deal with for a hiker, not sure how a skier would fare.
Then I reached the large flat area that is inside the 2,840 contour. It is not a "very wet trail"; much more a swamp. The water was still liquid, and the thin layer of ice on top broke easily. I was tired, grumpy, and in no mood for a solo bushwhack in what looked like fairly thick stuff. The last part before the Livermore Trail seems in very bad shape overall, narrow and poorly brushed. I actually lost the trail shortly before reaching the Livermore Trail (big blowdonw, trail not visible beyond it) and thought I would have to bushwhack to the Livermore Trail. I soon recovered the Kanc. Brook Trail, and reached the Livermore Trail.
Strangely enough I found the struggle through the swamp quite satisfying in a perverse sort of way. The going was tough, my boots were almost pulled off my feet by the mud in half a dozen spots, but I was moving. It was warm, I had lots of extra clothing in case I fell into the swamp (never did) and I was "winning".
No human footprints on that trail, but a smart bear had followed it for quite a distance (beats 'whacking through the stuff, as any smart bear should know).
Once on the Livermore Trail I had a dilema: I could follow the longer, boring but easy Livermore Trail all the way back, or I could take the Old Skidder Trail and Flume Trail back to the Greeley Ponds Trail. There is a short section of the Old Skidder Trail that I feared, it is steep and rocky, and with an inch of snow on top of Lord knows what would be tricky. I had not yet decided by the time I reached the junction.
At the junction I saw the first human prints since I had left the Greeley Ponds Trail. One hiker had done the loop, going up Flume Brook and Old Skidder and down Livermore Trail. I concluded that the Old Skidder was doable, and went down it.
It is a fun trail, and even though the part I had feared was delicate, I managed to go down it with only a couple of graceful slides. Shortly after passing the worst of it I saw that another (ascending) hiker had turned around here.
Straight going after that; I met a couple on the Greeley Ponds Trail. They warmed the heart of an Accidents Editor: they had just gone to the ponds, but he carried a pack that I estimate at about 3,500 cubic inches, hers was just a bit smaller. There are still some well prepared hikers around
Looking at my map after I got home it seems that the easiest way to do Flume Peak now is to follow the Flume Brook/Old Skidder combo until the latter climbs away from the brook, and at that stage bushwhack along the old logging road which seems to continue following the brook. It appears that the brook rises to meet the old logging road somewhere around 2,760 feet, crossing it there and heading for the summit might bypass the wetlands.
All in all, a fun day: good weather, much pleasant trail, a sucessful struggle through the swamp. No peak at the end of the day, but who cares???
I had heard that the Kanc. Brook trail is extremenly wet, but I hoped that it was cold enough to freeze (or at least harden) any mud. Little did I know ...
The start was smooth enough: 0.4 miles on Livermore Trail, then 1.2 on Greeley Ponds Trail. The start of the Kanc Brook Trail goes through an area with a lot of brush, but the trail is easily followed. It soon enters the woods, were it is easy to follow.
The first part, to where it makes a sharp turn at about 2,500 feet, follows the brook and is an extremely pleasant woods walk. With the sun shining through the trees onto the snow I enjoyed it very much.
At the sharp turn things start deteriorating. There are very many blowdowns, some seem rather old suggesting that maintainence has not been regular of late. Reasonably easy to deal with for a hiker, not sure how a skier would fare.
Then I reached the large flat area that is inside the 2,840 contour. It is not a "very wet trail"; much more a swamp. The water was still liquid, and the thin layer of ice on top broke easily. I was tired, grumpy, and in no mood for a solo bushwhack in what looked like fairly thick stuff. The last part before the Livermore Trail seems in very bad shape overall, narrow and poorly brushed. I actually lost the trail shortly before reaching the Livermore Trail (big blowdonw, trail not visible beyond it) and thought I would have to bushwhack to the Livermore Trail. I soon recovered the Kanc. Brook Trail, and reached the Livermore Trail.
Strangely enough I found the struggle through the swamp quite satisfying in a perverse sort of way. The going was tough, my boots were almost pulled off my feet by the mud in half a dozen spots, but I was moving. It was warm, I had lots of extra clothing in case I fell into the swamp (never did) and I was "winning".
No human footprints on that trail, but a smart bear had followed it for quite a distance (beats 'whacking through the stuff, as any smart bear should know).
Once on the Livermore Trail I had a dilema: I could follow the longer, boring but easy Livermore Trail all the way back, or I could take the Old Skidder Trail and Flume Trail back to the Greeley Ponds Trail. There is a short section of the Old Skidder Trail that I feared, it is steep and rocky, and with an inch of snow on top of Lord knows what would be tricky. I had not yet decided by the time I reached the junction.
At the junction I saw the first human prints since I had left the Greeley Ponds Trail. One hiker had done the loop, going up Flume Brook and Old Skidder and down Livermore Trail. I concluded that the Old Skidder was doable, and went down it.
It is a fun trail, and even though the part I had feared was delicate, I managed to go down it with only a couple of graceful slides. Shortly after passing the worst of it I saw that another (ascending) hiker had turned around here.
Straight going after that; I met a couple on the Greeley Ponds Trail. They warmed the heart of an Accidents Editor: they had just gone to the ponds, but he carried a pack that I estimate at about 3,500 cubic inches, hers was just a bit smaller. There are still some well prepared hikers around
Looking at my map after I got home it seems that the easiest way to do Flume Peak now is to follow the Flume Brook/Old Skidder combo until the latter climbs away from the brook, and at that stage bushwhack along the old logging road which seems to continue following the brook. It appears that the brook rises to meet the old logging road somewhere around 2,760 feet, crossing it there and heading for the summit might bypass the wetlands.
All in all, a fun day: good weather, much pleasant trail, a sucessful struggle through the swamp. No peak at the end of the day, but who cares???
