buckyball1
New member
whew...glad to have this one in the book... looking at and dreading it for better part of two years-- not the climb, but how to get there-this TR more about the drive than the hike--see Delorme 38 and 39
I was originally thinking about going in the Beaudry Rd above Eustic and traveling back Beaudry and Goldenbrook Rd to as close to Skinner as i could get and somehow whacking around Big Indian Pond toward Clear Pond Mt--pretty long and iffy. My next thought was to go into Canada, thru Megantic back to the border and
....been that way for a few other border peaks. The logging roads in there are really diffuse and last year i was almost locked in miles from help--that route would also involve pretty serious "Swath dancing" and potential problems with authority.
--big thanks to JP for encouraging me that it wouldn't be that bad from the Jackman side (Delorme page 39) and to Tom Coleman of Future Forests for beta on roads in the vicinity
Another 230 start to Jackman area -- many trips up there in last few years. If you've never been to Jackman, i find it among the most unique/different of the towns of any size in ME --ditto Fort Kent/Allagash/Dickey---certainly not in Kansas anymore--people in both these areas have provided me with friendly help/advice while being clearly bemused by what i'm doing
Clear Pond Mt-2525'
Go north from Jackman on RT 201 to Dennistown (still nothing there) and head west on the Holeb Rd (dirt, natch)--you'll go in 20--25 miles for this one. The Holeb Rd is in pretty decent shape, but will shortly (starting tomorrow) undergo serious drainage ditching and culvert replacement work lasting weeks. As you pass Burnt Jacket Mt, signs of visitors drop quickly and after a series of small ponds, you're in "nowhere" land (bought another wheel and now carry 2 full size spares + the donut--a flat 20+ miles back in NMW last week will do that to you). I had planned to take a road north of McKenney Pond from the Holeb Rd to the High Chaparral Rd (aka the "200" road in Delorme). The road was indicated as drivable in Delorme and appeared fine on sat pics, but had clearly been abandoned for years. I drove further on Holeb and found the "High Chaparral bypass" over to the High Chaparral Rd, which is in pretty rough shape-it could easily eat your car . There are lots of pretty decent new logging roads in the area and Delorme is surprisingly misleading. I found the logging road which runs off High Chaparral and toward Clear Pond. You are now on Passamaquoddy land as is the peak. This road is in good shape back to Little Gulf Stream--impassable beyond that point.
I had a few miles to walk on the old road; super wet, uneven, muddy-a mess- to the base of CP Mt. 30 degrees when i started, almost 60 when i returned. I had been told there "was" an old road/trail toward the summit which might be useful, but i found nothing. Headed into fairly open woods with an 1100' ascent in about 1.25 miles in front of me. The mountain is really "lumpy" both on a micro and macro basis-not the easy hike i hoped for. About 1/2 way up, the grade steepened and i ran into thick evergreen crap. I came up on a ledgey knob west of the summit and made my way down the ridge. The woods on the ridge ridge opened and i reached a point that felt "right". Ahhh, there on the requisite spruce was a small JP pill bottle hung with usual red cord string. No sign-ins since the bottle was placed years back.
As is my wont, i got cute figuring i could just wing it on the descent using a different line thru more open woods and then slab back to my preferred route. And as usual, wrong.....i got into thick stuff and a line of "no descend" cliffs. An arduous slab, some "re-ascent" and slip sliding down a steep section on my butt got me back to a familiar spot which lead to an ordinary walk out- some problems from the shin injury which ko'd me last year-- getting too old for this? And few very tough ones (like Barren, yeah, that Barren) in the 9 left.
jim
I was originally thinking about going in the Beaudry Rd above Eustic and traveling back Beaudry and Goldenbrook Rd to as close to Skinner as i could get and somehow whacking around Big Indian Pond toward Clear Pond Mt--pretty long and iffy. My next thought was to go into Canada, thru Megantic back to the border and
....been that way for a few other border peaks. The logging roads in there are really diffuse and last year i was almost locked in miles from help--that route would also involve pretty serious "Swath dancing" and potential problems with authority. --big thanks to JP for encouraging me that it wouldn't be that bad from the Jackman side (Delorme page 39) and to Tom Coleman of Future Forests for beta on roads in the vicinity
Another 230 start to Jackman area -- many trips up there in last few years. If you've never been to Jackman, i find it among the most unique/different of the towns of any size in ME --ditto Fort Kent/Allagash/Dickey---certainly not in Kansas anymore--people in both these areas have provided me with friendly help/advice while being clearly bemused by what i'm doing
Clear Pond Mt-2525'
Go north from Jackman on RT 201 to Dennistown (still nothing there) and head west on the Holeb Rd (dirt, natch)--you'll go in 20--25 miles for this one. The Holeb Rd is in pretty decent shape, but will shortly (starting tomorrow) undergo serious drainage ditching and culvert replacement work lasting weeks. As you pass Burnt Jacket Mt, signs of visitors drop quickly and after a series of small ponds, you're in "nowhere" land (bought another wheel and now carry 2 full size spares + the donut--a flat 20+ miles back in NMW last week will do that to you). I had planned to take a road north of McKenney Pond from the Holeb Rd to the High Chaparral Rd (aka the "200" road in Delorme). The road was indicated as drivable in Delorme and appeared fine on sat pics, but had clearly been abandoned for years. I drove further on Holeb and found the "High Chaparral bypass" over to the High Chaparral Rd, which is in pretty rough shape-it could easily eat your car . There are lots of pretty decent new logging roads in the area and Delorme is surprisingly misleading. I found the logging road which runs off High Chaparral and toward Clear Pond. You are now on Passamaquoddy land as is the peak. This road is in good shape back to Little Gulf Stream--impassable beyond that point.
I had a few miles to walk on the old road; super wet, uneven, muddy-a mess- to the base of CP Mt. 30 degrees when i started, almost 60 when i returned. I had been told there "was" an old road/trail toward the summit which might be useful, but i found nothing. Headed into fairly open woods with an 1100' ascent in about 1.25 miles in front of me. The mountain is really "lumpy" both on a micro and macro basis-not the easy hike i hoped for. About 1/2 way up, the grade steepened and i ran into thick evergreen crap. I came up on a ledgey knob west of the summit and made my way down the ridge. The woods on the ridge ridge opened and i reached a point that felt "right". Ahhh, there on the requisite spruce was a small JP pill bottle hung with usual red cord string. No sign-ins since the bottle was placed years back.
As is my wont, i got cute figuring i could just wing it on the descent using a different line thru more open woods and then slab back to my preferred route. And as usual, wrong.....i got into thick stuff and a line of "no descend" cliffs. An arduous slab, some "re-ascent" and slip sliding down a steep section on my butt got me back to a familiar spot which lead to an ordinary walk out- some problems from the shin injury which ko'd me last year-- getting too old for this? And few very tough ones (like Barren, yeah, that Barren) in the 9 left.
jim
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