Kath
New member
Memorial weekend found Old Lurp and I heading north to do some exploring. We'd talked about hiking Kibby Mountain for years....before we were aware that it was one of the Fifty Finest, and certainly long before we caught wind (pun intended) of the Kibby Project. We called ahead and spoke to someone on the project site to make sure that the roads were open. The Beaudry Road is completely open and in very good condition most of the way from Rt. 27 north of Eustis to Skinner. With all of the work going on in that area, improvements have been made to the road. If you plan on doing any hiking or camping in this area, it is advisable to check in with security first. We stopped at the construction trailers and talked to one of the project managers there. The trail to Kibby can be found by traveling 9.3 miles in from Rt. 27 on the Beaudry Rd. There will be a gravel logging road on the right. Turn on it - the trail is about a half mile down on the left. It's easy going all the way to the summit. The trail is in great shape. There is only one fork, about 2 miles in. The left leads to an old cabin (warden's). The right leads to the summit, where there is (the remains of) a tower. From the tower there are probably phenomenal views. But the haze on Sunday blurred out most of the view. (We just discovered today that what we thought was haze was really a result of Canada on fire.) The sight of the huge crop of windmills was surreal. This was a surprisingly easy and pleasant hike, which is just what my knees needed. After returning to the car, we drove further down the Beaudry Road and picked a spot to set up camp. There are two excellent sites...one on the corner of Beaudry and West Branch Rd., and one just a few hundreds yds. down West Branch on the left. Bonus: Not a single black fly all day!!
Day 2: Since there seems to be some dispute over Fifty Finest status between Kibby and Caribou Mts., we thought we'd hike both. Kibby was a piece of cake on the previous day, and we expected the same of Caribou. However, it proved a bit more challenging. We drove west from our campsite on West Branch Road. We were told that the bridge was "out" 3 miles down the road. When we got there, sure enough, the bridge was completely covered with branches and brush, we assume put there for the benefit of snowmobilers. It was hard to see just how bad the condition of the bridge was with all that stuff on it. Curiosity got the best of us, so we cleared it all off to make our own assessment. The timbers were twisted and punky in spots. The center was open with a six foot drop down to the stream. We both felt that it was crossable, so with Old Lurp behind the wheel, and myself on foot directing him, my Suburu made it safely across. Now, mind you, our decision to cross was not based on the miles of walking it would save us. On the contrary, it only saved 2 miles of easy road walking. This was the first time in the woods with the Forester, and we wanted to test her. We were probably nuts. On our return trip, we replaced all of the brush and branches just as we had found them. Once over the bridge, the road continues west through the valley, with the Caribou Range to the south. It then swings south, heading toward the highest western-most peak that was our destination. For 2 miles beyond the bridge, the road is in relatively good shape. But then it narrows considerably. Not wanting to scratch up the paint job too badly, we decided it was time to park the car. Now on foot, the road continues toward the base of the mountain.After another half mile, the gravel road ends and becomes a narrow, steeper path that leads about a mile or so right up to the summit. We actually passed right over the summit, not realizing we were on it! We did a short back track, and picked out what we deemed to be the highest spot and declared it the summit. There is a summit cannister up there if you are willing to risk losing some skin or even an eye to find it. The brush and trees are dense up there and the thing is tucked way in the thick of it. It is a small glass jar with a VERY rusty lid tied to a tree by a string. So if anyone out there is planning a visit, it would be a thoughtful gesture to give Carbou's canister an extreme makeover. The last entry in the journal was from last September by Nefarious Nate. I don't think this mountain sees much traffic. The summit is fairly wooded with short scraggly fir trees obstructing most of the views. Some glimpses of Kibby to the east are possible, with the windmills beyond. The best views are of Canada to the west. A section of the border swath is visible and, in the distance, Lac Megantic. The day was clear and sunny. And, again....NO BUGS! I can't figure that one out. Did they all go somewhere for the holiday weekend? Or did the smoke drive them off? Lucky us.We returned to the car via the same route.
These are great little mountains to hike. In fact, the whole area is worth a visit. My pictures are here:
Day 2: Since there seems to be some dispute over Fifty Finest status between Kibby and Caribou Mts., we thought we'd hike both. Kibby was a piece of cake on the previous day, and we expected the same of Caribou. However, it proved a bit more challenging. We drove west from our campsite on West Branch Road. We were told that the bridge was "out" 3 miles down the road. When we got there, sure enough, the bridge was completely covered with branches and brush, we assume put there for the benefit of snowmobilers. It was hard to see just how bad the condition of the bridge was with all that stuff on it. Curiosity got the best of us, so we cleared it all off to make our own assessment. The timbers were twisted and punky in spots. The center was open with a six foot drop down to the stream. We both felt that it was crossable, so with Old Lurp behind the wheel, and myself on foot directing him, my Suburu made it safely across. Now, mind you, our decision to cross was not based on the miles of walking it would save us. On the contrary, it only saved 2 miles of easy road walking. This was the first time in the woods with the Forester, and we wanted to test her. We were probably nuts. On our return trip, we replaced all of the brush and branches just as we had found them. Once over the bridge, the road continues west through the valley, with the Caribou Range to the south. It then swings south, heading toward the highest western-most peak that was our destination. For 2 miles beyond the bridge, the road is in relatively good shape. But then it narrows considerably. Not wanting to scratch up the paint job too badly, we decided it was time to park the car. Now on foot, the road continues toward the base of the mountain.After another half mile, the gravel road ends and becomes a narrow, steeper path that leads about a mile or so right up to the summit. We actually passed right over the summit, not realizing we were on it! We did a short back track, and picked out what we deemed to be the highest spot and declared it the summit. There is a summit cannister up there if you are willing to risk losing some skin or even an eye to find it. The brush and trees are dense up there and the thing is tucked way in the thick of it. It is a small glass jar with a VERY rusty lid tied to a tree by a string. So if anyone out there is planning a visit, it would be a thoughtful gesture to give Carbou's canister an extreme makeover. The last entry in the journal was from last September by Nefarious Nate. I don't think this mountain sees much traffic. The summit is fairly wooded with short scraggly fir trees obstructing most of the views. Some glimpses of Kibby to the east are possible, with the windmills beyond. The best views are of Canada to the west. A section of the border swath is visible and, in the distance, Lac Megantic. The day was clear and sunny. And, again....NO BUGS! I can't figure that one out. Did they all go somewhere for the holiday weekend? Or did the smoke drive them off? Lucky us.We returned to the car via the same route.
These are great little mountains to hike. In fact, the whole area is worth a visit. My pictures are here:
