BIGEarl
Well-known member
February 6, 2012: Hale and Cabot, Double Hit & Run
Trails:
Hale: N. Twin Trail, Fire Warden’s Trail
Cabot: York Pond Trail, Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail
Summits: Hale, Cabot
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Hale via Fire Warden’s Trail:
Plan A for the day was to hike a loop of Monroe, Washington, and Jefferson. The winds were way up and hiking these peaks became a very bad idea. Next in our line-up was a combination of Hale and Cabot to hopefully gain a hike-day by combining these two into a single day. Because of only one day’s rest since the Bonds hike I was a little concerned about getting through such a day but we decided to give it a shot. To add a little more excitement to the day we managed a later start than planned. I think the snooze button may have contributed.
Since it was the easiest to reach and we could be started the earliest there, first up for the day was Hale. We parked at the end of Little River Road in Twin Mountain and started out. No other vehicles were there when we arrived. Our plan was to hike N. Twin trail and the herd path bypass to the Fire Warden’s Trail, and then follow it to the summit.
We found the trail was a flat, smooth, solid snowshoe track all the way from Little River Road to the summit. We decided to start with MicroSpikes and change to snowshoes if and when they were needed. It was a MicroSpike hike for the full distance. We crossed the bridge over Little River, made the turn, and followed the herd path to the summer trailhead at the end of Haystack Road. After a short break we were hiking N. Twin Trail. We had roughly a mile to reach the summer trailhead from Little River Road and roughly another mile to hike in to the Fire Warden’s Trail; it was a good warm-up for the climb.
When we reached the lower end of the Fire Wardens Trail it appeared most of the recent traffic that came out N. Twin Trail was also headed to Hale. The trail was a terrific snowshoe track all of the way to the summit, again. We got a few pictures of the area, made the turn, and started up; Sue led the way. As we climbed there were occasional stops to enjoy the scenery. The birch glade we passed through for most of the hike is a beautiful place. Along the way we came to two blowdowns; one was easy to bypass and the other had a bypass and tracks indicating some people simply climbed over. The trail route offers a mild climb to the summit. High on Fire Warden’s Trail we left the birch glade and entered the thick conifers below the summit. The trail corridor through this area is generally clear and wide. There is a short section where the trail gets a little tight; it’s still easy to find and follow the corridor but it wouldn’t hurt for some of this brush to go.
After clearing the only tight place on the trail we had a short walk to the summit clearing and big cairn. At the summit we found no recent tracks from Lend-A-Hand or Hale Brook Trail directions. We got our usual summit pictures and were soon on our exit walk and lunch on-the-run to the Berlin Fish Hatchery.
Cabot:
After making a stop in Berlin, the drive from Twin Mountain to the parking area for York Pond Trail was roughly 1hr 30min; plenty of time to have some lunch and relax a little between hikes. We grabbed our packs and started walking. The conditions were a carbon-copy of those we found on Hale; wide, flat, smooth, and solid snowshoe track. We started with MicroSpikes and ended up using them for the complete hike.
The portion of York Pond Trail and the early part of Bunnell Notch Trail follow an old wood road. We made our way through this section quickly and were soon hiking away from the road headed for the height of land in Bunnell Notch where we would pick up the Kilkenny Ridge Trail to the summit. The Bunnell Notch Trail is a very pleasant trail to hike but a little inconvenient to access. We slowly cruised to the trail junction and just kept moving to the summit. The forecast for the day predicted high winds from the west, even at 2500 to 4000 feet. Once we came over the height of land the wind hit us. Both of us added a layer and lifted the hoods.
From the Kilkenny Ridge Trail junction to the summit it’s a short 1.8 miles. Along the way we passed the abandoned Mt. Cabot Trail and then made a short stop at Bunnell Rock for some late afternoon views. It was cold and pretty windy and we were soon back to the climb. We reached the area of Cabot Cabin and found the trail completely drifted in. There was no sign of the trail or indication of its route. We have been there quite a few times and knew the route. We made our way past the cabin and on to the summit. Somewhere along the way near the cabin we pulled out the headlights.
The final walk to the summit was through many small drifts. The trail route was usually obvious but there are a few areas where it became less clear. It’s a short walk from the cabin to the summit and we were soon there getting our summit pictures. The wind was coming across the treed summit strong and we needed to keep moving. We made the u-turn and started down. We knew that once we were back on Bunnell Notch Trail and below the height of land in Bunnell Notch we would be out of the wind. Until then, we generally kept moving.
We made it to Bunnell Notch Trail, got rid of some elevation, and got rid of the wind with it. The walk back to the truck was a very peaceful 2+ hour moonlight stroll. We landed back on the wood road and knew heated leather seats weren’t far away. Before long we were packing our things in the back and leaving Berlin Fish Hatchery a little later than planned.
One of the things we needed to do was combine a couple days-worth of hiking into a single day. We had more hikes to complete than hike-days for them. This combination gained us the needed day.
Pictures will follow
Trails:
Hale: N. Twin Trail, Fire Warden’s Trail
Cabot: York Pond Trail, Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail
Summits: Hale, Cabot
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Hale via Fire Warden’s Trail:
Plan A for the day was to hike a loop of Monroe, Washington, and Jefferson. The winds were way up and hiking these peaks became a very bad idea. Next in our line-up was a combination of Hale and Cabot to hopefully gain a hike-day by combining these two into a single day. Because of only one day’s rest since the Bonds hike I was a little concerned about getting through such a day but we decided to give it a shot. To add a little more excitement to the day we managed a later start than planned. I think the snooze button may have contributed.
Since it was the easiest to reach and we could be started the earliest there, first up for the day was Hale. We parked at the end of Little River Road in Twin Mountain and started out. No other vehicles were there when we arrived. Our plan was to hike N. Twin trail and the herd path bypass to the Fire Warden’s Trail, and then follow it to the summit.
We found the trail was a flat, smooth, solid snowshoe track all the way from Little River Road to the summit. We decided to start with MicroSpikes and change to snowshoes if and when they were needed. It was a MicroSpike hike for the full distance. We crossed the bridge over Little River, made the turn, and followed the herd path to the summer trailhead at the end of Haystack Road. After a short break we were hiking N. Twin Trail. We had roughly a mile to reach the summer trailhead from Little River Road and roughly another mile to hike in to the Fire Warden’s Trail; it was a good warm-up for the climb.
When we reached the lower end of the Fire Wardens Trail it appeared most of the recent traffic that came out N. Twin Trail was also headed to Hale. The trail was a terrific snowshoe track all of the way to the summit, again. We got a few pictures of the area, made the turn, and started up; Sue led the way. As we climbed there were occasional stops to enjoy the scenery. The birch glade we passed through for most of the hike is a beautiful place. Along the way we came to two blowdowns; one was easy to bypass and the other had a bypass and tracks indicating some people simply climbed over. The trail route offers a mild climb to the summit. High on Fire Warden’s Trail we left the birch glade and entered the thick conifers below the summit. The trail corridor through this area is generally clear and wide. There is a short section where the trail gets a little tight; it’s still easy to find and follow the corridor but it wouldn’t hurt for some of this brush to go.
After clearing the only tight place on the trail we had a short walk to the summit clearing and big cairn. At the summit we found no recent tracks from Lend-A-Hand or Hale Brook Trail directions. We got our usual summit pictures and were soon on our exit walk and lunch on-the-run to the Berlin Fish Hatchery.
Cabot:
After making a stop in Berlin, the drive from Twin Mountain to the parking area for York Pond Trail was roughly 1hr 30min; plenty of time to have some lunch and relax a little between hikes. We grabbed our packs and started walking. The conditions were a carbon-copy of those we found on Hale; wide, flat, smooth, and solid snowshoe track. We started with MicroSpikes and ended up using them for the complete hike.
The portion of York Pond Trail and the early part of Bunnell Notch Trail follow an old wood road. We made our way through this section quickly and were soon hiking away from the road headed for the height of land in Bunnell Notch where we would pick up the Kilkenny Ridge Trail to the summit. The Bunnell Notch Trail is a very pleasant trail to hike but a little inconvenient to access. We slowly cruised to the trail junction and just kept moving to the summit. The forecast for the day predicted high winds from the west, even at 2500 to 4000 feet. Once we came over the height of land the wind hit us. Both of us added a layer and lifted the hoods.
From the Kilkenny Ridge Trail junction to the summit it’s a short 1.8 miles. Along the way we passed the abandoned Mt. Cabot Trail and then made a short stop at Bunnell Rock for some late afternoon views. It was cold and pretty windy and we were soon back to the climb. We reached the area of Cabot Cabin and found the trail completely drifted in. There was no sign of the trail or indication of its route. We have been there quite a few times and knew the route. We made our way past the cabin and on to the summit. Somewhere along the way near the cabin we pulled out the headlights.
The final walk to the summit was through many small drifts. The trail route was usually obvious but there are a few areas where it became less clear. It’s a short walk from the cabin to the summit and we were soon there getting our summit pictures. The wind was coming across the treed summit strong and we needed to keep moving. We made the u-turn and started down. We knew that once we were back on Bunnell Notch Trail and below the height of land in Bunnell Notch we would be out of the wind. Until then, we generally kept moving.
We made it to Bunnell Notch Trail, got rid of some elevation, and got rid of the wind with it. The walk back to the truck was a very peaceful 2+ hour moonlight stroll. We landed back on the wood road and knew heated leather seats weren’t far away. Before long we were packing our things in the back and leaving Berlin Fish Hatchery a little later than planned.
One of the things we needed to do was combine a couple days-worth of hiking into a single day. We had more hikes to complete than hike-days for them. This combination gained us the needed day.
Pictures will follow
