Help planning Cabot please

[dentonfabrics]

Hi,

I hope to get Cabot out of the way.....whoops, let me rephrase that; I hope to enjoy a hike to beautiful Mt Cabot next week and I have a couple of questions that I'm sure you guys can help me with.

I'm assuming that one shouldnt hike the Mt Cabot Trail because of the property rights issues have not been resolved. Is that correct?

Either way, I'd probably opt for the loop route anyway. Adding a pond to the route is always more appealing. Is there any advantage to hiking the loop (Kilkenny, Unknown Pond, Bunnell Notch Trails) clockwise as opposed to counterclockwise?

I live right at the intersection of Rt's 93 and 95 near Woburn. Any thoughts on which hiway should I take north from that point to get to the trailhead?

And lastly, does anyone know the status of the moose corpse found on Kilkenny Ridge Trail last month? Are the remains still there? I'm not a big fan of decay.


thanks,
denton fabrics

 

[DougPaul]

I'm assuming that one shouldnt hike the Mt Cabot Trail because of the property rights issues have not been resolved. Is that correct?

Yes.

I live right at the intersection of Rt's 93 and 95 near Woburn. Any thoughts on which hiway should I take north from that point to get to the trailhead?

I drove via 93, Gorham, and Berlin when I did Bunell Notch Tr. Probably about the same distance via 93, Whitefield, and Lancaster. (Live in Arlington, MA.)

Doug

 

[JohnL]

For what it's worth, friends of mine have told me that the Unknown Pond Trail east of the Pond is minimally aesthetically pleasing. They much prefer coming in the Unknown Pond Trail from the west off of Mill Pond Rd in Stark, NH. I have climbed Cabot from this side 3 or 4 times myself and the birch forest below Unknown Pond is quite nice. It is not a loop but 10.6 miles of out and back.

JohnL

 

[David Metsky]

They much prefer coming in the Unknown Pond Trail from the west off of Mill Pond Rd in Stark, NH. I have climbed Cabot from this side 3 or 4 times myself and the birch forest below Unknown Pond is quite nice. It is not a loop but 10.6 miles of out and back.

A agree that this is the more aesthetically pleasing approach.

-dave-

 

[Periwinkle]

Either way, I'd probably opt for the loop route anyway. Adding a pond to the route is always more appealing. Is there any advantage to hiking the loop (Kilkenny, Unknown Pond, Bunnell Notch Trails) clockwise as opposed to counterclockwise?

I did the loop from the fish hatchery last year, up Bunnell Notch, out Unknown Pond. If you're doing this loop, I'd say get Bunnell Notch out of the way in the morning. What a sty! Worse mud holes I've ever encountered. New terminology was invented to describe 'em after I sunk a pole two feet deep and bent it wrestling it out! It's doable, just tedious and time consuming finding decent footing along the most of the trail from the turn off old the logging road almost to the first trail junction. The intermittent mud holes appeared to be a permanent condition, not just a post-rain event. I don't think it had even rained a drop the week before we did this route.

That having been said, Cabot was well worth it! It ending up being one of my favorite trips: we got the cabin to ourselves, enjoying a good sunset from the porch and a great sunrise view from the fire tower site.

The Unknown Pond trail was overgrown in places but has seen some trail work in recorded history, making for a decent route out. Plus, a bonus swim to wash off the mud accumulation.

FYI: There was water near the summit of Cabot a short distance down a side path. Directions to a small spring are written over the interior of the front door of the cabin.

 

[MichaelJ]

The route from the west end of the Unknown Pond Trail is beautiful and though it's a long drive up to Stark, I highly recommend it. It's an up-and-back but it's really nice and includes Unknown Pond, the hundred-highest Bulge, and the fantastic views up the side trail to the Horn.

 

[SteveHiker]

The route from the west end of the Unknown Pond Trail is beautiful and though it's a long drive up to Stark, I highly recommend it. It's an up-and-back but it's really nice and includes Unknown Pond, the hundred-highest Bulge, and the fantastic views up the side trail to the Horn.

Are you saying the drive to the Fish Hatchery isn't a long drive?

seriously though, the drive to Stark isn't that bad. And that approach is very nice. You can also drive right to the trailhead and park, they don't close the gate any more. Wish I'd known that last summer.

 

[dug]

I haven't come in from the west, but I've actually always liked the route in from the east. After you get through some low level swamps and logging areas, there are some really nice birch groves. I guess I'll have to investigate from the west this fall!

 

[weatherman]

Bunnell Notch trail fixed?

I read some recent posts from here that the Bunnell Notch approach has been rerouted and is much improved from earlier, and that your chances of disappearing permanently into a mudhole are significantly less than before. However, if I were to climb Cabot in the summer (haven't done that yet, only winter), I'd go via the route JohnL and Dave suggest.
Read this also, though:
http://vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7807&highlight=cabot

 

[MichaelJ]

Are you saying the drive to the Fish Hatchery isn't a long drive?

I think the drive to Stark was significantly longer. I mean, it *is*, since it's all the way north then back down, but it's also a long stretch of just going and going and going on Rte 3, whereas to the Hatchery there's Gorham, then Berlin, then the one stretch on Rte 110.

At least that's my perception. I was the driver to Stark but the passenger to the Hatchery.

 

[DougPaul]

I did the loop from the fish hatchery last year, up Bunnell Notch, out Unknown Pond. If you're doing this loop, I'd say get Bunnell Notch out of the way in the morning. What a sty! Worse mud holes I've ever encountered. New terminology was invented to describe 'em after I sunk a pole two feet deep and bent it wrestling it out! It's doable, just tedious and time consuming finding decent footing along the most of the trail from the turn off old the logging road almost to the first trail junction. The intermittent mud holes appeared to be a permanent condition, not just a post-rain event. I don't think it had even rained a drop the week before we did this route.

I hiked Bunnell Notch late spring/early summer 2 yrs ago. There was just a little snow on the trail at the notch. Cabot summit and the ridge had quite a bit of snow. Didn't have any trouble with mud. Given the trail's reputation, I have no idea of why it was so nice for me.

Haven't been on it since the relocation.

Doug

 

[patrickbrusil]

I hiked the Mt. Cabot trail - parking in a small dirt lot near the trail head and it did not seem to be a problem. There was no signs to try and keep out hikers and it looked like a decent enough parking area.

Is it a big prolem to hike the trail? I did not realize the land issues were still a problem.

 

[Raymond]

Patrick, I've read some posts that say the approach from the west is open, there are no signs barring entry, etc., but this is a quote I copied from Poison Ivy's post below:

"Hikers wishing to access Unknown Pond may choose the north end of this trail as an alternative. The trailhead is located near the end of the Mill Brook Road off Route 110 in Stark. However, access to Mt. Cabot and Mt. Cabot Cabin will require additional effort, as access to the Mt. Cabot trail from the west remains closed." (My bold.)

I would say that the route remains officially closed. I haven't read any statements regarding its use from Gene Daniell or Eric Savage, however, so all I can say is to use it at your own risk.

Note that the statement refers to the Mill Brook Road trailhead as being in the north, not the west, as some posters here described it. The Unknown Pond Trail runs much more north-south than it does east-west.

It's good to know that the Mill Brook Road gate is always open. My AMC guidebook says that it is open only in hunting season, implying a limited window of opportunity, which would have been frustrating because I had been under the impression that some hunting season or other is in progress nearly all the time.

 

[MichaelJ]

Note that the statement refers to the Mill Brook Road trailhead as being in the north, not the west, as some posters here described it. The Unknown Pond Trail runs much more north-south than it does east-west.

A very good point. I used 'east' and 'west' to indicate whether or not you're east or west of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail and the pond itself; however, the trail does in fact go mostly north-south.

Also - anyone going up there should check the WMG, not the USGS Topo. The latter still shows the Mill Brook Trail going all the way to Mill Brook Road, which it has not done for many, many years; it only goes from the Hatchery to the Kilkenny Ridge Trail now.

 

[dentonfabrics]

However, if I were to climb Cabot in the summer (haven't done that yet, only winter), I'd go via the route JohnL and Dave suggest.

Yup, you guys talked me into it. Instead of the loop, I'm going to do an out-n-back from Stark. I might even stay a night at the Cabot Cabin.

No one mentioned the moose corpse on Kilkenny so I assume no one has been up there the past couple of months. If I remember, the corpse was discovered early in June. Six weeks later, I'd guess there still must be some remains there unless some animal dragged it away. Getting around that trailkill (twice) is gonna suck....

Thanks for the great info guys! I tell ya, ya gotta love VFFT!

 

[weatherman]

De nada. Cabot Cabin is great, though BYOW (water). I think the moose has been around long enough that there wouldn't be much left, but I'd still feel a bit unwell approaching the spot... (anybody have a smiley for vomiting?)

Weatherman

 

[Periwinkle]

I might even stay a night at the Cabot Cabin.

We were glad we did. Lucked out in getting it to ourselves, since we have two dogs. We brought a tent just in case. I noticed a few decent spots to camp between the cabin and the summit if the cabin is full.

The cabin isn't the Taj Mahal, but the bunks had old foam Thermarests nailed to them for a little extra cushioning and the table and benches made for a nice dinner set-up. The outhouse is in good shape.

I tell ya, ya gotta love VFFT!

I do! I got the info on the water source from a kind VFTT'er, saving me from toting water up the last 1000' feet. That would have been the pits!

 

[MichaelJ]

I recall someone posting maybe a week or two after the moose was found that all traces of it were gone.

 

[bigmoose]

As Michael J mentioned, you'll bag The Bulge as you follow the trail to Cabot. For your further enjoyment, however, continue beyond the viewless high point of Cabot and check out the open-to-all cabin a short way beyond. There's a good view from Bunnell Rock down there, too, but a better choice is to save your energy for the little side trip up The Horn on your return...(which you'll need for your NEHH anyway). The Horn is a sharp little pyramid of slabs with huge views, esp. south toward the big mts. Best outlook in the Kilkenny.

 

[amstony]

Make sure you visit the Horn. I went to Cabot out of Unknown Pond lfrom Stark last September, a very nice hike. Horn made the trip with the views!! m