marty
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I am sitting on our dock on Mooselookmeguntic Lake, watching the clouds overtake the blue sky. Figure it is a fine time to write about the past week and the 5 New England Hundred Highest peaks bagged. Here goes:
Days 1-4:
Spent quality time with my wife Lauren, kayaking the mouth of the Cupsuptic River, exploring newly created log roads behind our house, swimming, fishing and enjoying the Rangeley Lakes area.
Day 5 - Elephant:
Lauren goes back to Massachusetts for three days, while Ray of VFTT comes up for some hiking. He arrives early afternoon and we head off to bag the Elephant. Following Bob & Geri’s and my pal Marc Howes’ most excellent directions and photos, we parked at the clearing after a 40 minute drive. We then headed up the road where the cairn is, continued up to the second cairn and began the bushwhack on a well defined herd path.
We found the herd paths to be very easy to follow, staying on them most of the way, losing them briefly in a blowdown area, but finding one shortly afterward. Unlike McRat’s tortuous account, we encountered no bugs, except for some summit houseflies. We easily made it to the canister in 1:05, signed the register, read many recent entries from VFTTers, explored around the summit area for 20 minutes and headed down.
The descent went just as smoothly and we were quickly back on the road. We then ran into a couple of guys carrying pails of raw meat. They were bear baiters and explained that Elephant has lots of bears. Unfortunately, we saw none, although we did see some scat. We then headed to the truck, with the descent taking the same time as the ascent. We soon got back to the camp and went for a swim in the lake. We then had a feast at the camp featuring marinated chicken breast on the open fire, with some Carrabassett Pale Ale and tequila to wash it down.
Day 6 – Jay and Big Jay:
Mapquest says it was 2:35 to Jay from our camp. We think their computer must have transposed the 2 and the 3. It took nearly 3 ½ hours.. There were many small towns, windy roads and lots of slowpokes. Still, the ride had many interesting features, including Lake Umbagog, Dixville Notch and Newport, VT and its lake. We started hiking the Long Trail up to Jay Peak about 11 am under threatening skies. We reached the summit before noon, took some summit shots and headed to Big Jay.
Big Jay was a long and muddy herd path walk and it is possible that it may be officially closed. Our trekking poles sank in the mud up to two feet and the smell of decaying organic matter was always present. We reached the summit jar in about 55 minutes, but did not get to sign it as a thunderstorm was right above us. We darted from the summit and got down to safer terrain, as the rain started coming down in buckets, totally soaking us to the point where our boots were making loud sloshing noises. The rain and thunder stopped just as we reached the Long Trail, which allowed us to safely scoot across the ski trails, wring out our socks and head back down the Long Trail. The descent was slippery due to wet rocks, but went quickly. The total trip took approximately 3:50.
The return drive revealed to us that there were major rains in northern NH, as all rivers and streams were brown and swollen. The same heavy rain hit Rangeley, so we decided to forgo a fire and just cooked up hot dogs and beans on the grill.
Day 7 – East Kennebago and Boundary Peak:
Got an early start under mostly cloudy skies. Decided to hit East Kennebago first, hoping to get in the bushwhack before the predicted rains hit. We had some trouble with the driving directions, but ultimately followed Papa Bear’s directions, along with some clarifications from Michael J and Una Dogger. We noticed lots of logging activity there, so be careful driving. Log trucks often travel fast on these roads.
We started the hike up the road, carefully adhering to McRat’s GPS plot and his warning not to take a right fork. Hit the yellow boundary blazes at 2,900 feet and headed left. We then proceeded to 3,240 feet, where the boundary path topped out and started up a herd path. It was quite easy to follow herd paths and we got to the summit area in 1:05. We then searched around about 20 minutes until we found the summit cairn and canister. We signed the canister and were going to take a summit shot, when I discovered that I left my camera at the camp.
We then followed a herd path from the summit that was close to our bearing, but it petered out. We decided to head down on our bearing, figuring we would hook up with a nice herd path. BIG MISTAKE. We ran into endless nasty blowdowns, steep dropoffs and soil so soggy you would posthole up to your knees. When we got down a bit, we started “carefully” searching for the yellow boundary blazes, but never found them. We finally descended below 3,000 feet and made a decision to whack east to the road, rather than head up to hunt for the boundary blazes. After more slogging through nasty stuff, we found an old, overgrown log road, which was covered with tall, wet grass and nasty rocks, but it was still preferable to the deep woods. This old road took us to the hiking road at 2,840 feet, just vertical 60 feet below where we started on the boundary path, We then descended on the road back to the truck. Total time was about 3:15, which was probably the slowest time ever recorded for this whack. Oh well, chalk it up to learning!
We then changed into dry clothing and headed to Boundary Peak. We were detained at the US/Quebec border for about 25 minutes, where the border patrol asked us lots of questions, but eventually let us through. Following Papa Bear’s and Arm’s excellent directions, we quickly arrived at the Zec Louise Gosford gatehouse, talked to the friendly staff and paid them a $7.00 entrance fee. We then headed south 8.3 miles to the gravel pit, where the trail starts. It then began to rain, but stopped just after we put on our full raingear and pack covers. We quickly shed the raingear and headed to the far forward corner of the gravel pit, where Cantdog’s rebuilt cairn still proudly stands. We immediately descended to a stream, crossed it and headed up the “no-ATV trail”. The staff at the gatehouse called it an ATV trail, but there was a no-ATV sign on the lower end of the trail. Go figure.
The trail started out steep and rough, but got easier at about 3,300 feet and hit the US/Canada boundary swath at about 3,400 feet, where we took a left (north). The boundary swath is very wide and it is very cool to see it stretch out as far as the eyes can see. We absolutely loved hiking the swath, as we reflected on the 1842 US/Canada treaty, which established the borders and discussed how cool it was to have your left foot in Canada and the right in the US. The only problem with this area was the bugs. Thankfully our heavy duty bug dope did the trick, except for occasional deerflies, which required hand-to-hand combat.
As we got to the top of the first rise, there was a cow moose about 50 feet in front of us, near one of the Canadian hunting blinds. She stared at me a second, while I noticed a movement behind her. She has a calf! Oh, Oh, that could be trouble! Thankfully, they quickly bolted to the US side of the boundary. Guess they were American moose who illegally crossed the border.
We then descended that rise, ascended and descended another and began the summit push. The views along this stretch were very expansive and uniquely wild. Wish we had the damn camera! We reached the summit cairn in 1:05 (coincidentally the same time as Elephant and E. Kennebago) and located the canister. We were the first entry since June 25. We also browsed through the register, noticing entries by Marc Howes and Paradox. After some summit exploration, we headed down, wondering if anyone ever contemplated thru hiking the boundary. I’m sure the border patrols would make that an interesting journey…
We then descended, with me pathetically singing God Bless America and O Canada. Thankfully Ray did not go up in a hunting blind and shoot me for this. We eventually reached the truck, with the round trip time being 2 hours. It then immediately started to rain. Man, were we lucky in squeezing that hike in between storms! We immediately reflected on this hike and agreed that Boundary was amazing. It was one of the best we’ve ever done and we can’t wait to do it again some time.
We then headed back, got through US customs without incident and had a nice steak tip dinner with my wife, who returned that evening.
Overall, our hiking trip was a huge success and lots of fun. Ray is now at #81/100 and I stand at #84. We both want to personally thank all those previously mentioned VFTTers whose information was invaluable. Your efforts and generosity are very much appreciated.
Here are some photos of Days 5 and 6: Pix
Marty
Days 1-4:
Spent quality time with my wife Lauren, kayaking the mouth of the Cupsuptic River, exploring newly created log roads behind our house, swimming, fishing and enjoying the Rangeley Lakes area.
Day 5 - Elephant:
Lauren goes back to Massachusetts for three days, while Ray of VFTT comes up for some hiking. He arrives early afternoon and we head off to bag the Elephant. Following Bob & Geri’s and my pal Marc Howes’ most excellent directions and photos, we parked at the clearing after a 40 minute drive. We then headed up the road where the cairn is, continued up to the second cairn and began the bushwhack on a well defined herd path.
We found the herd paths to be very easy to follow, staying on them most of the way, losing them briefly in a blowdown area, but finding one shortly afterward. Unlike McRat’s tortuous account, we encountered no bugs, except for some summit houseflies. We easily made it to the canister in 1:05, signed the register, read many recent entries from VFTTers, explored around the summit area for 20 minutes and headed down.
The descent went just as smoothly and we were quickly back on the road. We then ran into a couple of guys carrying pails of raw meat. They were bear baiters and explained that Elephant has lots of bears. Unfortunately, we saw none, although we did see some scat. We then headed to the truck, with the descent taking the same time as the ascent. We soon got back to the camp and went for a swim in the lake. We then had a feast at the camp featuring marinated chicken breast on the open fire, with some Carrabassett Pale Ale and tequila to wash it down.
Day 6 – Jay and Big Jay:
Mapquest says it was 2:35 to Jay from our camp. We think their computer must have transposed the 2 and the 3. It took nearly 3 ½ hours.. There were many small towns, windy roads and lots of slowpokes. Still, the ride had many interesting features, including Lake Umbagog, Dixville Notch and Newport, VT and its lake. We started hiking the Long Trail up to Jay Peak about 11 am under threatening skies. We reached the summit before noon, took some summit shots and headed to Big Jay.
Big Jay was a long and muddy herd path walk and it is possible that it may be officially closed. Our trekking poles sank in the mud up to two feet and the smell of decaying organic matter was always present. We reached the summit jar in about 55 minutes, but did not get to sign it as a thunderstorm was right above us. We darted from the summit and got down to safer terrain, as the rain started coming down in buckets, totally soaking us to the point where our boots were making loud sloshing noises. The rain and thunder stopped just as we reached the Long Trail, which allowed us to safely scoot across the ski trails, wring out our socks and head back down the Long Trail. The descent was slippery due to wet rocks, but went quickly. The total trip took approximately 3:50.
The return drive revealed to us that there were major rains in northern NH, as all rivers and streams were brown and swollen. The same heavy rain hit Rangeley, so we decided to forgo a fire and just cooked up hot dogs and beans on the grill.
Day 7 – East Kennebago and Boundary Peak:
Got an early start under mostly cloudy skies. Decided to hit East Kennebago first, hoping to get in the bushwhack before the predicted rains hit. We had some trouble with the driving directions, but ultimately followed Papa Bear’s directions, along with some clarifications from Michael J and Una Dogger. We noticed lots of logging activity there, so be careful driving. Log trucks often travel fast on these roads.
We started the hike up the road, carefully adhering to McRat’s GPS plot and his warning not to take a right fork. Hit the yellow boundary blazes at 2,900 feet and headed left. We then proceeded to 3,240 feet, where the boundary path topped out and started up a herd path. It was quite easy to follow herd paths and we got to the summit area in 1:05. We then searched around about 20 minutes until we found the summit cairn and canister. We signed the canister and were going to take a summit shot, when I discovered that I left my camera at the camp.
We then followed a herd path from the summit that was close to our bearing, but it petered out. We decided to head down on our bearing, figuring we would hook up with a nice herd path. BIG MISTAKE.
We ran into endless nasty blowdowns, steep dropoffs and soil so soggy you would posthole up to your knees. When we got down a bit, we started “carefully” searching for the yellow boundary blazes, but never found them. We finally descended below 3,000 feet and made a decision to whack east to the road, rather than head up to hunt for the boundary blazes. After more slogging through nasty stuff, we found an old, overgrown log road, which was covered with tall, wet grass and nasty rocks, but it was still preferable to the deep woods. This old road took us to the hiking road at 2,840 feet, just vertical 60 feet below where we started on the boundary path, We then descended on the road back to the truck. Total time was about 3:15, which was probably the slowest time ever recorded for this whack. Oh well, chalk it up to learning! We then changed into dry clothing and headed to Boundary Peak. We were detained at the US/Quebec border for about 25 minutes, where the border patrol asked us lots of questions, but eventually let us through. Following Papa Bear’s and Arm’s excellent directions, we quickly arrived at the Zec Louise Gosford gatehouse, talked to the friendly staff and paid them a $7.00 entrance fee. We then headed south 8.3 miles to the gravel pit, where the trail starts. It then began to rain, but stopped just after we put on our full raingear and pack covers. We quickly shed the raingear and headed to the far forward corner of the gravel pit, where Cantdog’s rebuilt cairn still proudly stands. We immediately descended to a stream, crossed it and headed up the “no-ATV trail”. The staff at the gatehouse called it an ATV trail, but there was a no-ATV sign on the lower end of the trail. Go figure.
The trail started out steep and rough, but got easier at about 3,300 feet and hit the US/Canada boundary swath at about 3,400 feet, where we took a left (north). The boundary swath is very wide and it is very cool to see it stretch out as far as the eyes can see. We absolutely loved hiking the swath, as we reflected on the 1842 US/Canada treaty, which established the borders and discussed how cool it was to have your left foot in Canada and the right in the US. The only problem with this area was the bugs. Thankfully our heavy duty bug dope did the trick, except for occasional deerflies, which required hand-to-hand combat.
As we got to the top of the first rise, there was a cow moose about 50 feet in front of us, near one of the Canadian hunting blinds. She stared at me a second, while I noticed a movement behind her. She has a calf! Oh, Oh, that could be trouble!
Thankfully, they quickly bolted to the US side of the boundary. Guess they were American moose who illegally crossed the border. We then descended that rise, ascended and descended another and began the summit push. The views along this stretch were very expansive and uniquely wild.
Wish we had the damn camera! We reached the summit cairn in 1:05 (coincidentally the same time as Elephant and E. Kennebago) and located the canister. We were the first entry since June 25. We also browsed through the register, noticing entries by Marc Howes and Paradox. After some summit exploration, we headed down, wondering if anyone ever contemplated thru hiking the boundary. I’m sure the border patrols would make that an interesting journey…We then descended, with me pathetically singing God Bless America and O Canada. Thankfully Ray did not go up in a hunting blind and shoot me for this. We eventually reached the truck, with the round trip time being 2 hours. It then immediately started to rain. Man, were we lucky in squeezing that hike in between storms! We immediately reflected on this hike and agreed that Boundary was amazing. It was one of the best we’ve ever done and we can’t wait to do it again some time.
We then headed back, got through US customs without incident and had a nice steak tip dinner with my wife, who returned that evening.
Overall, our hiking trip was a huge success and lots of fun. Ray is now at #81/100 and I stand at #84. We both want to personally thank all those previously mentioned VFTTers whose information was invaluable. Your efforts and generosity are very much appreciated.
Here are some photos of Days 5 and 6: Pix
Marty
