JohnL
New member
A dazzling orange fireball of a sunrise seemed to fall into disfavor with the weather gods the further north we drove and after picking up Giff at the Waumbek trailhead, a light rain had begun to fall as we drove past the Lancaster Fairgrounds. It was looking as though the long drive was for naught.
The road was gated to the South Pond Recreational Area and we were now stuck with a mile of road walk in addition to our already long day. The WMG says the gate is open at 9:00 but the sign on the gate says 10:00. We started walking at 8:25 and the rain gods had relaxed by the time we had reached South Pond, which was pleasant and quiet before the day crowds had moved in. A lone fisherman trolled his boat nearby as we walked on the wide footpath which skirted the shore of the pond. The pond faded into the distance as the birch forests ahead beckoned.
A monstrous blowdown at the junction of the Devil’s Hopyard Trail blocked the trail and the nine foot root ball still looked fresh. Some cut work had been done on the trunk but to fully clear it out would take some considerable work. We crossed a small stream, the only stream of note during the entire day, by balancing on some old wobbly trees. Three themes dominated the walk up to Rogers Ledge; a pine forest, open birch forests, and moss covered trails. The footing underneath our steps was soft and pleasant, cushioned by the moss and fallen foliage. The birch forests were idyllic places, with ferns covering the ground, some as tall as our waists. The light was soft and subtle, adding to the spiritual charm of the place.
We climbed gradually up through the birch forests and at 10:10 we reached the flat summit of Rogers Ledge and were treated to a spectacular viewpoint. The dropoff from the ledge was vertical and in a couple places overhanging, the sense of open space breathtaking. The panoramic 180 degree view south was unimpeded by nearby mountains. Low clouds draped themselves over the Presidentials and other higher peaks. At only 4 miles from South Pond, this coupled with the Devil’s Hopyard would make a wonderful day hike.
Dropping down we skirted directly underneath the cliffs and straight into another series of birch forests until we shortly came upon a beaver pond situated at the base of the ridge separating us from Unknown Pond. This pond is named Kilback Pond and its outlet is bridged by a two tiered puncheon, from which you have a nice view of Rogers Ledge. From here we climbed steadily up to the ridge which we crossed at about the 3300 foot mark. The drop down to Unknown Pond was short and we took in the view of the Horn from the Pond where I snapped off a few more photos.
The weather had been steadily improving and we were now sure we would not be hampered by any chances of rain. Being nearly 10 miles from the car, that made us breathe a bit easier. We began the climb up to the Horn where I was expecting to see groups of people, since it was closing in on Noon. Other than a group of about 9 young people who had camped up near Rogers Ledge, we had the trail to ourselves. The trail up to the Horn and the Bulge is fairly ugly, with rocks all slanted the wrong way, eager to crack your ankles. We reached the summit of the Horn at 12:15 and aside from one female solo hiker, we had the rocks to ourselves. We lunched here and my stomach had been growling for a couple miles, not having eaten for over 7 hours. I was so relaxed and enamored with the view that I forgot to take any photos from this marvelous viewpoint.
We would have liked to lengthen our stay but we had a lot of miles to cover. We climbed up over the Bulge, dropped down and then back up again to Cabot, where we took a short breather. Mind you, when I say short breather I'm talking about a minute at the most. We weren't in one place for very long at any point along the trail today. We passed the cabin and dropped down to Bunnell Rock where we took in the viewpoint over to Terrace Mountain, our next objective. We also joked about after having hiked more than 11 miles, we were half way to the summit of Waumbek. The Cabot Trail here is full of loose and odd shaped rocks and we took care not to step in the wrong place. After nearly a mile and a half of descent, we branched off of the Cabot Trail and back onto the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. After about a quarter mile we met up with the Bunnell Notch Trail, following it only for a tenth of a mile where we met two resting backpackers, and then branched off to begin the climb up to Terrace Mountain. It was now 2:15 and each of us was quietly asking ourselves if we could get off the trail before dark. We had headlamps but after 25 miles on the trail, getting out in the dark was not something we were looking forward to.
The climb up to Terrace Mountain was steady and the forests continued to be pleasant. The Kilkenny Ridge Trail has good footing throughout its entire length and nowhere were there any steep sections. Much of the footing was on soft moss and fallen leaves and evergreen needles. At 2:40 we topped out on Terrace Mountain which has a long and fairly flat ridge line and then wound our way down to Willard Notch, where a small stream offered up some drinking water. While Giff and Rick filled their bottles, I took the opportunity to eat another sandwich and an orange. We knew that this next climb up to North Weeks would prove to be daunting. 1200 feet of elevation gain in a mile and a quarter is nothing to sneeze at but after 15 and a half miles it could leave us haggard. It was 3:15 and the sun started to come into the woods at a lower angle than we were comfortable with.
We moved our way up the trail and the steepness of the slope was diminished by the continuous switchbacks. We maintained a steady speed, paced extremely well by Giff the whole way. I called for a brief rest stop and then we were back at it again. At times like this you just want to put your head down and grunt your way to the top but the woods were too pretty to miss. I willed my head to stay up, enjoy the sights, breathe steady and keep moving. When we topped out, Rick called out “3:50” to me. I had forgotten my watch and he was calling out times to me all day so I could record them in my log. It did not dawn on me until later that we had made the 1.3 mile 1200 foot climb in only 35 minutes.
We dropped off of North Weeks and made the ups and down over both Middle and South Weeks, a pleasant enough ridge walk with no steep sections, good footing and pleasant scenery. It took me a while to recover from the haul up North Weeks but by the time I had reached South Weeks I was back in full stride. We passed an acquaintenance of Rick's who was out re-blazing the trail as far as South Weeks. At 4:50 we dropped down to the shallow col between Weeks and Waumbek and reached it quickly enough (only 0.6 miles). Then we had the 600 foot climb to Waumbek ahead of us.
What we did not realize at the time was that this section of the trail would be one of the most pleasant sections all day. We climbed out of the col and made most of the 600 foot climb right away. Then the trail makes an abrupt right hand turn and we headed due west. This section of the trail was at the crest of a clearly defined ridge, being only twenty feet wide and sloping distinctly away on both sides. For a half mile (maybe more) this trail was as flat as the Wilderness Trail. The low angled sun streaming in through the treetops on the right coupled with the beauty of the trail gave us a tremendous psychological lift. We all got second (or was it tenth) winds and we cruised along this section of trail. After a few final ups and downs we were on top of Waumbek. It was 5:40. We were elated.
The celebration was short lived however and we headed over to Mt Starr King where we met a young fellow standing atop the fireplace for a better clear view of the Presidentials. It was six o’clock straight up. I poured another liter of water from the bottle into my CamelBack and after a brief chat we headed down, content in the feeling that we would beat the sundown. At the spring Giff and Rick filled up with water and I continued to head down, my legs beginning to stiffen up. I wanted to keep moving and then stretch out good when I got to the car. I would need it. The walk down was an exercise in putting out the fires in my quads. I found that the more I let gravity take over the less burning I endured. The setting sun was now a bright orange fireball in my eyes as I squinted to make out the trail features. Seeing the well was a welcome sight and I now knew it was only a few minutes more. Rick and Giff had caught up to me and at 6:55 we rolled into the parking lot.
We were overjoyed. The hike had a much more aesthetic appeal than we had imagined. There were so many wonderful spots from Rogers Ledge to the birch forests to the fern covered trail-sides to Kilback and Unknown Ponds to the Horn to Bunnel Rock to the Weeks-Waumbek Ridge. They all combined to make this a wonderful and satisfying day. Now all I had to do was drive for four more hours and I would be home. My wonderful wife had the whirlpool tub filled and waiting for me. I left a ring.
Photos are here.
JohnL
The road was gated to the South Pond Recreational Area and we were now stuck with a mile of road walk in addition to our already long day. The WMG says the gate is open at 9:00 but the sign on the gate says 10:00. We started walking at 8:25 and the rain gods had relaxed by the time we had reached South Pond, which was pleasant and quiet before the day crowds had moved in. A lone fisherman trolled his boat nearby as we walked on the wide footpath which skirted the shore of the pond. The pond faded into the distance as the birch forests ahead beckoned.
A monstrous blowdown at the junction of the Devil’s Hopyard Trail blocked the trail and the nine foot root ball still looked fresh. Some cut work had been done on the trunk but to fully clear it out would take some considerable work. We crossed a small stream, the only stream of note during the entire day, by balancing on some old wobbly trees. Three themes dominated the walk up to Rogers Ledge; a pine forest, open birch forests, and moss covered trails. The footing underneath our steps was soft and pleasant, cushioned by the moss and fallen foliage. The birch forests were idyllic places, with ferns covering the ground, some as tall as our waists. The light was soft and subtle, adding to the spiritual charm of the place.
We climbed gradually up through the birch forests and at 10:10 we reached the flat summit of Rogers Ledge and were treated to a spectacular viewpoint. The dropoff from the ledge was vertical and in a couple places overhanging, the sense of open space breathtaking. The panoramic 180 degree view south was unimpeded by nearby mountains. Low clouds draped themselves over the Presidentials and other higher peaks. At only 4 miles from South Pond, this coupled with the Devil’s Hopyard would make a wonderful day hike.
Dropping down we skirted directly underneath the cliffs and straight into another series of birch forests until we shortly came upon a beaver pond situated at the base of the ridge separating us from Unknown Pond. This pond is named Kilback Pond and its outlet is bridged by a two tiered puncheon, from which you have a nice view of Rogers Ledge. From here we climbed steadily up to the ridge which we crossed at about the 3300 foot mark. The drop down to Unknown Pond was short and we took in the view of the Horn from the Pond where I snapped off a few more photos.
The weather had been steadily improving and we were now sure we would not be hampered by any chances of rain. Being nearly 10 miles from the car, that made us breathe a bit easier. We began the climb up to the Horn where I was expecting to see groups of people, since it was closing in on Noon. Other than a group of about 9 young people who had camped up near Rogers Ledge, we had the trail to ourselves. The trail up to the Horn and the Bulge is fairly ugly, with rocks all slanted the wrong way, eager to crack your ankles. We reached the summit of the Horn at 12:15 and aside from one female solo hiker, we had the rocks to ourselves. We lunched here and my stomach had been growling for a couple miles, not having eaten for over 7 hours. I was so relaxed and enamored with the view that I forgot to take any photos from this marvelous viewpoint.
We would have liked to lengthen our stay but we had a lot of miles to cover. We climbed up over the Bulge, dropped down and then back up again to Cabot, where we took a short breather. Mind you, when I say short breather I'm talking about a minute at the most. We weren't in one place for very long at any point along the trail today. We passed the cabin and dropped down to Bunnell Rock where we took in the viewpoint over to Terrace Mountain, our next objective. We also joked about after having hiked more than 11 miles, we were half way to the summit of Waumbek. The Cabot Trail here is full of loose and odd shaped rocks and we took care not to step in the wrong place. After nearly a mile and a half of descent, we branched off of the Cabot Trail and back onto the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. After about a quarter mile we met up with the Bunnell Notch Trail, following it only for a tenth of a mile where we met two resting backpackers, and then branched off to begin the climb up to Terrace Mountain. It was now 2:15 and each of us was quietly asking ourselves if we could get off the trail before dark. We had headlamps but after 25 miles on the trail, getting out in the dark was not something we were looking forward to.
The climb up to Terrace Mountain was steady and the forests continued to be pleasant. The Kilkenny Ridge Trail has good footing throughout its entire length and nowhere were there any steep sections. Much of the footing was on soft moss and fallen leaves and evergreen needles. At 2:40 we topped out on Terrace Mountain which has a long and fairly flat ridge line and then wound our way down to Willard Notch, where a small stream offered up some drinking water. While Giff and Rick filled their bottles, I took the opportunity to eat another sandwich and an orange. We knew that this next climb up to North Weeks would prove to be daunting. 1200 feet of elevation gain in a mile and a quarter is nothing to sneeze at but after 15 and a half miles it could leave us haggard. It was 3:15 and the sun started to come into the woods at a lower angle than we were comfortable with.
We moved our way up the trail and the steepness of the slope was diminished by the continuous switchbacks. We maintained a steady speed, paced extremely well by Giff the whole way. I called for a brief rest stop and then we were back at it again. At times like this you just want to put your head down and grunt your way to the top but the woods were too pretty to miss. I willed my head to stay up, enjoy the sights, breathe steady and keep moving. When we topped out, Rick called out “3:50” to me. I had forgotten my watch and he was calling out times to me all day so I could record them in my log. It did not dawn on me until later that we had made the 1.3 mile 1200 foot climb in only 35 minutes.
We dropped off of North Weeks and made the ups and down over both Middle and South Weeks, a pleasant enough ridge walk with no steep sections, good footing and pleasant scenery. It took me a while to recover from the haul up North Weeks but by the time I had reached South Weeks I was back in full stride. We passed an acquaintenance of Rick's who was out re-blazing the trail as far as South Weeks. At 4:50 we dropped down to the shallow col between Weeks and Waumbek and reached it quickly enough (only 0.6 miles). Then we had the 600 foot climb to Waumbek ahead of us.
What we did not realize at the time was that this section of the trail would be one of the most pleasant sections all day. We climbed out of the col and made most of the 600 foot climb right away. Then the trail makes an abrupt right hand turn and we headed due west. This section of the trail was at the crest of a clearly defined ridge, being only twenty feet wide and sloping distinctly away on both sides. For a half mile (maybe more) this trail was as flat as the Wilderness Trail. The low angled sun streaming in through the treetops on the right coupled with the beauty of the trail gave us a tremendous psychological lift. We all got second (or was it tenth) winds and we cruised along this section of trail. After a few final ups and downs we were on top of Waumbek. It was 5:40. We were elated.
The celebration was short lived however and we headed over to Mt Starr King where we met a young fellow standing atop the fireplace for a better clear view of the Presidentials. It was six o’clock straight up. I poured another liter of water from the bottle into my CamelBack and after a brief chat we headed down, content in the feeling that we would beat the sundown. At the spring Giff and Rick filled up with water and I continued to head down, my legs beginning to stiffen up. I wanted to keep moving and then stretch out good when I got to the car. I would need it. The walk down was an exercise in putting out the fires in my quads. I found that the more I let gravity take over the less burning I endured. The setting sun was now a bright orange fireball in my eyes as I squinted to make out the trail features. Seeing the well was a welcome sight and I now knew it was only a few minutes more. Rick and Giff had caught up to me and at 6:55 we rolled into the parking lot.
We were overjoyed. The hike had a much more aesthetic appeal than we had imagined. There were so many wonderful spots from Rogers Ledge to the birch forests to the fern covered trail-sides to Kilback and Unknown Ponds to the Horn to Bunnel Rock to the Weeks-Waumbek Ridge. They all combined to make this a wonderful and satisfying day. Now all I had to do was drive for four more hours and I would be home. My wonderful wife had the whirlpool tub filled and waiting for me. I left a ring.
Photos are here.
JohnL
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