The Plan: Mt. Cabot, The Bulge and The Horn clockwise from the hatchery via Bunnell Notch Trail, Mt. Cabot Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Unknown Pond and Unknown Pond Trail. Despite there being several intersections, this loop was pretty simple -- always turn right.
Roxi and I met at the York Pond trail head in time to leave at 8:30. I was interested primarily in Cabot, but also in The Bulge and The Horn. Roxi had intended to do these NEHH peaks today anyway, so agreed to re-tackle Cabot while I agreed to the loop to get in the other two. After getting a bit lost in the Berlin area (due to construction and fog), I ended up making a fish hook approach, through West Milan and still got there with plenty of time for my warm-up. As you may, or may not know, Roxi has been hiking of late with her ex, Larry, who has also been my regular hiking partner for most of my 4Ks in 2006. Despite both of our prodding, he couldn't escape work. Note that this fact is relevant only if you look at the pictures
While stretching and staring up at the perfectly blue sky, I saw a pair of great blue herons fly over head. I wondered if they are keyed in on the hatchery fish, and if they can tell tell the difference between a wild trout, and one raised on "Purina Trout Chow" (OK, inside fishing joke). I knew it was going to be a great day. Again I wore the knee brace and again it seems to have helped out. I also wore short gaiters but I might recommend tall ones as this loop is full of ferns, grasses, raspberries, etc., and was quite damp from last evening's T-Storms.
At 8:30 sharp we headed out Bunnell Notch Trail. Right away, I noticed this was a different sort of trail than what I was used to. Rather than hard-packed dirt and rock, this was damp, spongy and very, very green. Ferns, grasses, and raspberries dominated. There must have been two dozen trickle crossings, all of them hoppable, but the hillside was wet from the recent rain. Pretty soon things start angling up. A short while later, back down they go, as the low point in Bunnell Notch is passed. It is here that the elevation gain accrues most rapidly. There are two right turns in quick succession, although one passes the now-closed Mt. Cabot Trial due to the ongoing property dispute. Every ten or fifteen minutes the trail's ecosystem would change. Grass, ferns, soft ground; rocks, rock stairs; roots, roots, and more roots; hardwoods; spruces (with that wonderful smell of Christmas.) Two things were constant throughout the day: There were lots of toads, from as big as my pinky nail to as big as my hand; and there were lots of signs of moose (tracks, droppings.)
At T+2:45, we came to the cabin where we ate our peanut butter and (fluff for me, jelly for Roxi), recalled Marc Howes stay in the middle of winter, and stared over the town of Lancaster. After a quick snack, we got moving again, passed over the false summit where the fire tower used to be, and across the sag to the real summit. Mt. Cabot was number 18 on my NH48 4K list. The summit is just a semi-open spot in the woods, with a decent sign including the elevation. As we had previously agreed to spend our lounging time on The Horn, we took a few more photos (here's where the story of Larry is important) and set off for The Bulge.
The Bulge is a completely nondescript height of land on the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. Luckily for us, there was a cairn. A few photos and off for The Horn. We'd heard rumors that the spur trail sign was a popular souvenir, but an oncoming hiker confirmed the spur trail was marked. So up the spur we went.
It's quite obvious where you want to go, but the best route to the top of that huge boulder is not so obvious. Another obvious thing is the views. I was kind of thinking of Cabot for a day with sub-standard visibility. I am quite glad, after summiting The Horn, that the weather was as fantastic as it was. Except for due north, which is blocked by some scrub trees, the views are fantabulous. It's not a popular destination and we had a half hour to ourselves. If you go, don't fall into the trap of the northern Presidentials as the views of the Pilot Range are also great. The Horn is the highlight of this loop.
With about one-third the distance remaining, we packed up and headed for unknown pond. It is all downhill from there. Again, the terrain varied greatly as we cross through various ecosystems. The trail was generally soft, and generally knee-friendly, which I very much appreciated. Unknown Pond came and went, with a few quick trips to the banks. Once into the Unknown Pond trail, the moose signs picked way up. At one point I said aloud "I wonder how many moose we've passed right by and never noticed." Not more than 5 minutes later, I heard crashing and saw a big, brown VW Bug with antlers cross the trail and head down a ravine. It sounded to me like he took 5 or 6 steps and stopped, but we could not find him, nor pick up any sounds either. In scoping out the area, we did find one huge hoof print, many, many other prints, lots of droppings, and what I believe forestgnome would call a moose yard -- ferns, a cleared space the size and shape of a moose, with all the chest-high trees snipped off clean. I've seen moose skiing, and cycling in Waterville, but this is the first one I've seen while hiking.
After the close encounter, we picked up the pace and made it back to the cars in short order. Yes, there was some of MichaelJ's sole-sucking mud, but it wasn't too bad. Roxi did wash her boots off in one of the several stream crossings in this section, but hey - they were very muddy!
10.5 miles, 3500', 7:00 including stops.
Wildlife: Toads, Frogs, a grouse, two great blue herons, a garter snake, a bull moose
Photos Here:
Tim
Roxi and I met at the York Pond trail head in time to leave at 8:30. I was interested primarily in Cabot, but also in The Bulge and The Horn. Roxi had intended to do these NEHH peaks today anyway, so agreed to re-tackle Cabot while I agreed to the loop to get in the other two. After getting a bit lost in the Berlin area (due to construction and fog), I ended up making a fish hook approach, through West Milan and still got there with plenty of time for my warm-up. As you may, or may not know, Roxi has been hiking of late with her ex, Larry, who has also been my regular hiking partner for most of my 4Ks in 2006. Despite both of our prodding, he couldn't escape work. Note that this fact is relevant only if you look at the pictures
While stretching and staring up at the perfectly blue sky, I saw a pair of great blue herons fly over head. I wondered if they are keyed in on the hatchery fish, and if they can tell tell the difference between a wild trout, and one raised on "Purina Trout Chow" (OK, inside fishing joke). I knew it was going to be a great day. Again I wore the knee brace and again it seems to have helped out. I also wore short gaiters but I might recommend tall ones as this loop is full of ferns, grasses, raspberries, etc., and was quite damp from last evening's T-Storms.
At 8:30 sharp we headed out Bunnell Notch Trail. Right away, I noticed this was a different sort of trail than what I was used to. Rather than hard-packed dirt and rock, this was damp, spongy and very, very green. Ferns, grasses, and raspberries dominated. There must have been two dozen trickle crossings, all of them hoppable, but the hillside was wet from the recent rain. Pretty soon things start angling up. A short while later, back down they go, as the low point in Bunnell Notch is passed. It is here that the elevation gain accrues most rapidly. There are two right turns in quick succession, although one passes the now-closed Mt. Cabot Trial due to the ongoing property dispute. Every ten or fifteen minutes the trail's ecosystem would change. Grass, ferns, soft ground; rocks, rock stairs; roots, roots, and more roots; hardwoods; spruces (with that wonderful smell of Christmas.) Two things were constant throughout the day: There were lots of toads, from as big as my pinky nail to as big as my hand; and there were lots of signs of moose (tracks, droppings.)
At T+2:45, we came to the cabin where we ate our peanut butter and (fluff for me, jelly for Roxi), recalled Marc Howes stay in the middle of winter, and stared over the town of Lancaster. After a quick snack, we got moving again, passed over the false summit where the fire tower used to be, and across the sag to the real summit. Mt. Cabot was number 18 on my NH48 4K list. The summit is just a semi-open spot in the woods, with a decent sign including the elevation. As we had previously agreed to spend our lounging time on The Horn, we took a few more photos (here's where the story of Larry is important) and set off for The Bulge.
The Bulge is a completely nondescript height of land on the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. Luckily for us, there was a cairn. A few photos and off for The Horn. We'd heard rumors that the spur trail sign was a popular souvenir, but an oncoming hiker confirmed the spur trail was marked. So up the spur we went.
It's quite obvious where you want to go, but the best route to the top of that huge boulder is not so obvious. Another obvious thing is the views. I was kind of thinking of Cabot for a day with sub-standard visibility. I am quite glad, after summiting The Horn, that the weather was as fantastic as it was. Except for due north, which is blocked by some scrub trees, the views are fantabulous. It's not a popular destination and we had a half hour to ourselves. If you go, don't fall into the trap of the northern Presidentials as the views of the Pilot Range are also great. The Horn is the highlight of this loop.
With about one-third the distance remaining, we packed up and headed for unknown pond. It is all downhill from there. Again, the terrain varied greatly as we cross through various ecosystems. The trail was generally soft, and generally knee-friendly, which I very much appreciated. Unknown Pond came and went, with a few quick trips to the banks. Once into the Unknown Pond trail, the moose signs picked way up. At one point I said aloud "I wonder how many moose we've passed right by and never noticed." Not more than 5 minutes later, I heard crashing and saw a big, brown VW Bug with antlers cross the trail and head down a ravine. It sounded to me like he took 5 or 6 steps and stopped, but we could not find him, nor pick up any sounds either. In scoping out the area, we did find one huge hoof print, many, many other prints, lots of droppings, and what I believe forestgnome would call a moose yard -- ferns, a cleared space the size and shape of a moose, with all the chest-high trees snipped off clean. I've seen moose skiing, and cycling in Waterville, but this is the first one I've seen while hiking.
After the close encounter, we picked up the pace and made it back to the cars in short order. Yes, there was some of MichaelJ's sole-sucking mud, but it wasn't too bad. Roxi did wash her boots off in one of the several stream crossings in this section, but hey - they were very muddy!
10.5 miles, 3500', 7:00 including stops.
Wildlife: Toads, Frogs, a grouse, two great blue herons, a garter snake, a bull moose
Photos Here:
Tim
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