amstony
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Nothing like a timely trail report! After being admonished this morning 
by Stevehiker for still not putting up this weeks trail report, I figured I better do it before he sends his kitten to attack me .
So there we were at the Portsmouth exit 3 park and ride at 5:40 AM on a Saturday morning, questioning our sanity of getting up at 4:00AM on a Saturday to do a 9 hour round trip drive for a 5 hour or so hike......... Thus we loaded up into Steves jeep and we were off. After avoiding the slowest rest area coffee shop on the Maine turnpike, and zipping up rts 4, 16, and 27 in Maine, we were actually at the Mt. Abraham Fire Wardens trailhead at 8:30 AM . Normally we don't get cranking up the Maine trails until 10 or later, for various reasons.
Anyhow, the weather was promising to be spectacular, not a cloud in the sky to be seen. Our first good weather in Maine for a hike since late July. The Fire Wardens trailhead on Rocky Pond Road is still unmarked, a previous group of campers or hunters or morons have burned the sign for some reason, and left it in a pile of trash. As we moved down the trail, about a 100 or so yards in there is a second sign with the trail information and the name of the sponsors, the Bates Outdoor Club. The stretch between Rocky Pond Road and the next logging road (unnamed, but marked with a cairn) is an absolute bog. At one point the mud was so deep that my trekking pole went 2 feet deep into the mud before it hit something.... It was so thick that it was that kind of boot sucking mud you dread. We also crossed a stream which was running OK, not deep.
Once over the logging road and continuing along the trail the going did not improve. This is the wettest and muddiest trail I have been on in a long time. There were 4 additional stream crossings on this stretch until you reached the old unlocked fire wardens cabin. All the streams were running with water, though not a major problem to cross. Once we hit the cabin, we took another 10-15 minute break to sign the journal, scope out the cabin, take pics and rest up for the steep climb ahead. There is a trail sign here so you can't miss the sharp turn to the summit.
The stretch from the cabin to the summit was relentlessly steep. You cross an open area of talus, you could probably call it a slide, that is extensive, steep and potentially hazardous in wet or icy weather. Lots of loose rock along this length of the trail. It is well marked with cairns. The views when you open up onto the slide were spectacular, you had to stop to enjoy them !!
The summit was great. There were 3 hikers from the Vermont Green Mountain Club up there who were working on the NEHH list. Another solo hiker kind of ignored us, moving behind the rock wall and not talking to anyone or acknowledging us... he had that look of how dare you intrude on my private summit! He was still up there when we left. While I waited for Steve and onother hiker from Maine we had met along the trail I ate lunch and took some pictures. The views were awesome this day!
Around 12:20 we headed down the trail, which had dried up some and arrived back at the car at 2:30. Then we changed, ate the cheese sandwiches I had brought along for us, stopped at the Irving station in Kingfield, and headed home. We actually arrived home in sunlight, a first for a Maine hike in awhile!
By the way the AMC map says this trail is 4 miles, the AMC 9th Maine Guide version, says it is 4.5 one way to the summit. We estimated a 2800+- elevation gain. We pretty much agreed that it 4.5 miles. If anyone has done GPS measurements it would be interesting to know.
This was # 62/67 on the NE 67 list for me, and 66/67 on the NE 67 list for Stevehiker. He has Killington left to do, which is planned for Sept 17. All I have left is the 2 in the Bigelows and the 3 in Baxter!
by Stevehiker for still not putting up this weeks trail report, I figured I better do it before he sends his kitten to attack me .So there we were at the Portsmouth exit 3 park and ride at 5:40 AM on a Saturday morning, questioning our sanity of getting up at 4:00AM on a Saturday to do a 9 hour round trip drive for a 5 hour or so hike.........
Thus we loaded up into Steves jeep and we were off. After avoiding the slowest rest area coffee shop on the Maine turnpike, and zipping up rts 4, 16, and 27 in Maine, we were actually at the Mt. Abraham Fire Wardens trailhead at 8:30 AM . Normally we don't get cranking up the Maine trails until 10 or later, for various reasons.Anyhow, the weather was promising to be spectacular, not a cloud in the sky to be seen. Our first good weather in Maine for a hike since late July. The Fire Wardens trailhead on Rocky Pond Road is still unmarked, a previous group of campers or hunters or morons have burned the sign for some reason, and left it in a pile of trash. As we moved down the trail, about a 100 or so yards in there is a second sign with the trail information and the name of the sponsors, the Bates Outdoor Club. The stretch between Rocky Pond Road and the next logging road (unnamed, but marked with a cairn) is an absolute bog. At one point the mud was so deep that my trekking pole went 2 feet deep into the mud before it hit something.... It was so thick that it was that kind of boot sucking mud you dread. We also crossed a stream which was running OK, not deep.
Once over the logging road and continuing along the trail the going did not improve. This is the wettest and muddiest trail I have been on in a long time. There were 4 additional stream crossings on this stretch until you reached the old unlocked fire wardens cabin. All the streams were running with water, though not a major problem to cross. Once we hit the cabin, we took another 10-15 minute break to sign the journal, scope out the cabin, take pics and rest up for the steep climb ahead. There is a trail sign here so you can't miss the sharp turn to the summit.
The stretch from the cabin to the summit was relentlessly steep. You cross an open area of talus, you could probably call it a slide, that is extensive, steep and potentially hazardous in wet or icy weather. Lots of loose rock along this length of the trail. It is well marked with cairns. The views when you open up onto the slide were spectacular, you had to stop to enjoy them
!!The summit was great. There were 3 hikers from the Vermont Green Mountain Club up there who were working on the NEHH list. Another solo hiker kind of ignored us, moving behind the rock wall and not talking to anyone or acknowledging us...
he had that look of how dare you intrude on my private summit! He was still up there when we left. While I waited for Steve and onother hiker from Maine we had met along the trail I ate lunch and took some pictures. The views were awesome this day! Around 12:20 we headed down the trail, which had dried up some and arrived back at the car at 2:30. Then we changed, ate the cheese sandwiches I had brought along for us, stopped at the Irving station in Kingfield, and headed home. We actually arrived home in sunlight, a first for a Maine hike in awhile!
By the way the AMC map says this trail is 4 miles, the AMC 9th Maine Guide version, says it is 4.5 one way to the summit. We estimated a 2800+- elevation gain. We pretty much agreed that it 4.5 miles. If anyone has done GPS measurements it would be interesting to know.
This was # 62/67 on the NE 67 list for me, and 66/67 on the NE 67 list for Stevehiker. He has Killington left to do, which is planned for Sept 17. All I have left is the 2 in the Bigelows and the 3 in Baxter!
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