While hiking up in Maine I pulled my back pretty good and decided it was best to return home. Great, what am I going to do all weekend? Sitting is the worse thing for my back. Grabbed my kayak and headed up to the VFTT gathering in the Daks. Spencer said he was going to do a paddle and short hike, sounds like it will fit the bill for me and my back.
Sat - Aug 8
Spencer, Cole, Brian (Bushwhacker) and I headed for Paradox Lake for our kayak/hike. Paradox Lake, like all the lakes in the Daks is absolutely beautiful. We did a short paddle across the lake to the trailhead for Peaked Hill. This hike took us through some wonderful forest, mixed hardwoods and pines, lots of mushrooms, ferns, and some wildflowers and past a pretty little pond. Spencer was pointing out this and that, dug us up some root to try, very tasty and gave us some plants to try, again very tasty and I am still alive. I think the root was woodroot and the plant looks like clover, but is all green, no lighter color around the edges.
Peaked is a trailed hike and great little mountain with some nice ledges that provide a pretty view. On the way down we decided to whack down and look for some ledges we saw on the way up. We found some great ledges that provided a nice view, although not the ledges we were looking for. At the pond we went off trail and whacked up to Narrrows Mt. Very pretty, open forest here, no views, just a lovely forest to enjoy. These were very short hikes, I think about 4.5 miles total and we were soon back to our boats to enjoy a nice paddle on Paradox Lake.
Spencer and Cole would soon depart us and Brian and I headed for the quieter part of the lake, the Narrows to enjoy some peaceful paddling. We saw a Blue Heron and I saw some fish jumping.
Very nice hike and paddle.
Sun - Aug 9
After breakfast and good byes to all the wonderful people at the gathering Brian and I headed off for another short bushwhack and paddle. We had decided on Bald Peak, but ended up on Seventy Mt and then over to Bald Peak. This was a short, sweet and steep bushwhack. We started out in what Brian told me were open woods. The woods were pretty close and became steep pretty early on in the hike. We hit some great ledges that we had to find our way up, moss is soooo slippery. The slippery moss provided many hoots and hollers from me, which in turn provided some great laughs from Brian. Do you know you can butt slide down moss covered boulders??
Seventy's summit was pretty unenventful and we soon headed over to Bald Peak. The col between the two mountains was steep, thick and had its' share of ledges to navigate around. The climb up Bald was great and the summit was spectacular. Open rocky ledges and boulders, great views and warm sun to enjoy a nice break and snack on. Well it was getting to be early afternoon and we still wanted to get a paddle in on Lincoln Pond, so down we headed. Hanging off of ledges on that, great is it going to hold underfoot moss, OMG I'm going to fall right off this ledge, giggles from Brian, butt sliding down moss boulders from me, Brian laughing pretty hard on that one, and we were soon back to the road and our cars.
Off to Lincoln Pond where we would run into Spencer and gang just loading up their kayaks and leaving. Ran into JayH too, who saw us putting in. Nice little paddle, looked like rain coming in so we cut the paddle short and headed for shore.
Thanks Brian for a great day on Sunday!! I totally loved that bushwhack, may have been short, but it was lots of fun.
Thanks Brian, Spencer and Cole for a fun day on Saturday!!
As much as it killed me to miss out on the trap dyke adventure I had a really great weekend of hiking and paddling.
The bbq was great, meeting everyone was fantastic, what a great group of people. Yummy food and oh so much. Great campfire and music provided by FunkyFreddy, thanks Freddy you made the evening very nice. Firefrisbee was so much fun, thanks UFC, you are a crazy mother.....but OK. Marc Howes, what can I say, entertainment at its' best and the dueling fire boys Brian and Mark, never a cold moment.
Happy Trails - Cindy
Sat - Aug 8
Spencer, Cole, Brian (Bushwhacker) and I headed for Paradox Lake for our kayak/hike. Paradox Lake, like all the lakes in the Daks is absolutely beautiful. We did a short paddle across the lake to the trailhead for Peaked Hill. This hike took us through some wonderful forest, mixed hardwoods and pines, lots of mushrooms, ferns, and some wildflowers and past a pretty little pond. Spencer was pointing out this and that, dug us up some root to try, very tasty and gave us some plants to try, again very tasty and I am still alive. I think the root was woodroot and the plant looks like clover, but is all green, no lighter color around the edges.
Peaked is a trailed hike and great little mountain with some nice ledges that provide a pretty view. On the way down we decided to whack down and look for some ledges we saw on the way up. We found some great ledges that provided a nice view, although not the ledges we were looking for. At the pond we went off trail and whacked up to Narrrows Mt. Very pretty, open forest here, no views, just a lovely forest to enjoy. These were very short hikes, I think about 4.5 miles total and we were soon back to our boats to enjoy a nice paddle on Paradox Lake.
Spencer and Cole would soon depart us and Brian and I headed for the quieter part of the lake, the Narrows to enjoy some peaceful paddling. We saw a Blue Heron and I saw some fish jumping.
Very nice hike and paddle.
Sun - Aug 9
After breakfast and good byes to all the wonderful people at the gathering Brian and I headed off for another short bushwhack and paddle. We had decided on Bald Peak, but ended up on Seventy Mt and then over to Bald Peak. This was a short, sweet and steep bushwhack. We started out in what Brian told me were open woods. The woods were pretty close and became steep pretty early on in the hike. We hit some great ledges that we had to find our way up, moss is soooo slippery. The slippery moss provided many hoots and hollers from me, which in turn provided some great laughs from Brian. Do you know you can butt slide down moss covered boulders??
Seventy's summit was pretty unenventful and we soon headed over to Bald Peak. The col between the two mountains was steep, thick and had its' share of ledges to navigate around. The climb up Bald was great and the summit was spectacular. Open rocky ledges and boulders, great views and warm sun to enjoy a nice break and snack on. Well it was getting to be early afternoon and we still wanted to get a paddle in on Lincoln Pond, so down we headed. Hanging off of ledges on that, great is it going to hold underfoot moss, OMG I'm going to fall right off this ledge, giggles from Brian, butt sliding down moss boulders from me, Brian laughing pretty hard on that one, and we were soon back to the road and our cars.
Off to Lincoln Pond where we would run into Spencer and gang just loading up their kayaks and leaving. Ran into JayH too, who saw us putting in. Nice little paddle, looked like rain coming in so we cut the paddle short and headed for shore.
Thanks Brian for a great day on Sunday!! I totally loved that bushwhack, may have been short, but it was lots of fun.
Thanks Brian, Spencer and Cole for a fun day on Saturday!!
As much as it killed me to miss out on the trap dyke adventure I had a really great weekend of hiking and paddling.
The bbq was great, meeting everyone was fantastic, what a great group of people. Yummy food and oh so much. Great campfire and music provided by FunkyFreddy, thanks Freddy you made the evening very nice. Firefrisbee was so much fun, thanks UFC, you are a crazy mother.....but OK. Marc Howes, what can I say, entertainment at its' best and the dueling fire boys Brian and Mark, never a cold moment.
Happy Trails - Cindy
