buckyball1
New member
Passadumkeag (ME) 9/1
I actually drove off this morning in the daylight for a "home game" --Passadumkeag, an ex-firetower peak NE of Bangor.
The approach drive was most of the battle today. I drove up routes 9,178, 2 through Bradley and Milford to Costigan and then turned east onto the Greenfield Rd. My parking spot was 17.8 miles from the start of the Greenfield Rd. Delorme will suffice for all needed landmarks. Greenfield is a "straight shot" to the parking spot at the firewarden's trail on the south side of the peak. The first 11 1/2 miles are hard surface and the last 6+ are dirt. The last 4 1/2 miles would be an adventure with a low clearance 2WD car (i took the Forester in)-this part is pretty rough and there are two brooks "bridged" by lining the dip/gully with cobbles. It may be easier to come around the mountain from the Burlington approach (i suspect the communications tower guys use this way in), but I've not tried this. I parked where the power lines swing "left', up the Warden's trail.
The first mile to the old warden's cabin is a nice walk on a lonely old road. You could very easily drive up another 0.5 miles with any vehicle. The next 0.5 miles to the cabin is "iffy" depending on your vehicle and nerve. The Forester would have been OK. A fellow Board member whose opinion i respect has been to the cabin in the past in a 2WD car, but perhaps the road has deteriorated or he has a better sense of "auto-adventure" than I do
. There are several steep spots with lots of loose fist size rocks tossed up by the ATVs--the first of these at 0.5 miles from the "main" road is the worst, so you may want to just check it out...but it's such a nice walk anyway.
From the warden's cabin, the road is steeper and has been all chewed up, lots of loose rock and gravel as you get closer to the top--some nice views as you walk/climb. There's a tiny cabin at the summit whose walls are covered with 15-20 year old graffiti. Behind the cabin the old rusted tower lies forlornly in the shadow of a huge communications tower (humongous support cables) just a bit down the northern slope. There's also another "odd", smaller tower below this, almost "stick-like" with several tiny appendages attached. Limited views, lots of room to wander.
great, sunny day for a laid back stroll
so if you've read this far, I'm looking (always ) for Maine mtn info on Bear (NW of Bethel), Old Turk and West (near Byron) Saddleback (NW of Wilton), Griffin (near New Vineyard) abd Burnt Hill, Stewart and Poplar (west of Bingham, north of Kingfield)
thanks
jim
I actually drove off this morning in the daylight for a "home game" --Passadumkeag, an ex-firetower peak NE of Bangor.
The approach drive was most of the battle today. I drove up routes 9,178, 2 through Bradley and Milford to Costigan and then turned east onto the Greenfield Rd. My parking spot was 17.8 miles from the start of the Greenfield Rd. Delorme will suffice for all needed landmarks. Greenfield is a "straight shot" to the parking spot at the firewarden's trail on the south side of the peak. The first 11 1/2 miles are hard surface and the last 6+ are dirt. The last 4 1/2 miles would be an adventure with a low clearance 2WD car (i took the Forester in)-this part is pretty rough and there are two brooks "bridged" by lining the dip/gully with cobbles. It may be easier to come around the mountain from the Burlington approach (i suspect the communications tower guys use this way in), but I've not tried this. I parked where the power lines swing "left', up the Warden's trail.
The first mile to the old warden's cabin is a nice walk on a lonely old road. You could very easily drive up another 0.5 miles with any vehicle. The next 0.5 miles to the cabin is "iffy" depending on your vehicle and nerve. The Forester would have been OK. A fellow Board member whose opinion i respect has been to the cabin in the past in a 2WD car, but perhaps the road has deteriorated or he has a better sense of "auto-adventure" than I do
. There are several steep spots with lots of loose fist size rocks tossed up by the ATVs--the first of these at 0.5 miles from the "main" road is the worst, so you may want to just check it out...but it's such a nice walk anyway.From the warden's cabin, the road is steeper and has been all chewed up, lots of loose rock and gravel as you get closer to the top--some nice views as you walk/climb. There's a tiny cabin at the summit whose walls are covered with 15-20 year old graffiti. Behind the cabin the old rusted tower lies forlornly in the shadow of a huge communications tower (humongous support cables) just a bit down the northern slope. There's also another "odd", smaller tower below this, almost "stick-like" with several tiny appendages attached. Limited views, lots of room to wander.
great, sunny day for a laid back stroll
so if you've read this far, I'm looking (always
) for Maine mtn info on Bear (NW of Bethel), Old Turk and West (near Byron) Saddleback (NW of Wilton), Griffin (near New Vineyard) abd Burnt Hill, Stewart and Poplar (west of Bingham, north of Kingfield)thanks
jim
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