buckyball1
New member
well, it wasn't 80 degrees when i left at 330 this morning...been trying to make up for 5+ lost weeks; probably too much, too soon
Pt 2938' (wrong in title
)-Running on fumes from lack of sleep for a few nights, i retraced my route from yesterday to Mexico, but turned north on Rt 17 toward Oquossoc and to the AT crossing north of Byron. The obvious way to "2938" is to follow the AT east from Rt 17. Instead, i hoped to follow Crosstown Rd (the way in to "Beaver", a 3K peak), approach from the north and intersect the AT near Sabbath Day Pond.
Crosstown is a bit worse for wear since i was last in, but not too bad. I turned down an unnamed logging road (visible in Delorme and sat pics) and after driving too far for comfort, parked about 3/4-1 mile north of the pond. I staggered around a bit, finding the old road i hoped to use overgrown and a pretty much impassable bog. Luckily i happened on a decent, old trail (turns out it was once the AT before a reroute) and followed it roughly parallel to the boggy road all the way to the AT.
The AT was again typical ME (bit wet, rocky/roots), but a more rigorous/steeper workout than my previous "getting back into shape" hikes. Once i reached the ridge-line leading to 2938, the trail was relatively soft and a nice walk. I heard someone come up behind me and it was a young guy doing the Trail from Pine Grove Furnace (PA) to Katahdin. We walked/talked and when i asked him where he was from, he said "PA" (me too). So i said where in PA? and he replied "York"--what are the chances of meeting a guy from my hometown who lives very close to my parents last home??
We parted company as 2938 loomed and i easily found the wooded height of land type peak about 50 yards south of the AT. Surprise, a jar placed by Herb Foster a few years back with the only other signee being Pierre (Oncoman). The descent/return was routine with me obsessively concerned re my new boots and little toes (adequate and not bad in that order).
As i approached the car, i ran into 3 guys on dirt bikes. You know me (or perhaps you don't) and we talked for 10-15 minutes. Turns out they know many and have been to some of the peaks (I/we) climb, usually on snowmoblies. 2938, Quill Hill (my next hike today), Black Nubble, various of the Kennebagos, White Cap, several Boundary/Swath peaks, etc.Two of them got stuck in deep snow on the border swath and walked 29! miles (so they said) to get out.
Heading out, i took Crosstown Rd east instead of west and was able to reach Rt 4 a bit south of Rangeley; headed up Rt4, turned east on Rt 16 toward Stratton as far as Nash Stream Rd for
Quill Hill-2838'-It's a nice symmetrical peak sitting NW of the 3K "Black Nubble". In retrospect, I think the best approach would be from the SW off Quill Hill Rd. Instead, i had chosen to go in the Wobbly Rd and it lived up to it's name-got worse and worse-last long stretch was 2' of weeds in the middle to disguise card buster rocks with new growth scraping the Forester from both sides of the "road". If i were in normal shape, i'd have parked and walked in a few miles. Driving slowly and graced by dumb luck, i was able to reach a spot close to my planned departure.
Going up from the NE side is undoubtedly a mistake. It was logged very long ago (the other sides were logged more recently) and growth on any skid trials leading part way up is actually almost head high in places. The going is pretty steep (750' in 0.75 crow flies miles, much in the middle section) with lots of rocks and slash on any "trail' you might try to follow-pretty typical ME 'whacking, but a bit tough going up and i knew it would be a bear coming down. This was the first time i realized how much leg conditioning i'd lost sitting around whining about my toes for weeks-calves and feet are sore tonight-unusual.
I reached the large, flat top which has been pretty much clearcut by logging much more recently than that done on the side i'd come. I found two jars on one of the isolated trees left standing. There was a deteriorated "JP" jar form 1997 and one placed by Nate in 2010. Very few signees -Herb/Glen/Nate and JP were the only ones since 97 that i recognized. There was a Richard Crocker? who had visited 5-6 times since 1998. The view from Quill is great-- Saddleback, the Horns, Sugarloaf, Cranberry, the other Horns, West. Avery, etc--K in the distance -outstanding. Oh, and it seems obvious that a much easier way up (more open, even some road?) is from the SW side
The descent was as bad as i feared; nothing awful, but i wasn't ready for this stuff again quite yet-could not see my feet for a long stretch of rock, blowdown covered steeps--the new Cresta boots were doing Ok housing my injured toes, but i felt they just don't have enough sole and torsional stability for this type of terrain-at least for me.
harder day than i should have attempted, sore calves tonight, but again, i was happy to be doing it
24
jim
Pt 2938' (wrong in title
)-Running on fumes from lack of sleep for a few nights, i retraced my route from yesterday to Mexico, but turned north on Rt 17 toward Oquossoc and to the AT crossing north of Byron. The obvious way to "2938" is to follow the AT east from Rt 17. Instead, i hoped to follow Crosstown Rd (the way in to "Beaver", a 3K peak), approach from the north and intersect the AT near Sabbath Day Pond. Crosstown is a bit worse for wear since i was last in, but not too bad. I turned down an unnamed logging road (visible in Delorme and sat pics) and after driving too far for comfort, parked about 3/4-1 mile north of the pond. I staggered around a bit, finding the old road i hoped to use overgrown and a pretty much impassable bog. Luckily i happened on a decent, old trail (turns out it was once the AT before a reroute) and followed it roughly parallel to the boggy road all the way to the AT.
The AT was again typical ME (bit wet, rocky/roots), but a more rigorous/steeper workout than my previous "getting back into shape" hikes. Once i reached the ridge-line leading to 2938, the trail was relatively soft and a nice walk. I heard someone come up behind me and it was a young guy doing the Trail from Pine Grove Furnace (PA) to Katahdin. We walked/talked and when i asked him where he was from, he said "PA" (me too). So i said where in PA? and he replied "York"--what are the chances of meeting a guy from my hometown who lives very close to my parents last home??
We parted company as 2938 loomed and i easily found the wooded height of land type peak about 50 yards south of the AT. Surprise, a jar placed by Herb Foster a few years back with the only other signee being Pierre (Oncoman). The descent/return was routine with me obsessively concerned re my new boots and little toes (adequate and not bad in that order).
As i approached the car, i ran into 3 guys on dirt bikes. You know me (or perhaps you don't
) and we talked for 10-15 minutes. Turns out they know many and have been to some of the peaks (I/we) climb, usually on snowmoblies. 2938, Quill Hill (my next hike today), Black Nubble, various of the Kennebagos, White Cap, several Boundary/Swath peaks, etc.Two of them got stuck in deep snow on the border swath and walked 29! miles (so they said) to get out.Heading out, i took Crosstown Rd east instead of west and was able to reach Rt 4 a bit south of Rangeley; headed up Rt4, turned east on Rt 16 toward Stratton as far as Nash Stream Rd for
Quill Hill-2838'-It's a nice symmetrical peak sitting NW of the 3K "Black Nubble". In retrospect, I think the best approach would be from the SW off Quill Hill Rd. Instead, i had chosen to go in the Wobbly Rd and it lived up to it's name-got worse and worse-last long stretch was 2' of weeds in the middle to disguise card buster rocks with new growth scraping the Forester from both sides of the "road". If i were in normal shape, i'd have parked and walked in a few miles. Driving slowly and graced by dumb luck, i was able to reach a spot close to my planned departure.
Going up from the NE side is undoubtedly a mistake. It was logged very long ago (the other sides were logged more recently) and growth on any skid trials leading part way up is actually almost head high in places. The going is pretty steep (750' in 0.75 crow flies miles, much in the middle section) with lots of rocks and slash on any "trail' you might try to follow-pretty typical ME 'whacking, but a bit tough going up and i knew it would be a bear coming down. This was the first time i realized how much leg conditioning i'd lost sitting around whining about my toes for weeks
-calves and feet are sore tonight-unusual.I reached the large, flat top which has been pretty much clearcut by logging much more recently than that done on the side i'd come. I found two jars on one of the isolated trees left standing. There was a deteriorated "JP" jar form 1997 and one placed by Nate in 2010. Very few signees -Herb/Glen/Nate and JP were the only ones since 97 that i recognized. There was a Richard Crocker? who had visited 5-6 times since 1998. The view from Quill is great-- Saddleback, the Horns, Sugarloaf, Cranberry, the other Horns, West. Avery, etc--K in the distance -outstanding. Oh, and it seems obvious that a much easier way up (more open, even some road?) is from the SW side
The descent was as bad as i feared; nothing awful, but i wasn't ready for this stuff again quite yet-could not see my feet for a long stretch of rock, blowdown covered steeps--the new Cresta boots were doing Ok housing my injured toes, but i felt they just don't have enough sole and torsional stability for this type of terrain-at least for me.
harder day than i should have attempted, sore calves tonight, but again, i was happy to be doing it
24
jim
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