hikersinger
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GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/999301108
For day two of a two-day mini hiking vacation, I hit a third New England 100 Highest peak, Scar Ridge. This one required a little more time due to bushwhack difficulty and distance. I was joined by my friend Jeremy, who is also working on his 100 and has a little over 10 left (I had some catching up to do!). On day one I completed Peak Above the Nubble and Northeast Cannon Ball.
I researched this one pretty well and had backup information and GPS tracks available to refer to, if needed. I did depend on the GPS tracks to ensure we had a straightforward hike.
We parked in the main Loon Mountain lot, next to the Loon Mountain Realty building, and headed east along the bottom of the mountain, until we joined up with a service road that starts next to a condominium building. The road eventually meets up with the Lower and Upper Walking Boss downhill ski trails, which are pretty unforgivingly steep. These trails are the eastern-most on the mountain and lead right up to the point just below North Peak (the highest point of the Loon Mountain ski area), where the herd path begins. There are a couple yellow "out of bounds" signs that are a good marker for the beginning of this herd path.
The herd path itself is used in winter by backcountry skiers and snowshoers to access not only Scar Ridge, but also the slopes of Black Mountain, which we saw clearly on our way up.
We were thankful the steepest hiking of the day was over, and enjoyed the gentle grade of the herd path for about 0.6. At this point, you would choose any route into the woods heading southeast, toward Scar Ridge. Steve Smith, friend, proprietor of the famed Mountain Wanderer bookstore in Lincoln, and co-editor of the AMC White Mountain Guide (WMG), told me later that Scar Ridge has the least defined herd path of all the NE 100. We certainly saw this ourselves, as we would sometimes find what was a previously-traveled path, but would just as soon lose track of the path.
There was a good deal of branch breaking, ducking, scaling fallen trees, etc. This was a true bushwhack. But, for the most part -- save a couple sections of dense growth at the start of the ridge itself, and near the high point/summit -- the woods were open enough to make the going relatively easy.
The Garmin GPS unit I bought for use last winter, came in very handy here, helping ensure we stay on the rough path toward the summit. I'd downloaded GPS tracks posted online by a couple people, and they served as a backup confirmation that we were on the right general trajectory.
We eventually reached the summit, a small clearing among generally open woods, much like East Sleeper. There was next to no wind around, so we spent a good amount of time there, having a bite and checking out the summit log in the canister. Thumbing through it, I noticed many, many names of people I knew personally, or at least knew of in my hiking forum, Facebook group, and Meetup group venues. It was a great reminder of the "small world" aspect to our great hiking community.
With temps in the mid-50s, bugs were not an issue at all, thankfully. Bluebird skies and very little wind made this a real enjoyable hike, despite all that branch and tree scraping. I scratched up my legs pretty well; decided not to put the lower half of the pants on, but I really should have. I'll take the scars as... apropos and fitting for the name of this great peak.
~
On the way to Woodstock Inn & Brewery for a couple drinks and early dinner, I stopped in to The Mountain Wanderer bookstore to catch up with Steve Smith. He confirmed that the 30th Edition of the WMG is in the final stages of proofreading, and is due to be published in July. I'm eagerly awaiting the next (11th) edition of the Maine Mountain Guide, too - it is due out next year and hasn't been updated since 2012. Steve says the editor has been working to greatly enhance the guide, adding many trails back and adding new ones in.
- Loon Mountain service road
- Lower/Upper Walking Boss ski trails
- Herd path toward Black Mountain
- Bushwhack to Scar Ridge high point at 3774'
GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/999301108
For day two of a two-day mini hiking vacation, I hit a third New England 100 Highest peak, Scar Ridge. This one required a little more time due to bushwhack difficulty and distance. I was joined by my friend Jeremy, who is also working on his 100 and has a little over 10 left (I had some catching up to do!). On day one I completed Peak Above the Nubble and Northeast Cannon Ball.
I researched this one pretty well and had backup information and GPS tracks available to refer to, if needed. I did depend on the GPS tracks to ensure we had a straightforward hike.
We parked in the main Loon Mountain lot, next to the Loon Mountain Realty building, and headed east along the bottom of the mountain, until we joined up with a service road that starts next to a condominium building. The road eventually meets up with the Lower and Upper Walking Boss downhill ski trails, which are pretty unforgivingly steep. These trails are the eastern-most on the mountain and lead right up to the point just below North Peak (the highest point of the Loon Mountain ski area), where the herd path begins. There are a couple yellow "out of bounds" signs that are a good marker for the beginning of this herd path.
The herd path itself is used in winter by backcountry skiers and snowshoers to access not only Scar Ridge, but also the slopes of Black Mountain, which we saw clearly on our way up.
We were thankful the steepest hiking of the day was over, and enjoyed the gentle grade of the herd path for about 0.6. At this point, you would choose any route into the woods heading southeast, toward Scar Ridge. Steve Smith, friend, proprietor of the famed Mountain Wanderer bookstore in Lincoln, and co-editor of the AMC White Mountain Guide (WMG), told me later that Scar Ridge has the least defined herd path of all the NE 100. We certainly saw this ourselves, as we would sometimes find what was a previously-traveled path, but would just as soon lose track of the path.
There was a good deal of branch breaking, ducking, scaling fallen trees, etc. This was a true bushwhack. But, for the most part -- save a couple sections of dense growth at the start of the ridge itself, and near the high point/summit -- the woods were open enough to make the going relatively easy.
The Garmin GPS unit I bought for use last winter, came in very handy here, helping ensure we stay on the rough path toward the summit. I'd downloaded GPS tracks posted online by a couple people, and they served as a backup confirmation that we were on the right general trajectory.
We eventually reached the summit, a small clearing among generally open woods, much like East Sleeper. There was next to no wind around, so we spent a good amount of time there, having a bite and checking out the summit log in the canister. Thumbing through it, I noticed many, many names of people I knew personally, or at least knew of in my hiking forum, Facebook group, and Meetup group venues. It was a great reminder of the "small world" aspect to our great hiking community.
With temps in the mid-50s, bugs were not an issue at all, thankfully. Bluebird skies and very little wind made this a real enjoyable hike, despite all that branch and tree scraping. I scratched up my legs pretty well; decided not to put the lower half of the pants on, but I really should have. I'll take the scars as... apropos and fitting for the name of this great peak.
~
On the way to Woodstock Inn & Brewery for a couple drinks and early dinner, I stopped in to The Mountain Wanderer bookstore to catch up with Steve Smith. He confirmed that the 30th Edition of the WMG is in the final stages of proofreading, and is due to be published in July. I'm eagerly awaiting the next (11th) edition of the Maine Mountain Guide, too - it is due out next year and hasn't been updated since 2012. Steve says the editor has been working to greatly enhance the guide, adding many trails back and adding new ones in.
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