Sewards - Best Itinerary?

[ADK Rick]

Hey guys...getting close to 46 (38 now) but I do have the Sewards coming up. With the emergence of the Caulkins Brook herdpath as the preferred route, what is everyone's opinion as to how "best" to do the Sewards and Seymour in a single trip. Seems to be a lot of plusses/minuses to any route. I would be looking to drive up in the afternoon, camp in one of the reportedly numerous "pull-off" spots along the road, then hopefully spend one night somewhere in the thick of things, climbing Seymour one day and the Sewards the other.

Oh, and I would love some company for this trip if anyone is interested. Best guess now is sometime in late Aug or Early Sept, not on a weekend.

so...Opinions please?

ADK Rick

 

[AntlerPeak]

Rick, I am good at opinions, trouble is few agree. Based on what you want to do the new preferred route up Calkins may not be the best choice. It seems to me the "Blueberry" route for lack of a better term makes the best logistical choice.

Depending what time you arrive on your drive up day it may make sense to walk into Blueberry or Ward Brook rather than overnight in the parking lot. It is an easy five miles no more than two hours with a full pack, possibly less. Gives you a fresh early start in the morning.

It lends easy access to both the old routes and they are fairly easy to locate. Both Blueberry lean-to and Ward brook lean-to afford the ability to set one camp site.

Doing the Calkins route requires over and back to both Seward and Emmons. I havn't done that route but it appears to summit near Donaldson meaning a turn north to Seward then back over Donaldson to Emmons and back to Donaldson then down. It is a long walk around to get Seymour as compared to what you would have if camping at either of the two shelters above.

There are numerous tent sites near the lean-tos if they are taken. I'd suggest Ward Brook as that is a more attractive site. From there do the three first then Seymour the next day. I like the idea of not having to move camp and having both routes close at hand.

Just my two cents.

 

[tonycc]

I have been wondering the same thing. I think Antler expressed the same thoughts I have been having. Caulkins Brook sounds great for getting the three peaks as a day trip, but makes Seymour difficult. It also gives a loop option for those (like me) who don't really like out and backs. But again, there is that problem with Seymour.

If you are going after labor day, I would be very interested in joining you. A mid-week trip would be fine, I have vacation to burn at this point.

Tony

 

[BorealChickadee]

I'm interestd in these opinions also as I have to plan this out also. I was looking at the Calkins Brook path for the three and then debating what to do about Seymour.

Keep those opinions coming guys!

 

[ADK Rick]

Thanks for the views...pretty much what I thought...doing all 4 pretty much means not using the Caulkins Brook Route. I think my plan would be to do Seymour the first day. Reason is because while I am in pretty good shape now, I am not in *great* shape, and I am fearful of waking up on day 2 after doing the Sewards and not being able to answer the bell for Seymour.

I have also heard extensively that the leanto/camp sites farther in are much nicer than the closer ones...this also plays into the trip planning.

ADK Rick

 

[AntlerPeak]

Here is a pic of the Ward Brook Lean-to

 

[Cold River Bob]

This was posted a while back
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2556

Ihave been on the trail on the south side of Ouluska an it was easy to find. but that was two years ago

 

[Doc McPeak]

Thanks for the views...pretty much what I thought...doing all 4 pretty much means not using the Caulkins Brook Route.
ADK Rick

Not at all. Depending how you plan it. I'll be doing them in the fall and will be using the beautiful CB route for sure. The Blueberry side on Seward is an eroded morass of a mud pit. Been there ... One and done ...

 

[1ADAM12]

When the dates get closer let me know. I need the sewards too. I would be free midweek late August or Sept.

Tony if we can all hook up on the same dates would you be interested in car pooling?

Later,
Adam

 

[masshysteria]

Rick, what if you went with a lite overnight pack, and did D,E and Seward. Come down off of Seward via the northern mud wallow to the Blueberry Trail, and stay at the Ward Brook LT. The next morning, bang off Seymour and be back at the trailhead in the early afternoon.
That mess between Seward and Ward Brook , in my opinion, should be run in the downhill direction.

 

[ADK Rick]

MH - That itinerary occurred to me as well, though I hate to pull a full pack up to the top of peaks. If I had a partner or two that could potentially lighten the load.

another thought I had was to do them as back-to-back day trips and have a nice restaurant meal and a bed in between! Seriously, I would like to get out and camp a few times this fall and this is a good opportunity for it.

ADK Rick

 

[tonycc]

I keep looking at the maps and the ADK guidebook. The descriptions I am hearing here make sense; the herd path between the Ward Brook truck trail and Seward is a mud pit.

The guidebook doesn't jive with the maps It talks about crossing three fair-sized brooks after turning onto the truck trail before reaching the Ward Brook lean-to. The first of these is the approach to Seward. The first brook after Ward Brook LT is the route to Seymour. This would make sense if the first line said "crosses two fair-sized brooks before reaching Ward Brook LT".

What is the trail that parallels trail 129 to the south? Is that the horse trail the book recommends avoiding?

How about this idea:
- Do an out and back to Seymour dropping full packs near junction with Calkins Brook Truck Trail.
- On return, pick up packs and head south towards Calkins Brook herdpath.
- Stay at the designated site near the junction with the horsetrail (~14 miles). Or, stay at the undesignated site I've seen mentioned just after starting up the Calkins Brook herdpath (~17 miles).
- Bag SDE via Calkins Brook Trail both ways, pick up packs on the way out.

This could be done in two relatively easy days and one night. Or, the first night (given an afternoon arrival) could be spent at the designated campsite mentioned above. Seymour on day two, SDE and out on Day three.

Thanks for bringing this topic up, I think planning for a trip is almost as much fun as actually doing it. this one is a blast.

Tony if we can all hook up on the same dates would you be interested in car pooling?

You bet. This is the trip we were talking about getting together on. We need to do a hike sometime soon.

Tony

 

[Raymond]

Yes, Tony, that's the horse trail. I've never been on it, so I can't vouch for its suitability for humans.

Your plan seems fine, if you don't mind leaving your stuff there (junction with Calkins Brook Truck Road) a long time (while you climb Seymour).

Don't underestimate Seymour. It was my least favorite of the Forty-Six. I was accompanied by my then- eight-year-old son and my ladyfriend and it took us 12 hours 20 minutes for an out-and-back day hike.

I returned a year later with Harry K for the other three. We went up the Calkins Brook herd path to Donaldson, out to Emmons, then up Seward, from which we went down the traditional route to Ward Brook Truck Road. That descent seemed to take forever, but I think the total hike was a little more than ten hours, if I remember correctly. Not bad considering how miserably sultry that day was.

Cam, Susan, and I did Donaldson and Emmons in 2003 and Susan and I did Donaldson and Seward in 2004; both of those hikes were up and down the Calkins Brook path.

If you want to avoid having to visit the area a second time, Antler Peak probably has the best suggestion. Last year, Susan and I met some people who were doing the mountains the "traditional" way. There was one young fellow who carried a big pack over Seward to Donaldson and possibly to Emmons too (he did hike to Emmons, I just don't know if he carried the heavy pack all the way there or not--it would make sense to drop it at Donaldson and bag Emmons without it) who descended the range via the Calkins Brook path. That may be the best plan if you're camping.

Be aware that there is an aggravating blowdown section near the upper part of the Calkins Brook route.

 

[AntlerPeak]

That horse trail is a mud pit for a great part of its total length. We walked it once and I wouldn't do it again. You can imagine what happens to a "soft" forest trail when pounded by horses hoves. It may have been an old road once but it looks more like the Blueberry trail and that kind of surface can't take the pounding.

I made the suggestion for the route that I did because of not having to carry the full pack up anything or having to move camp. I can't argue for the quality of the "old path" up the big three. But the advantage of being centrally located is tough to get around. If you add blowdown at the top of the Calkins Route, I don't know how it is up there, you may find the mud on the traditional not so bad.

The advantage of doing the Sewards four times is that I can't think of a good reason to go back. Unless senility deludes me into thinking otherwise. Actually I really liked Donaldson and Seward was pretty neat. Uh Oh here come the people in the white coats it's time for my meds.

 

[lumberzac]

I plan to hike up the Sewards on the 23 & 24 of August. I’ll be coming in from Duck Hole and plan to stay at Ward Brook. If anyone is interested maybe we could meet up at the lean-to.

 

[masshysteria]

Rick, if you went in real lite, you wouldn't have to haul a backpack up the CBT. Just throw a groundcloth and a lite bag to sleep in, plus whatever food you need for the assault on Seymour. Sleep in WB leanto. All that should fit into your daypack without a big increase in weight. When I do the Sewards again with my son, that's the way we're going.

In any event, good luck and enjoy!

 

[Hikerdad]

When we did the Sewards we hiked in via the Blueberry trail one evening. Both the Ward Brook and the Blueberry LTs were full so we went on to the No. 5 LT (which has two LT and picinic tables) which was completely empty for the two nights we stayed. It adds a small bit of mileage to the hikes of the mountains but not much and the space and solitude was great. We did S-D-E the next day (out and back) and then Seymour the last morning and then out in the afternoon. It worked pretty well. Thanks,

Pat

 

[ADK Rick]

Great Ideas All

Great stuff guys, thanks.

Lumberzac, I took a look at your pics and some of the trips you have done, and frankly they frighten me! 8/23-24 I will probably be doing Saddleback & Basin with a friend who is flying in from Iowa, so those dates might not work.

Tentative overall plan for rest of the year at this point is:

Cliff sometime in the next couple of weeks, or later if I can't make it or the weather doesn't cooperate.
Basin/Saddleback week of 8/15 or 8/22
Sewards early September?
Haystack to finish my 46 sometime after.

I can only go weekdays, and I can only get so many "Get out of jail free" cards from the "war department", and only every 3rd week or so.

I would potentially be interested in company for any of these trips, seems to be lots of good people on this board.
ADK Rick

 

[ADK Rick]

Rick, if you went in real lite, you wouldn't have to haul a backpack up the CBT. Just throw a groundcloth and a lite bag to sleep in, plus whatever food you need for the assault on Seymour. Sleep in WB leanto. All that should fit into your daypack without a big increase in weight. When I do the Sewards again with my son, that's the way we're going.

In any event, good luck and enjoy!

MH, you know the more you talk about it the more appealing it sounds. Trouble is that I am overly cautious when solo hiking which adds to the weight. But my bag weighs less than 3 lb, and even if I *had* to bring my tent it weighs only about 3 as well. But I'm guessing the probability of getting shut out of a leanto mid-week, esp after labor day, will be quite low.

Why the groundcloth...no wooden floors in the leantos in that area?

Anyhow...I'm giving it some serious thought. I am in better shape than I have been in a long time and have been surprising myself...perhaps this would make a nice test.

ADK Rick

 

[masshysteria]

The ground cloth was just for keeping you bag clean from the floor of the LT. All of the LTs in the area have floors. Go for it!