Last Monday, the 9th, I climbed Avery and West Peaks of Bigelow in Maine. I had climbed these before in 2010 at the end of a seven day backpack (finishing my NE4Ks on Avery). This year's hike was a dayhike up and down Firewardens Trail.
The day was a great one for hiking. There was no rain, no bugs, and the mountains were mostly out of the clouds, but there were plenty of clouds all around them. I ran into maybe a dozen other hikers along the way. Autumn was just beginning to arrive, but trees were mostly green. There were ripe blueberries on Avery Peak.
I was able to drive up Stratton Brook Pond Road to the trailhead with no problems. One of the changes I noticed from my last time -- I had descended FWT back in 2010 -- is a bridge over the outflow from Stratton Pond Brook.
Firewardens Trail, as I had remembered it, is fairly gentle most of the way, and then very steep for the final mile. Then you're on the Appalachian trail in the col between the two peaks.
I went up Avery Peak first. The wooden part of the tower near the peak is gone. I had great views up there on Avery.
From there I went back to the col and up West Peak. West Peak had been going in and out of the clouds all of the time I could see it, and when I got there it continued to do so.
Then I went down, and got back to my car mid-afternoon. The whole hike was easier than I'd been expecting, perhaps because the last time I was there I'd been carrying a full pack.
Avery Peak and West Peak were numbers 71 and 72 (out of 115) in my quest to reclimb the Northeast 111 in my 60s.
Here are the pictures.
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 72/115 (50/67, 20/46, 2/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 40/48; NEHH 89/100
LT NB 2009; CT NB 2017
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
The day was a great one for hiking. There was no rain, no bugs, and the mountains were mostly out of the clouds, but there were plenty of clouds all around them. I ran into maybe a dozen other hikers along the way. Autumn was just beginning to arrive, but trees were mostly green. There were ripe blueberries on Avery Peak.
I was able to drive up Stratton Brook Pond Road to the trailhead with no problems. One of the changes I noticed from my last time -- I had descended FWT back in 2010 -- is a bridge over the outflow from Stratton Pond Brook.
Firewardens Trail, as I had remembered it, is fairly gentle most of the way, and then very steep for the final mile. Then you're on the Appalachian trail in the col between the two peaks.
I went up Avery Peak first. The wooden part of the tower near the peak is gone. I had great views up there on Avery.
From there I went back to the col and up West Peak. West Peak had been going in and out of the clouds all of the time I could see it, and when I got there it continued to do so.
Then I went down, and got back to my car mid-afternoon. The whole hike was easier than I'd been expecting, perhaps because the last time I was there I'd been carrying a full pack.
Avery Peak and West Peak were numbers 71 and 72 (out of 115) in my quest to reclimb the Northeast 111 in my 60s.
Here are the pictures.
--
Cumulus
NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 72/115 (50/67, 20/46, 2/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 40/48; NEHH 89/100
LT NB 2009; CT NB 2017
"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
