alpinista
Active member
This would be our third attempt at Mt. Redington in western Maine, a mountain that was once thought to be just shy of 4K but, by the miracles of improved technology, was discovered to hover about 10 feet above the 4K mark.
Once, AMSTony and SteveHiker and I thought about doing the bushwack off the Crockers. But the stifling heat and humidity drove us back down after bagging both Crockers. On another attempt, we drove down the Caribou Valley/Pond Road, thought we followed the directions to a T, but gave up being able to find the right road/trail to take to its wooded summit when the clouds began rolling in and we realized time was awasting. (We ended up on Spaulding/Sugarloaf instead that day. Hey, at least we could find the trailhead!)
This time, we came along with a local guide, GO. He proved to be just the lucky charm we needed.
GO is passionate about his adopted homestate and about this mountain in particular. He's climbed it several dozen times and he's protective of the area, fighting plans to build 29 -- yes, 29! -- wind towers on top of Redington. He cares about this land and is a gentle steward. So we were in fine company as we boogied down the old logging road toward the top of the mountain.
But first, a bit about the directions, which are NOT in the AMC Maine Guide since there is not an official trail to Redington. Besides, it seems to be a local Maine tradition to keep you guessing about exactly where you are.
The directions on Mohamed Ellozy's site sound a bit vague, but once you're there, you realize they're dead on: Take the CVR 1.1 mile PAST the AT crossing, and you'll see a large dirt area where the road forks. Park your car here, and hike up the left fork.
It was a gray day and we were hoping to beat the rain. As we geared up, a little sun poked through.
We took off up the left fork, which actually is the more narrow of the two branches of the road and appears to be an overgrown tunnel of greenery. There apparently used to be a cairn in the clearing here, but it has since been turned into a fire pit.
We soon crossed a series of old bridges, one of them that looked mighty rickety. I wondered if a car could, in fact, make it this far, would it actually be able to pass over this bridge without tumbling through?
Along the way, GO pointed up to the next ridge, home to Mts. Abraham and Spaulding, and noted ways to bushwack up there. We stopped briefly to eat raspberries along the way. Hmmm, juicy!
At the second fork at another clearing, GO pointed out a winter camping site and reminisced about ski trips out here that would take you around a pond and down a nice hill to practice your turns.
It is here, at this second clearing, that you bear right, and start going uphill. (Look for a small cairn on the right and a makeshift arrow made out of wood on the left.) At the crest of the hill, bear left (you'll see another arrow made of wood on the right and a small cairn with a stick coming out of it to the left). Soon, the path starts to narrow, and you come to a much smaller clearing, and you'll see a narrow path verge to the right.
It's an alleyway of moss-covered trees, a nice change of scenery from the wide logging roads that are sandy and rocky. Here it starts to get steeper and for about 15 minutes, you're forced to huff and puff your way up to the crest.
Then, you reach the top and trip over a giant tower on its side. It's virtually impossible to miss. Ain't nature grand?
Though finding the canister can take some doing. As you come up the trail, it's to your right, on the backside of a tree. There's some orange ribbon around the trunk.
We found the register soggy, and the pen inside not working very well. We barely scrawled our signatures on the register but didn't have enough ink to write anything lengthy or pithy. This was a first-canister-peak for me, Tony and Steve (not sure about Glenn)!
The weather moved in quickly as we gabbed on the summit. It got windier and colder, and we started to feel a few sprinkles we hoped we could wish away. But on the way back down, it started to really howl and pelt us with rain. We tolerated it for a bit but then all _ but GlennS, he's a tough one! -- broke down eventually and donned our rain jackets.
Three and a half hours later, we were back at our cars. This was one of those hikes in which the most difficult part was getting to the trailhead!
Special thanks to GO for his guiding and GlennS for his hospitality! This is No. 60 for me, 61 for Tony, and 65 for Steve. Unsure of the numbers for GO or Glenn.
By the numbers:
_Hours driving to and from MA/NH: 4
_Hours hiking: 3.5
_Miles hiked: 8
_Number of soggy hikers at the end: 5
Pix are here:
Once, AMSTony and SteveHiker and I thought about doing the bushwack off the Crockers. But the stifling heat and humidity drove us back down after bagging both Crockers. On another attempt, we drove down the Caribou Valley/Pond Road, thought we followed the directions to a T, but gave up being able to find the right road/trail to take to its wooded summit when the clouds began rolling in and we realized time was awasting. (We ended up on Spaulding/Sugarloaf instead that day. Hey, at least we could find the trailhead!)
This time, we came along with a local guide, GO. He proved to be just the lucky charm we needed.
GO is passionate about his adopted homestate and about this mountain in particular. He's climbed it several dozen times and he's protective of the area, fighting plans to build 29 -- yes, 29! -- wind towers on top of Redington. He cares about this land and is a gentle steward. So we were in fine company as we boogied down the old logging road toward the top of the mountain.
But first, a bit about the directions, which are NOT in the AMC Maine Guide since there is not an official trail to Redington. Besides, it seems to be a local Maine tradition to keep you guessing about exactly where you are.
The directions on Mohamed Ellozy's site sound a bit vague, but once you're there, you realize they're dead on: Take the CVR 1.1 mile PAST the AT crossing, and you'll see a large dirt area where the road forks. Park your car here, and hike up the left fork.
It was a gray day and we were hoping to beat the rain. As we geared up, a little sun poked through.
We took off up the left fork, which actually is the more narrow of the two branches of the road and appears to be an overgrown tunnel of greenery. There apparently used to be a cairn in the clearing here, but it has since been turned into a fire pit.
We soon crossed a series of old bridges, one of them that looked mighty rickety. I wondered if a car could, in fact, make it this far, would it actually be able to pass over this bridge without tumbling through?
Along the way, GO pointed up to the next ridge, home to Mts. Abraham and Spaulding, and noted ways to bushwack up there. We stopped briefly to eat raspberries along the way. Hmmm, juicy!
At the second fork at another clearing, GO pointed out a winter camping site and reminisced about ski trips out here that would take you around a pond and down a nice hill to practice your turns.
It is here, at this second clearing, that you bear right, and start going uphill. (Look for a small cairn on the right and a makeshift arrow made out of wood on the left.) At the crest of the hill, bear left (you'll see another arrow made of wood on the right and a small cairn with a stick coming out of it to the left). Soon, the path starts to narrow, and you come to a much smaller clearing, and you'll see a narrow path verge to the right.
It's an alleyway of moss-covered trees, a nice change of scenery from the wide logging roads that are sandy and rocky. Here it starts to get steeper and for about 15 minutes, you're forced to huff and puff your way up to the crest.
Then, you reach the top and trip over a giant tower on its side. It's virtually impossible to miss. Ain't nature grand?
Though finding the canister can take some doing. As you come up the trail, it's to your right, on the backside of a tree. There's some orange ribbon around the trunk.
We found the register soggy, and the pen inside not working very well. We barely scrawled our signatures on the register but didn't have enough ink to write anything lengthy or pithy. This was a first-canister-peak for me, Tony and Steve (not sure about Glenn)!
The weather moved in quickly as we gabbed on the summit. It got windier and colder, and we started to feel a few sprinkles we hoped we could wish away. But on the way back down, it started to really howl and pelt us with rain. We tolerated it for a bit but then all _ but GlennS, he's a tough one! -- broke down eventually and donned our rain jackets.
Three and a half hours later, we were back at our cars. This was one of those hikes in which the most difficult part was getting to the trailhead!
Special thanks to GO for his guiding and GlennS for his hospitality! This is No. 60 for me, 61 for Tony, and 65 for Steve. Unsure of the numbers for GO or Glenn.
By the numbers:
_Hours driving to and from MA/NH: 4
_Hours hiking: 3.5
_Miles hiked: 8
_Number of soggy hikers at the end: 5
Pix are here:
Last edited:
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