buckyball1
New member
...getting stir crazy after only 3 days frantically rehabbing the ankle i messed up Saturday in Aroostook County, I head over to the Rumford area to scout some hikes and maybe carefully do something short/easy if i lace the boots really tight 
It's very dark as i depart, but my hopes to see the Orionids are dashed by clouds/fog; later the day dawns bright and clear at
Mt Tom-1701' off Rt 219 between West Summer and West Paris. The Arthur Allen and Kitridge Rds (dirt) provide decent access and if you choose well, you can follow a walkable road (not overgrown) a bit over a mile and 800' to near the summit-don't try to drive it. Between the wet rocks, leaves and the ankle, i tread very lightly, my head down watching every foot placement. I always "lead" with left foot and using the right for big steps, small jumps, etc was odd. The summit is off to the right of the height of land perhaps 100-125' in a stand of scrub maple-nothing remarkable, no views.
Then it was off to Rumford to check out some hikes for 2010 (that was the plan)
Point 2068-2068' is just northwest of Rumford using Spruce St, Swain Rd and Elton? Hill Rd. I was hoping to use what was probably the access road to a old? radio tower on one of the 2 bumps of "2068". However the road was"old", rocked and signed "Private Property" (not posted)
After talking to a local guy, getting iffy answers and then deciding the ankle wasn't bad, I approached by taking a dirt road which looped around the south, then west side of the peak. The road was in good shape, but a very indirect approach which ended up being a 5 mile RT rather than the 2+ I'd planned from the east. After I walked around to the "backside" (west) of the peak using map/compass, I used heavily overgrown skid roads and a moderate density 'whack for 0.6 miles--not on the plan for the day, but got lucky and turned out OK. I decided to skip the "tower" bump, and go right for the true summit-no problem. Thick woods on top, with an obvious large rock ledge summit (small decrepit cairn)-no views. Coming down, i had excellent views to the west of what i think was Sawyer, Wyman, SR Whitecap, Old Speck, Puzzle, etc If you go (can't imagine you will ), i think i'd just go up the "Private Property" road to the tower summit and whack through pretty easy woods to the summit bump.
Pushing my luck, I went north from Rumford on Rt 120 to a road which sat pics showed might go pretty high on
South Twin-2156'-Of course the road was gated, but there was NO posting. Still feeling OK, I decide to try the 6mile+ RT , with 1600' of "up" hoping it might be "easy" going.
The road is in excellent shape for well over half the distance to the summit, drivable if no gate. After that, the quality of the road(s) deteriorates steadily and you need to make a number of 50/50 direction decisions. I made one "wrong" call, but was still able to work my way up using very ginger steps on heavily overgrown skid roads-again, not in the plan. I had no problem finding the top and slumped down to rest, eat and remove many hundreds of those little triangular, black "seeds"? that attach themselves to your pants/socks using two tiny barbs. There must have been a superb 360 view from here before the trees grew tall.
While sitting there, i notice a "keening" sound from the wind, sort of like that hateful sound that can go on for days on the AT in NC. Finally i look around and see a wind measuring station/pole about 200' north of the summit. Very nice views from the pole area and i found a nice wide trail leading down-lots of open views to the east, this time of Spruce, Tumbledown, The Jacksons, Blue, Saddleback (Wilton), West, etc.
After following the trail for about 0.7 miles, I found the route mistake i made on the ascent. I also passed a mining operation of some sort. A bit lower down I chatted for over 1/2 hour with a fellow on an ATV who was hunting birds-the highlight of my day. We talked about everything and nothing. I'm sure his world/political view is nothing like mine, but we enjoyed covering bird hunting (i am clueless), moose in Aroostook County, the hypocrisy of the NIMBYS on wind farms (no flames please), the war(s), getting old and how great it was to be out in the woods (gun mounted on his ATV, he said he hadn't bothered to shoot a bird in over 5 years
expected little from my day, had a ball
jim
It's very dark as i depart, but my hopes to see the Orionids are dashed by clouds/fog; later the day dawns bright and clear at
Mt Tom-1701' off Rt 219 between West Summer and West Paris. The Arthur Allen and Kitridge Rds (dirt) provide decent access and if you choose well, you can follow a walkable road (not overgrown) a bit over a mile and 800' to near the summit-don't try to drive it. Between the wet rocks, leaves and the ankle, i tread very lightly, my head down watching every foot placement. I always "lead" with left foot and using the right for big steps, small jumps, etc was odd. The summit is off to the right of the height of land perhaps 100-125' in a stand of scrub maple-nothing remarkable, no views.
Then it was off to Rumford to check out some hikes for 2010 (that was the plan)
Point 2068-2068' is just northwest of Rumford using Spruce St, Swain Rd and Elton? Hill Rd. I was hoping to use what was probably the access road to a old? radio tower on one of the 2 bumps of "2068". However the road was"old", rocked and signed "Private Property" (not posted)
After talking to a local guy, getting iffy answers and then deciding the ankle wasn't bad
, I approached by taking a dirt road which looped around the south, then west side of the peak. The road was in good shape, but a very indirect approach which ended up being a 5 mile RT rather than the 2+ I'd planned from the east. After I walked around to the "backside" (west) of the peak using map/compass, I used heavily overgrown skid roads and a moderate density 'whack for 0.6 miles--not on the plan for the day, but got lucky and turned out OK. I decided to skip the "tower" bump, and go right for the true summit-no problem. Thick woods on top, with an obvious large rock ledge summit (small decrepit cairn)-no views. Coming down, i had excellent views to the west of what i think was Sawyer, Wyman, SR Whitecap, Old Speck, Puzzle, etc If you go (can't imagine you will ), i think i'd just go up the "Private Property" road to the tower summit and whack through pretty easy woods to the summit bump.Pushing my luck, I went north from Rumford on Rt 120 to a road which sat pics showed might go pretty high on
South Twin-2156'-Of course the road was gated, but there was NO posting. Still feeling OK, I decide to try the 6mile+ RT , with 1600' of "up" hoping it might be "easy" going.
The road is in excellent shape for well over half the distance to the summit, drivable if no gate. After that, the quality of the road(s) deteriorates steadily and you need to make a number of 50/50 direction decisions. I made one "wrong" call, but was still able to work my way up using very ginger steps on heavily overgrown skid roads-again, not in the plan. I had no problem finding the top and slumped down to rest, eat and remove many hundreds of those little triangular, black "seeds"? that attach themselves to your pants/socks using two tiny barbs. There must have been a superb 360 view from here before the trees grew tall.
While sitting there, i notice a "keening" sound from the wind, sort of like that hateful sound that can go on for days on the AT in NC. Finally i look around and see a wind measuring station/pole about 200' north of the summit. Very nice views from the pole area and i found a nice wide trail leading down-lots of open views to the east, this time of Spruce, Tumbledown, The Jacksons, Blue, Saddleback (Wilton), West, etc.
After following the trail for about 0.7 miles, I found the route mistake i made on the ascent. I also passed a mining operation of some sort. A bit lower down I chatted for over 1/2 hour with a fellow on an ATV who was hunting birds-the highlight of my day. We talked about everything and nothing. I'm sure his world/political view is nothing like mine, but we enjoyed covering bird hunting (i am clueless), moose in Aroostook County, the hypocrisy of the NIMBYS on wind farms (no flames please), the war(s), getting old and how great it was to be out in the woods (gun mounted on his ATV, he said he hadn't bothered to shoot a bird in over 5 years
expected little from my day, had a ball
jim
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