Unsuccessful Scar bushwack

[CINDERSMOM]

Well we thought we had done all our homework. We read all the posts and studied the map and were ready to go today. We hiked up the access trail to the Gondola House on the summit of Loon Mountain. Then up the Sunset Trail to North Peak. We found the herd path to Black Mountain very easily and happily headed down it. We thought we needed to go .51 miles or when the trail turned northward. But the trail never turned North and after .54 miles we were losing a lot of alltitude. SOOO, in we went. It was not a good bushwack. We were definately to far down from the ridge. Since my hiking partner is not into lists he was ready to turn back. I talked him into going on for another 10 minutes and then we called it quits. We weren't making any headway except for getting covered with snow. We hit the snow at about 2000 feet and then once on the herd path there was 1-2 inches on the ground and it seemed like 1-2 feet in the trees. I managed to get plenty of snow on my head and down my shirt. Luckily I had decided to wear my winter hiking boots today. Overall it was a beautiful sunny day with light winds. The leaves are starting to fade but we still had some great VFFT. We will be back in a couple of weeks to try again.

 

[audrey]

That route has way too many thick balsams for an attempt when there's snow on the trees! But I'll bet you had a good time anyway.

 

[una_dogger]

That's pretty much the way that we went, and it just sucked, sucked, sucked.
We took the herdpath from the top of the slopes a ways and then cut in, and its a pretty boring bushwack to the cannister. Lots of hobblebush at the turning in point, some spruce on the way up but mainly just a non descript, boring walk....but from what I understand, ALOT easier than the former routes.
Better luck next time.

 

[michael]

don't feel bad...

I had to hike this mountain 3 times, twice to get it officially for the first time and once because I was 'volun-told' to go back with a friend who really really wanted the company.
I swore a blue streak when I found the note in the register that the register was not on the official summit. WTF?! I was incredulous. I made a half-baked attempt to get over there but ran out of time and had to beat a hasty retreat. Some birthday present! The last visit was a sweet piece of McGyverism what with the black trashbag-wader trick at the water crossing.

Scar always left me bleeding and feeling somewhat unsatisfied as one is left to wander about on its broad 'true' summit plateau hoping to canvas the area so as to give one some sense of having made an honest effort at standing on its true peak.
Never tried it from the ridge with Loon. Never even gave it a consideration opting for the directissima from the 'big rock'. One of those mountains that I was prompted to say "Pretty sure I am NEVER going back...."
Good luck on your next attempt.

 

[MichaelJ]

Whatever you do, don't follow the herd path off the summit*. You might think it goes back toward Loon, but in fact it drops off the ridgeline toward the south, and the one thing you do not want to do when bushwhacking Scar Ridge is fall off the ridgeline.


*West summit of West Scar Ridge, which only gained a canister last year but is the official summit and is kind of an open, flat summit.

 

[Wolfgang]

Nancy,

I agree with Michael, don't feel bad. This one was the toughest (in my opinion) of all the 100 highest. We did it from Little East Pond and I don't think our feet touched the ground the whole way. It took us over 5 hours just to get to the canister and back, just from the pond. I wouldn't do it again from the pond for a $1000. Good luck next time.

Bob

 

[RoySwkr]

So what did Cinder think of the hike?

I've been to Scar Ridge 3 times, once in summer from height of land on East Pond Trail to Loon and twice in winter from height of land, once returning ridge and once slabbing back to avoid intermediate peaks. Like many bushwhacks, a couple feet of snow on the ground smooths out the walking but a couple inches of snow on the trees is the pits.

I have always felt that Scar Ridge is overrated as it attracts many people with little bushwhack experience, I would rank it about average for 3k bushwhacks.

 

[Jabberwalk]

Cindersmom,

You are in good company having turned back on the Scar Ridge bushwack attempt. When I went last year, I was with one hiker on his third try. We were lucky last November on our bushwack that there was no snow on the ground or on the trees, so we had pretty good traction.

Good luck with the next try.

 

[Mike]

We found the herd path to Black Mountain very easily and happily headed down it.

CINDERSMOM, I recently attempted to hike Black Mountain from Loon but had trouble locating the herd path. Where exactly is the path to Black? Do you pick it up from the North Peak summit area; or from behind the gondola station at the end of the Sunset Trail; or from the approach to North Peak, off of the Sunset trail or none of the above? Thanks

 

[audrey]

When we did it a few years ago, we headed south into the woods from the top left edge of Upper Walking Boss, the leftmost ski trail as you face the mountain. We intersected the herd path very quickly.

 

[MichaelJ]

We intersected the herd path very quickly.

And I didn't. Twice. Yup, knowing where it was I went back and still couldn't locate it for a distance. Just go east and don't drop off the ridgeline and you'll hit it.

Then there's knowing when to get off, where to go from there, and how to find it on the way back. The solution is left as an exercise for the hiker.