alspal
New member
The Captain and Carrigain via Sawyer River road bushwhack – 09/02
After a night of camping near Appleby mountain in Carroll, Albee and I woke to a chilly 39 degree day at 7 AM. I went for an “easy” four mile jog to get my blood flowing and put some miles in the bank. The Fire Road off of Old Cherry Mountain Road was smooth and not very hilly, and the sky was a brilliant blue. My mood was upbeat looking forward to getting to Carrigain. This was the only mountain I’d tried and not succeeded in summiting. In May of 1991, Petey and I had run out from Lincoln woods to Desolation trail but had to turn back 200 feet shy of the summit due to very icy conditions. There would be no ice today
We spotted a car at the Signal ridge trailhead and then drove up to the end of Sawyer river road. By 10:00 AM we were heading north on the logging road. After two miles the road took a sharp left and crossed a stream. We stayed to the right and continued north on the less used remains of the road. Eventually the road petered out and we began to whack. We could see the cliffs on The Captain and aimed to the east.
For a good portion of the hike we could hear voices down in the valley. We couldn’t figure out exactly where they were coming from but occasionally we could hear them clearly, and it sounded like they were having a good time. We were having a different kind of time. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. We both had grown introspective as the woods were very thick in spots and energy used to talk was better spent pushing through the woods. The pokes, bangs, and cuts were accumulating. Some sections had pine trees so tightly packed we couldn’t see our feet for 10 minute stretches. This struggles made the good parts seem even more enjoyable and the views of the Hancock’s and ahead to the Captain that much more special.
We had aimed to go around the cliffs but ended up hitting them dead on. We lost a little time as I led us down but had to backtrack to get around a difficult area. We finally pushed up to the saddle between the two mountains and the going was a bit easier. We reached the top and I was first to spot a jar. Al was sure we weren’t at the right location, but we signed in and took a break. I was ready to head off to Carrigain but Al wanted to find the “big rock”. We both began to push around the summit looking for a higher point. In less than 10 minutes Al had found the jar on the big rock (the one BigMoose mentioned in his report). Satisfied that we reached the summit we headed back down.
We made our way down and whacked over to Carrigain pond. This was one of the nicest spots we’d been to during the weekend of hiking. The water looked inviting as temps had gotten into the 80’s. I settled for filling my hat with water and dumping it on my head. The climb out of the saddle wasn’t bad compared to some of the earlier thick stuff. We slowly worked our way up to the ridge alternating taking the lead. I liked having Al in the lead as he sort of cleared a path as he went. It may not have been any easier, but mentally it seemed easier. As we climbed higher we found more Moose paths (not BigMoose paths, I think ) to follow and the going got much better.
We could hear people on the summit before we reached it and we popped out on the trail right at the camping spot. The area looked to have been well used, no trash but certainly not in its pristine state. We climbed the tower and the view was spectacular. The skies were totally clear and Al started counting mountains he could name that he could see and that he had climbed. I cut him off as it would’ve taken HOURS for him to name them all
After a quick change into dry socks and out of long pants we were off down the Signal trail with Al leading and me quietly munching on Skittles. I’m not very good on rocky downhill and Al would pull ahead then wait for me. I was also starting to get tired. Al hikes CONSTANTLY, but I only hike once or twice a month so two 8+ hour days in a row leave me a bit tired. We got down to the trail junction with Carrigain notch trail running the last part and then ran the rest of the way out. We hit the car just under 9 hours after starting. The soak in Sawyer River was cold but was a great way to end the day.
Another fun weekend in the mountains!
Splits:
Split Overall Distance Climb Note
4:16:11 4:16:11 4+ 2900 From Sawyer River rd. to The Captain
0:16:39 4:32:50 0 0 Break on summit and whack to Big Rock
0:35:02 5:07:52 .25 -300 Down to Carrigain pond
1:34:25 6:42:17 1 1500 whack up to Carrigain
0:20:44 7:03:01 0 0 On summit of Carrigain
1:23:37 8:26:39 3.3 -2800 Down to Carrigain brook
0:20:03 8:46:43 1.7 -500 To Sawyer river rd.
After a night of camping near Appleby mountain in Carroll, Albee and I woke to a chilly 39 degree day at 7 AM. I went for an “easy” four mile jog to get my blood flowing and put some miles in the bank. The Fire Road off of Old Cherry Mountain Road was smooth and not very hilly, and the sky was a brilliant blue. My mood was upbeat looking forward to getting to Carrigain. This was the only mountain I’d tried and not succeeded in summiting. In May of 1991, Petey and I had run out from Lincoln woods to Desolation trail but had to turn back 200 feet shy of the summit due to very icy conditions. There would be no ice today
We spotted a car at the Signal ridge trailhead and then drove up to the end of Sawyer river road. By 10:00 AM we were heading north on the logging road. After two miles the road took a sharp left and crossed a stream. We stayed to the right and continued north on the less used remains of the road. Eventually the road petered out and we began to whack. We could see the cliffs on The Captain and aimed to the east.
For a good portion of the hike we could hear voices down in the valley. We couldn’t figure out exactly where they were coming from but occasionally we could hear them clearly, and it sounded like they were having a good time. We were having a different kind of time. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. We both had grown introspective as the woods were very thick in spots and energy used to talk was better spent pushing through the woods. The pokes, bangs, and cuts were accumulating. Some sections had pine trees so tightly packed we couldn’t see our feet for 10 minute stretches. This struggles made the good parts seem even more enjoyable and the views of the Hancock’s and ahead to the Captain that much more special.
We had aimed to go around the cliffs but ended up hitting them dead on. We lost a little time as I led us down but had to backtrack to get around a difficult area. We finally pushed up to the saddle between the two mountains and the going was a bit easier. We reached the top and I was first to spot a jar. Al was sure we weren’t at the right location, but we signed in and took a break. I was ready to head off to Carrigain but Al wanted to find the “big rock”. We both began to push around the summit looking for a higher point. In less than 10 minutes Al had found the jar on the big rock (the one BigMoose mentioned in his report). Satisfied that we reached the summit we headed back down.
We made our way down and whacked over to Carrigain pond. This was one of the nicest spots we’d been to during the weekend of hiking. The water looked inviting as temps had gotten into the 80’s. I settled for filling my hat with water and dumping it on my head. The climb out of the saddle wasn’t bad compared to some of the earlier thick stuff. We slowly worked our way up to the ridge alternating taking the lead. I liked having Al in the lead as he sort of cleared a path as he went. It may not have been any easier, but mentally it seemed easier. As we climbed higher we found more Moose paths (not BigMoose paths, I think ) to follow and the going got much better.
We could hear people on the summit before we reached it and we popped out on the trail right at the camping spot. The area looked to have been well used, no trash but certainly not in its pristine state. We climbed the tower and the view was spectacular. The skies were totally clear and Al started counting mountains he could name that he could see and that he had climbed. I cut him off as it would’ve taken HOURS for him to name them all
After a quick change into dry socks and out of long pants we were off down the Signal trail with Al leading and me quietly munching on Skittles. I’m not very good on rocky downhill and Al would pull ahead then wait for me. I was also starting to get tired. Al hikes CONSTANTLY, but I only hike once or twice a month so two 8+ hour days in a row leave me a bit tired. We got down to the trail junction with Carrigain notch trail running the last part and then ran the rest of the way out. We hit the car just under 9 hours after starting. The soak in Sawyer River was cold but was a great way to end the day.
Another fun weekend in the mountains!
Splits:
Split Overall Distance Climb Note
4:16:11 4:16:11 4+ 2900 From Sawyer River rd. to The Captain
0:16:39 4:32:50 0 0 Break on summit and whack to Big Rock
0:35:02 5:07:52 .25 -300 Down to Carrigain pond
1:34:25 6:42:17 1 1500 whack up to Carrigain
0:20:44 7:03:01 0 0 On summit of Carrigain
1:23:37 8:26:39 3.3 -2800 Down to Carrigain brook
0:20:03 8:46:43 1.7 -500 To Sawyer river rd.
