Where's the canister on Scar Ridge?

[Raymond]

It took me four hours to thrash my way up this mountain from the Discovery Trail parking lot (just past Big Rock Campground) and I couldn't find a canister to save my life.

Yogi, in a recent report, says that a herd path leads you right to it, but not only did any herd paths I find on the way up quickly disappear, but the several paths I found on the (apparent) summit didn't lead me to any canister.

Believe me, I wandered around up there for an hour. The summit seemed pretty broad, there were three or four paths, but not went very far. They were all fiilled with moose poops and there was also a cover to a tin of sardines by a blowdown. Does this sound familiar, Yogi, or was this not the top at all? And if not, how on Earth did I miss it? The altimeter on my wristwatch said 3800 feet, which is as close as I would expect it to be. The land didn't seem to be going any further "up" in any direction; wherever I went, any which way, I lost altitude, so where did I go wrong?

My only hope right now is to learn that the canister has been removed for some reason, although that seems unlikely.

I suppose it's possible I was on a different mountain altogether (how the heck can you possibly hope to tell, anyway?), but Middle Peak would have had a canister, too, I expect. (East Peak had one when I was up there last month.) Black Mountain wouldn't, but I was way too high for that one. It's less than 3000 feet.

So I don't get it. Any help?

Maybe I should also ask, for all you Scar Ridge experts, what's with all the trees in the lower reaches that have yellow or orange paint slashes and/or dots on them? I saw a few with light blue paint blazes, too. Is there going to be some logging there? I can't believe it was done by a nervous bushwhacker.

 

[Tramper Al]

Here's the deal, as I understand it.

There are two summits up there. One looks to be higher on the map, the other looks to be higher whe you are there - because it has the canister!

On the topo map, it is X 3774, clearly, that you are aiming for. I believe the canister, however, is some short distance east(?) of there. My inderstanding is that even on a clear day, with several hours to kill, it might be a little hard to be certain which is frankly higher. From the map countours alone, each earns equal status as the highest point. However, an X elevation usually trumps.

In any event, there seem to be 3 camps out there. First, there are those who have climbed the peak and signed the canister (I'm in that group). Second, there are those who went to where they thought X 3774 should be, but never saw any canister (I think you are in that one). Finally, there are those who, aware of the issue at the time of their ascent, thrashed around long enough to visit both locations. It is this last group that must have the most restful sleep when dreaming about their Scar Ridge trip.

Me, I am destined to return in winter, so I will join the dual summit group at that time, conditions and conditioning permitting.

 

[bobandgeri]

The summit to the east that has the cannister has a very small clearing in the midst of desne woods. The summit to the west is more open with no clear summit. It sounds like you may have been in the western peak. Take a look at the pics from our trip last Summer.

http://rbhayes.net/scarridge.html

 

[Raymond]

I wasn't really going for any particular place, I wasn't even certain I was on the right mountain! I was just following Yogi's directions as best I could, and he reported that there was a sweet herd path that would lead one right to the canister. I found several herd paths, but no canister. The map definitely shows the high point to be on the western end of the summit plateau, but I couldn't even say that that was where I was.

Digression: The map also shows that Middle Peak, Scar Ridge has just one summit, but it sure looks from the Discovery Trail parking lot, and elsewhere along the Kanc, that Middle Peak has twin summits. In fact, it bears a strong resemblance to The Bubbles in Acadia National Park as seen from Jordan Pond, except less shapely and more lopsided.

The experience did move me closer to purchasing a GPS unit for myself.