1HappyHiker
Well-known member
The “Lady” I’m referencing in the above title is the Great Gulf, and I felt that my trek into the Great Gulf today was truly an engulfment, not just a play on words.
For quite awhile I’ve resisted the beckoning of the “Lady”. On previous hikes, I’ve admired her by gazing down into her depths from vantage points along the Gulfside Trail, such as shown below. And early last autumn, I was awed by her beauty when peering into her depths from a viewpoint just off the Osgood Cut-Off trail (photo below). So today, I finally answered her call and took the journey deep into the interior of the Great Gulf, using the Great Gulf Trail as my pathway.
I found today’s hike INTO a place was just as rewarding as a trek UP TO a high-peak. But unlike a high-peak hike, where the experience can be shared via photos of sweeping vistas, the journey into the Great Gulf has more to do with the “feel” and ambiance of a true wilderness experience, i.e. things that cannot be adequately captured in a photo. I’m talking about such things as the enchanting sounds coming from the West Branch of the Peabody River as you stroll along it for nearly the entire journey. Sometimes it’s a roar; other times just a soft murmur.
And so, I think this is a journey you need to experience for yourself. It’s almost a futile effort to attempt to share this wilderness experience via photos. But nonetheless, below are a couple of pics that show just a small sampling of the countless picturesque cascades all along this trail. Also shown below is a snapshot taken from the shoreline of Spaulding Lake. But once again, this photo doesn’t do justice.
After traversing the entire length of the floor of the Gulf, I took a brief side-trip part way up the Great Gulf’s headwall to gain an overview of the area that I had just traversed, and I was rewarded with a view shown below.
The Bottom Line to All This: I’m not sure why I waited so long to have the “Lady” engulf me! Possibly, I might have shied away because of the mileage involved. But even though the round-trip from the Rt. 16 trailhead to Spaulding Lake alone is 13 miles, there’s very little climbing involved and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it can be hiked. My total round-trip time was just over 8 hours, but at least 1.5 hours of that time was spent eating lunch, taking photos, chatting with hikers along the way, etc.
So, if you’ve never done this hike (or not done it in awhile) give-in to the “Lady” and let her engulf you!
1HappyHiker
For quite awhile I’ve resisted the beckoning of the “Lady”. On previous hikes, I’ve admired her by gazing down into her depths from vantage points along the Gulfside Trail, such as shown below. And early last autumn, I was awed by her beauty when peering into her depths from a viewpoint just off the Osgood Cut-Off trail (photo below). So today, I finally answered her call and took the journey deep into the interior of the Great Gulf, using the Great Gulf Trail as my pathway.
I found today’s hike INTO a place was just as rewarding as a trek UP TO a high-peak. But unlike a high-peak hike, where the experience can be shared via photos of sweeping vistas, the journey into the Great Gulf has more to do with the “feel” and ambiance of a true wilderness experience, i.e. things that cannot be adequately captured in a photo. I’m talking about such things as the enchanting sounds coming from the West Branch of the Peabody River as you stroll along it for nearly the entire journey. Sometimes it’s a roar; other times just a soft murmur.
And so, I think this is a journey you need to experience for yourself. It’s almost a futile effort to attempt to share this wilderness experience via photos. But nonetheless, below are a couple of pics that show just a small sampling of the countless picturesque cascades all along this trail. Also shown below is a snapshot taken from the shoreline of Spaulding Lake. But once again, this photo doesn’t do justice.
After traversing the entire length of the floor of the Gulf, I took a brief side-trip part way up the Great Gulf’s headwall to gain an overview of the area that I had just traversed, and I was rewarded with a view shown below.
The Bottom Line to All This: I’m not sure why I waited so long to have the “Lady” engulf me! Possibly, I might have shied away because of the mileage involved. But even though the round-trip from the Rt. 16 trailhead to Spaulding Lake alone is 13 miles, there’s very little climbing involved and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it can be hiked. My total round-trip time was just over 8 hours, but at least 1.5 hours of that time was spent eating lunch, taking photos, chatting with hikers along the way, etc.
So, if you’ve never done this hike (or not done it in awhile) give-in to the “Lady” and let her engulf you!
1HappyHiker
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