Bobby
Active member
I'm on vacation this week, the kids are in school and I put a pretty good dent in the "to-do" list at home. Late yesterday afternoon I decided that today I would get out for a hike. My original plan was to hit the Kinsmans, but the weather was looking iffy, so I put together some contingency plans also.
The alarm went off about 3AM, and I was on the road by 4. I had a tough time getting going, one of the kids was up at 3, so he had to get thrown back into bed, twice! The ride north was uneventful, thankfully. About the time I got to Lincoln, it began to rain. I decided to ditch the Kinsmans and headed to Hale. I don't know why.
It was no surprise that there were no cars in the parking lot, so I put on my boots and started up the trail about 7. The Hale Brook Trail was nice, nothing in the way of views, but everything was socked in with fog. I was about a half mile in and thought I heard something growling. It could have been an animal, or something inside my pack shifting, or even the beans I had for dinner! Whatever it was, it almost ended my six year hiatus from "cat-holing." I didn't see or hear anything moving, so I went on my way. The Hale Brook Trail was well marked and looked to be recently cleared. It really was in great shape. One section was lined with white birch trees, seemingly standing at attention, sort of an honor guard as I passed between them. I reached the summit of Hale at about 8:45, and spent about fifteen minutes looking around, eating a peanut butter and fluff sandwich. It was early enough that I decided to go down the Lend a Hand Trail.
The Lend a Hand trail looked like it had just undergone massive reconstruction. It was well marked and there were numerous new bog bridges on the length of the trail. One section looked to be re-routed, just after the third stream crossing. This area is very well marked, but may cause confusion. I joined the Twinway about 10:30 and was at Zealand Hut a few minutes later. The caretaker, Jesse, was kind enough to share some hot water with me so I could make some coffee, and we spoke for a few minutes before I left. Jesse said there were lots of moose along the Zealand Trail, and as I walked along I kept looking, but not wildlife today. It looked like the Zealand Trail was going to be a great hike, ponds, rivers, very nice scenery. That all ended and now I just wanted to get to the car. I got to the Zealand parking lot and remembered.....one mile to go!
I walked/jogged the last mile and got back to my car at about 12:20. Not a bad hike, zero views, but I did manage to get out on a questionable weather day in late November. That's why the Hale I went there.
The alarm went off about 3AM, and I was on the road by 4. I had a tough time getting going, one of the kids was up at 3, so he had to get thrown back into bed, twice! The ride north was uneventful, thankfully. About the time I got to Lincoln, it began to rain. I decided to ditch the Kinsmans and headed to Hale. I don't know why.
It was no surprise that there were no cars in the parking lot, so I put on my boots and started up the trail about 7. The Hale Brook Trail was nice, nothing in the way of views, but everything was socked in with fog. I was about a half mile in and thought I heard something growling. It could have been an animal, or something inside my pack shifting, or even the beans I had for dinner! Whatever it was, it almost ended my six year hiatus from "cat-holing." I didn't see or hear anything moving, so I went on my way. The Hale Brook Trail was well marked and looked to be recently cleared. It really was in great shape. One section was lined with white birch trees, seemingly standing at attention, sort of an honor guard as I passed between them. I reached the summit of Hale at about 8:45, and spent about fifteen minutes looking around, eating a peanut butter and fluff sandwich. It was early enough that I decided to go down the Lend a Hand Trail.
The Lend a Hand trail looked like it had just undergone massive reconstruction. It was well marked and there were numerous new bog bridges on the length of the trail. One section looked to be re-routed, just after the third stream crossing. This area is very well marked, but may cause confusion. I joined the Twinway about 10:30 and was at Zealand Hut a few minutes later. The caretaker, Jesse, was kind enough to share some hot water with me so I could make some coffee, and we spoke for a few minutes before I left. Jesse said there were lots of moose along the Zealand Trail, and as I walked along I kept looking, but not wildlife today. It looked like the Zealand Trail was going to be a great hike, ponds, rivers, very nice scenery. That all ended and now I just wanted to get to the car. I got to the Zealand parking lot and remembered.....one mile to go!
I walked/jogged the last mile and got back to my car at about 12:20. Not a bad hike, zero views, but I did manage to get out on a questionable weather day in late November. That's why the Hale I went there.
