Mount Abraham GMOW Trip Report

Heading out.
Heading out.

Maine A.T. Land Trust’s Great Maine Outdoor Weekend hike took place on Saturday and as you can see from the photo above, we had a good sturdy crew on board tackle Mount Abraham via the Fire Warden Trail.  We had six members of the Colby College Outing Club (COC), longtime Maine land trust supporter James, and Maine A.T. Land Trust Vice President Pete McKinley.  The weather couldn’t have been nicer – temps in the low 80’s, low humidity with just a bit of haze on the horizon.

Pete McKinley, Climate Adaptation Ecologist with The Wilderness Society, talks about Red Spruce growth patterns.
Pete McKinley, Climate Adaptation Ecologist with The Wilderness Society, talks about Red Spruce growth patterns.

After crossing the two branches of Rapid Stream and leaving the ATV route that leads to the trailhead, we quickly headed up through the low-elevation hardwood forest and stopped for a break at the Maine Appalachian Trail Club-maintained campsite 3.5 miles from the parking lot.

Approaching the summit.
Approaching the summit.

We headed above treeline and some of us actually had to apply sunblock.  Everybody hiked at a different pace but we all made it to the summit for a much-deserved lunch break in the sunshine.

Lunchtime.
Lunchtime.

The trip down was uneventful and the easy terrain was easy on the knees in the waning afternoon sunshine.  The temperature dropped to about 70 degrees by the time we had to cross back over Rapid Stream.

Yes, he fell in.
Yes, he fell in.

We did have one hiker fall into the water, but he took it in stride since Maine A.T. Land Trust Executive Director Simon Rucker let him take home the leftover granola bars.  It was a great trip and COC is planning to attend the land trust’s winter Great Maine Outdoor Weekend hike as well.

More photos can be found here.