The latest Maine A.T. Land Trust community hike – a make up for the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend – was up to the Four Ponds area just north of Height of Land.  A seldom-travelled area of Maine’s A.T., especially in the winter, Four Ponds is a gem of a section that is perfect for day hiking and filled with natural beauty and opportunities for solitude.

Our group consisted of four hikers, who headed out from Height of Land on a brilliantly sunny, calm Saturday morning.  Temperatures were in the 20’s with light winds – even at the Height of Land overlook there wasn’t much of a breeze when the hike began.  Despite the warm temperatures in areas of Maine at lower elevations to the south, the A.T. was covered in VERY deep powder with a slight crust on top.  Trail had not been broken and it was slow going but our group was content to take what conditions gave.

On the backside of Spruce Mountain a group of grey jays, cuter than average with thick plumage, joined snack time and eventually ate out of the hands of a few of the hikers.  The group came to regret being so generous as by lunchtime the birds became annoyed when the food source dried up.  Lunch was eaten on the shore of Moxie Pond, which is really a bay of Long Pond (largest of the Four Ponds), and that was the furthest extent of the hike.  At different times of year Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust hikes have gone as far as Sabbathday Pond, 3.6 miles from the parking area, but the snow conditions made for slow (but beautiful) going.  The sky turned cloudy and the wind picked up by the time the group got back to the road, so the day was well-timed.

Join us for our next hike to Bald Mountain (show above in the photo of Mooselookmeguntic Lake) on March 3rd!