By Deb Carroll

A hike along the Maine Appalachian Trail, and the side trails which link the AT to surrounding peaks, is most often measured in terms of mileage, elevation gain/loss, and hours or days spent on the trail.  Hikes, however, can also be measured in the progression of flora, leaves, mosses and berries as the weather and seasons change, the number of north or southbound thru hikers encountered, the sounds and sightings of wildlife, and the moments of joy shared with hiking companions.

Sunday, August 6, 2016, was a day in which all of the above were covered thoroughly, making for a full and happy day on the trail.

Caribou Valley Road “CVR” in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, intersects with the AT between Spaulding and South Crocker mountains.  CVR is a rough road that is impassable in winter and early spring, and gnarly even in the best conditions. It is an unmarked side road on the left side of Route 27, about 1 mile north of Sugarloaf Mountain Resort.

To find the trailhead on CVR, drive several miles until you reach a gate. Park there and put your boots on. Setting out on foot, you’ll cross a metal bridge and walk a half mile or so further along CVR.  The spot where the AT crosses is marked, but it’s easy to miss, so keep your eyes open for a small cairn and white blazes. Taking a left at that intersection leads to Sugarloaf, Spaulding and all points south, while a right turn will take you north, toward the Crockers.

For our MATLT hike up South Crocker, North Crocker and Redington, our group of 5 women left the parking lot at 9:15AM.  The hike to the highpoint of South Crocker wound upward, gradually getting steeper and crossing several rock slides and a wonderfully healthy hanging bog, as we got closer to the summit.  The summit of South Crocker is heavily wooded, with a man-made viewpoint just a few steps to the left of the AT offering views of Spaulding and Abraham. The destruction caused by the recent lightning strike and forest fire on Middle Abraham was still quite evident.

We continued on to the summit of North Crocker, just 1 mile further along the AT. After snapping a few photos and some fun trail shenanigans on this wooded summit, we returned to South Crocker to start our bushwhack to Mount Redington, one of Maine’s 14 4,000 footers.  To quote a hiker who we met (for the 2^nd time that day at the summit of South Crocker) as he was returning from the summit of Redington, the trail to Redington “is the best unmarked trail he’s ever been on.”  This was our experience as well.  The trail to Redington veered to the right side of the side trail that led to the viewpoint on South Crocker, less than 20’ from the viewpoint.

Although the Redington side trail was very narrow and unimproved, with blowdowns and some seemingly unnecessary twists and turns, it was marked with pink and orange ribbons, relatively well trodden, and was, for the most part, easy to follow.  After 1.2 miles we emerged in the clearing at the top of Redington.  The canister, which marked the true summit, was off to the side of the clearing on a path marked with blue ribbons.  Inside of the canister we found and signed the log book, adding our names to the list of those who had also found their way there.  Although the markers on each summit say otherwise, as the result of relatively recent updated surveys, the summit of Redington, like the summit of Spaulding, now measures more than 4,000’.

On the way up, one sharp-sighted woman in our party had noticed a side trail a short way from the summit of Redington. After checking maps and compass, we ascertained that this was likely the trail that would take us down Redington and back to CVR.  This trail proved to be somewhat more difficult to follow as it was even narrower than the trail up.  After a mile or 2, the trail emptied onto what appeared to be either an ATV trail or an old logging road.  Whatever they were, they were in bad shape.  Using our maps and compass, as well as GPS technology, we were able to make our way along these roads until we found the Carrabassett River and CVR.  Although we may have walked an extra 2 or 3 miles, we elected to play it safe and follow these rough “roads” all the way rather than chance a possible bushwhack through thick woods with no trail whatsoever.

Looking left as we walked along CVR, a quarter mile or so shy of where we originally joined the AT and entered the woods, we came across a side trail that might lead up ATV trails/logging roads to the trail we had taken from the summit.  Perhaps, next time, we’ll reverse our route and head up that way.

We emerged from the woods after nearly 11 miles, tired but with great joy and pride in what we had accomplished, and made our ways home.

The Maine A.T. Land Trust hosted one of our semi-monthly Maine Hikes on the Appalachian Trail this past Sunday, up Goose Eye Mountain.  This peak in the Mahoosucs – the second highest in the area to Old Speck – is reached via the Wright Trail and the Appalachian Trail, and then a short spur from the A.T. to the West Peak (the highest of three peaks on the mountain).  According to the excellent Mountains of Maine, the Wright Trail was named for a local writer who contributed a number of articles on the region to AMC’s journal Appalachia.

The weather looked like it would hold, but the day started with one attendee getting lost on the way to the trailhead in Ketchum, north of Newry, near Sunday River Resort.  Even for Maine, the Mahoosuc Public Reserve Unit lands have confusing and/or non-existent signage which makes it difficult for hikers to find the trailhead.  The trailhead itself has no sign indicating which trail it is for!

Our group hit the trail just after 10am and proceeded up the Wright Trail.  Before reaching the final crossing of the beautiful Goose Eye Brook, two members of the group were stung by some kind of bee or hornet right on the trail (more on this later).  At the final stream crossing, the old north branch of the Wright Trail can still be seen with faded blue blazes on the trees, but the group continued on the main branch of the trail.  The northern branch of the Wright Trail has been closed for a few years.

The trail continues steeply from the brook until coming out at treeline on the mile-long ridge of Goose Eye Mountain.  The group was heading for the highest peak which is furthest to the west, at approximately 3,860 feet.  Along the way, we encountered three thru-hikers including Legs.  The ridge traverse is spectacular (and there were some blueberries left) but we were looking forward to lunch and it was with some relief that we reached the summit at 2pm.  After lunch, the group headed down and made good time all the way to the Goose Eye Brook crossing at the old junction.  Shortly after, yet another member of the group was stung by a bee/hornet near the same location as the others.  If you are allergic to insect stings, please be aware that there are bees/hornets on the Wright Trail between the big rock and the stream crossings.

The group reached the parking area at 5:30pm, making it a total time out of 7.5 hours.  The weather actually improved along the way and everybody had a great time!

Join us next month for our NPS 100th Anniversary hike!

The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust held our latest A.T. hike this past Saturday up Puzzle Mountain in Grafton Notch.  Puzzle Mountain is accessible via the Grafton Loop Trail which is a blue-blazed official A.T. side trail.  The weather forecast was not great but it did indicate that the heavy rain would hold off until the late afternoon and evening, so we had four hikers in total brave enough to make the trip.

We left the parking area on Route 26 at about 9am in light rain, but very quickly shed rain gear because the forest canopy of hardwoods provided us with a natural umbrella.  Atticus – who had hiked up Puzzle twice during the week!?! – had his own actual umbrella but that too was put away.  We reached the Stewart Family Preserve, which contains numerous areas of old-growth spruce over approximately 486 acres of forestland, fairly quickly.

The weather forecast was calling for heavier rain and possibly thunderstorms by late afternoon, so the group proceeded without stopping too often, reaching the summit by noon.  There wasn’t much to see due to the fog, but as always it’s rewarding to be in a wild place three miles off the nearest paved road.  We headed down the rocky ledges – which were very slippery in heavy fog – and paused for lunch at the junction with the Woodsum Spur a half mile down from the summit.  After that, we concentrated in getting back to the cars before the heavier rains hit.  We stayed dry.

Thanks to everybody who came along – looking for information on our next hike on our events calendar!