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!

We had a great hike up Old Blue Mountain over the weekend via the Appalachian Trail for National Trails Day – weather held (as it always does for Maine Hikes!!!) and we had some great company.  We started off at the South Arm Road crossing in Black Brook Notch with some great baked goodies courtesy of Rosemont Market in Portland.  There was enough to send some over to the Maine Appalachian Trail Club crew who were building a new campsite across the road.  Thanks guys!

When we finally got going, the trail is very steep initially and there is one section with rungs.  However, because of the lower elevation, there were no slippery rocks and ledges to contend with, and we slogged on until reaching the top of the Black Brook Cliffs.  From there, we had view through the trees across the notch and south to the Andover Earth Station which operated with the Telstar 1 satellite.  This middle section of the trail is moderate before again ascending steeply to the summit of Old Blue itself.  There was another section of rungs, but it was not difficult to climb (even for Shyla the dog).

The weather was threatening all day and the clouds obscured the views temporarily, but when we reached the summit those drifted away and we could see in all directions.  To the southwest we could see Old Speck, the Baldpates and the Shelburne-Moriah range in the distance.  To the north lay the huge mass of Elephant Mountain and, trailing northward, the Bemis Range.  Some of us could see Saddleback and Mount Abraham to the northeast if we stood on a high rock and peered over the krummholz.

We stayed on the summit for lunch for about half an hour (thanks for the chocolates Debi!) and headed back down.  The descent was much faster than the ascent since the 2.8 miles is almost entirely downhill.  Some of us stopped in Andover on the way out for some ice cream, though the weather was starting to turn by then.  Thanks for a great day everybody!

In anticipation of the acquisition of a conservation easement over the Redington Forest property, Maine A.T. Land Trust Vice President Pete McKinley, board member Claire Polfus and Executive Director Simon Rucker visited the property in order to collect GIS and scientific data for the baseline documentation of the property.  There have been several previous visits – mostly on foot or in a pickup truck – but this time the means of egress would be more innovative for a Maine woods project: mountain bikes.

As you can see from the video, the logging roads were somewhat bumpy but the crew was able to cover significant ground.  Many of the old roads are either closed off to vehicular access or have been out of use for so long that they are more trail than road these days.  By taking the bikes, we were able to get onto terrain that has not been visited since the roads were closed off by berms.  The views of the Nash Stream valley from the slopes of Black Nubble were spectacular – mostly unbroken forest from the Crockers over to Mount Redington and down to the stream valley.  This area is cooler and more densely forested than other areas of the Redington property.

The weather was nice if a bit hot, but any rain held off and we were able to visit three separate locations.  Everybody agreed that this is a special place and that conservation of it will be an enormous gain for the A.T. corridor.  And as you can see, there are plenty of recreation opportunities of all kinds in Redington Forest.

On a recent Saturday, the land trust spent the day in Grafton Notch State Park as part of our Maine Hikes guided Appalachian Trail hike program.  The A.T. follows the Mahoosuc Range from the New Hampshire border for approximately twenty miles before crossing the Baldpates and heading north to Bemis Mountain and beyond.

We had a group of ten set out on the A.T. – destination, Old Speck, the fifth highest mountain in Maine and the highest until the A.T. reaches Crocker Mountain.  It was a beautiful, clear day (as you can see from the photos) and the conditions were manageable.  Kimberley had hiked up Old Speck just a week before and she said that snowshoes weren’t needed, so everybody in the group of ten (and two dogs) slipped on their traction aids and we headed up at 8:30am.

Traction aids were definitely needed!  While the ground was bare at lower elevations, once we entered the woods there was ice on the trail.  Above about 2,500 feet, there was 1 to 2 feet of snow in the woods and there were long stretches of trail that were covered in frozen meltwater.  Fortunately, everybody helped out and the dogs were either carried or they went through the deep snow in the woods.  The sun was out and the winds were generally light, and everybody was hungry by the time we reached the summit at 1pm.  We spent about half an hour on top and a few people headed up the fire tower.

Three or four additional groups were there at the same time.  The conditions were so nice that one group unpacked a camp stove and made grilled cheese sandwiches!  Temperatures were in the 40’s and winds remained light.  Another guy set up a hammock between a tree and the fire tower leg.  Our group hit the trail at 1:30pm.

The ice was a bit more difficult going down but we took our time and helped each other out.  We made up time by descending quickly, as the temperatures were in the 50’s at lower elevations and much of the snow and ice on the trail had softened significantly.  Back at the cars at 4:30pm.  A great hike with even greater company!

By Deborah Carroll

In spite of warnings from friends and family regarding forecasted cold temperatures, a decision was made to move forward with our hike up Caribou Mountain the day prior to our trip.  The understanding however, was that if the weather did in fact prove to be too cold, even a mile into hike, the group would turn back.

Dressed in multiple layers of our favorite hiking duds, our happy herd of hearty hikers met at the trailhead at 9:00 in the morning on Saturday, February 13.  Though the temperatures were indeed hovering in single digits, the sun was shining, spirits were high, and we were all well equipped for a day of wandering in snowy woods.

Given the lack of significant snowfall, decisions were made to leave the snowshoes in the car and make the trek using just microspikes.  A decision that, except for a few very short sections where blowing snow had filled in previously shallow or packed areas of the trail, proved good.

Unlike a previous hike, we were able to park at the gate located about a half mile up the road past Pooh Corner Farm.  Our hike began with a relatively flat and short walk along a forest service road before the trail veered to the right and into a forest of mixed evergreen and birch, and our group fell quickly into a really nice pace.

After a mile or so of multiple, mostly frozen, stream crossings, and a few brief pauses to layer down, we began a mostly gradual ascent which took us to the “Caribou Speckled Mtn. Wilderness, WMNF” sign and, a little further on, to a trail junction in the Caribou-Gammon col where the trail turns sharply left and the final push to the summit begins.

Though the temperatures continued to hover in single digits, as per the thermometer dangling from one pack, the sun and lack of wind (combined with exertion and being well prepared) made for warm wanderings.  Still, we paused a few hundred yards from the summit to put on warmer layers.

As one member of our party put it: “Walking onto the summit was like getting sand blasted with tiny ice particles.”  Though we didn’t check the thermometer, the temperature at the summit dropped drastically and the gusts of winds whipped us about.  Needless to say, after snapping a few quick group selfies that left us with frigid fingers and USGS marker group boot photos (a tradition with members of this group) we headed back down to the quiet stillness of the col to eat our lunch, make snow angels, and do a headstand (another tradition).

After the wildly windy and super chilled summit, the walk out of the woods felt positively balmy and, as we did on the way up, we stopped a few times to admire ice flows and vistas, chat, and play at pretzel tree.

No trip up the north side of Caribou would be complete without a post-hike visit to Carol in her flower and gift shop at Pooh Corner Farm, and so we did before saying goodbye to the old and new friends who had shared a cold, snowy, and memorable “Great Maine Outdoor Weekend” adventure.

The land trust paid the season’s final visit to the Redington Forest property in the High Peaks region in mid-November.  This area has a great variety of ecological zones which includes brook trout streams, upland wetlands, ponds, forests of all types and mountainous terrain.  The last category includes an area which covers most of the Crocker Mountain range and which will be classified as an ecological reserve area once the project is complete.  It is to this area that Pete McKinley, land trust Vice President and Wilderness Society ecologist, and Simon Rucker, land trust Executive Director, headed to a few weeks ago.

The area is difficult to access, and after leaving the truck when it could go no further, the two eventually left the logging roads at approximately 2700 feet and proceeded up through former harvesting areas to a large area of Aspen-Birch Forest on the shoulder of Crocker Mountain.  According to Maine Natural Areas Program Ecologist Andy Cutko, there was probably a forest fire on this plateau roughly 60-70 years ago, resulting in the glade of aspens with an understory of spruce and fir (see photo above).  There was evidence of charcoal in the soil on this visit and the forest is in great health as it regenerates.  It is a prime area for game and is truly a special spot.

At about 3,000 feet in elevation, after reaching the subalpine forest area, the rain showers that had lingered for most of the day turned to sleet and the two decided to turn back.  The weather conditions at this time of year prevent extended field study, and there was a hike of approximately two miles to get back to the truck.

There’s much more to be studied and documented at Redington Forest no matter which season.  Check our website and we’ll have a winter update in the New Year.

We have a great day for a hike last week – given the lateness of the season, the fact that we got all the way to West Baldpate without any traction aid is pretty remarkable!  But given the icy conditions – see the monorail on the trail in the photo above – it probably would have taken crampons to get to the next peak.

The day started out a bit cloudy and chilly, but everybody was in their best hunter orange and bundled up enough to start shedding layers.  The A.T. heading east out of Grafton Notch is not very steep and we progressed rapidly up the slope of the Baldpate massif.  Somehow everybody in the group missed the junction point with the Baldpate shelter spur trail, which is seen as the point at which you start really ascending.

The trail began to get icier and we encountered a group heading back down the mountain.  They did not have traction aids and had to turn back.

We reached the summit of West Baldpate, and knowing that the trail was going to be fully-iced over, and that we had a limited amount of daylight to work with, we decided to turn back.

We enjoyed the view before heading down.  The additional time we had allowed us to stop at the Baldpate shelter on the way back to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the sunshine.  It was a great day and a perfect hike leading into Thanksgiving!