Yearly Archives: 2018

74 posts

Trip Report: North Brother Mountain

Tetra? No, Solo! North Brother Mountain, Millinocket, Maine. 2018-09-27. 4,150 feet. Via Marston Trail. Trailhead: 1030. Mt Coe trail junction: 1245. Summit: 1340. Car: 1700. Sunny, light breeze (approx 5 MPH), with occasional clouds. Essentially limitless visibility.  It was an audacious plan, and it would have worked, too… if it wasn’t for those meddling kids! OK, so if I’d gotten out of bed an hour earlier, maybe. I’d hoped to […]

Gear Review: Granite Gear Lutsen 35 Backpack

OK, so it’s not “new” per se. I’ve had it for several months now — at least since Owl’s Head…  To say it’s been doing yeoman’s duty is an understatement. To say it’s not said “boo” to me in all these miles is similar. Packs are highly personal pieces of gear. Let’s get that out of the way. That being said, while humans come in different shapes and sizes, everyone […]

Trip Report: Bigelow Mountain Peaks

Avery Peak, 4,090 feet. West Peak, 4,145. South Horn, 3,805. North Horn, 3,820 feet. 65 dF at trailhead, 75 dF at summit. Sunny skies and 80 miles visibility. Negligible breezes at summits. Via the Fire Warden’s trail, Appalachian trail, and Horn’s Pond trail. Also the North Horn spur trail.  Trailhead: 0915. Col: 1200. Avery Peak: 1215. West Peak: 1300. South Horn: 1445. North Horn: 1455. Car: 1800. Approximately 13.5 miles. […]

Trip Report: Sugarloaf and Spaulding Mountain

On the AT again! Sugarloaf Mountain, 4,250 feet. Spaulding Mountain, 4,010 feet. Kingfield, Franklin County, Maine. (AKA Carrabassett Valley.) 75 dF at trailhead, about 70 dF at the summits. Cloudy/overcast skies with at times 40 miles visibility. Very light intermittent breezes through the trees — approximately 5 MPH. 30 MPH wind out of the north on Sugarloaf summit. Via the Appalachian Trail. Car: 0930. Trailhead: 0915. Sugarloaf summit: 1245. Spaulding […]

Trip Report: Crocker and Redington

Trio! South Crocker Mountain, 4050 feet. Crocker Mountain, 4288 feet. Mt Redington, 4010 feet. Kingfield, Franklin County, Maine. 61 dF at trailhead, 55 dF at South Crocker summit. Sunny skies and 50 miles visibility. Very light intermittent breezes through the trees — approximately 5 MPH. Winds at 5-10, with gusts to 18-20 at overlooks. Via the Appalachian Trail, and the herd path. Car: 0900. Trailhead: 0915. South Crocker summit: 1045. […]

Trip Report: Mt Abraham

A quickie with a long drive.  Mt Abraham, 4050 feet. Kingfield, ME. 16 August, 2018. 75 dF at trailhead, approx 70 dF at summit. 30+ miles visibility. A bit windy at the summit — approximately 10-15 MPH with gusts to more than 20. Via Fire Warden trail. Trailhead: 1025. Summit: 1325. Car: 1630. Approximately 8 miles there and back again. At least the drive has eye candy. Instead of coming up […]

Trip Report: Saddleback Mountain, Saddleback Horn

On a long-lost ski area. Saddleback Mountain, 4120 feet. Saddleback Horn, 4023 feet. Sandy River Plantation, Franklin County, Maine. Temps ranged between 70 and 85 degrees, sunny/cloudy, pleasantly breezy above tree line. RH approx 50% When I was doing the 48, having a dozen or so peaks left felt different than now, doing the 67. It just feels like there’s less weight… less of an urgency to finish. But finish […]

Training Hike: Mt Monadnock

Via the White Dot Trail. Trailhead: 1030. Summit: 1145. Car: 1300. The forecast put the chances of a t-storm at a flip of a coin. I’ve hiked that bad Larry in a tropical storm before, so what’s a little thunder? OK, I’m crazy, but not stupid. Our aim from moment one was to be off the mountain, or at least well down from the summit, by 1300. We did well […]

Trip Report: Old Speck Mountain

A Mountain of Mica in Maine. Old Speck; 4,170 feet. Grafton Notch State Park, near Bethel, ME. 80 dF at trailhead, 75 dF at summit. Sunny/hazy skies and 50 miles visibility. 5-10 MPH breezes on summit tower. Via the Old Speck trail. Trailhead: 1010. Summit: 1300. Left summit: 1330. Car: 1600. Approximately 9 miles. Although I’ve been to Maine many times, this was my first time actually hiking there. Oddly, […]