Mt. Kineo

Well it has been a while since I have blogged. Partly because I have been spending very little time at home and on my computer. Guess it is time for me to get an iPad, then I can do this from the road, or the mountain top!

I spent last weekend with Michelle, camping at Lily Bay State Park. We arrived on Friday, set up camp and immediately formed a plan for the next day. I have wanted to hike Kineo for several years and was excited that the weather forecast for Saturday was mid 70s and clear skies.

We got up and did breakfast at the campsite, then headed off to Rockwood. The shuttle to Kineo launches from the boat landing in Rockwood, which is about a half hour drive from Lily Bay. More if you travel with me, as I stop frequently to take photos!! We were not sure of the distance from short to island so we decided not to kayak. In hindsight I wish we had, it was only .7 of a mile and a beautiful trip.Once we arrived at Rockwood, the boat launch was easy enough to find. The Kineo Golf Club runs a shuttle bus ($10 per person r/t) which normally runs on the hour. Capt Skippy, the moniker given the young looking guy who piloted the shuttle boat, was nice enough to run every 15-30 mins. We boarded, paid, and relaxed for the 5 min shuttle to Kineo. While we were being shuttled a family, I later learned from Bangor, was canoeing over. Yes, we beat them there..lol

We landed on Kineo, found the map and headed forth. The weather man was right, in that it was a clear day and the temperature quickly rose into the high 70s and low 80s. The first .8 miles is a flat rocky road that follows the shoreline. The first trail head, Indian Trail starts the incline to the summit. The guidebook recommends the Indian Trail for the multiple views of the lake and surrounding peaks. We were not disappointed. While the incline is somewhat steep it is not extremely difficult. Small rocks and tree stumps make for a bumpy but moderate pace. There are some spots where a hand held is needed to get up and over and I would suggest poles.
The Indian Trail goes up for about .4 miles and is joined by the Bridle Trail. Bridle is listed as an easier trail, longer without the significant gain. The Bridle continues to the summit for another .5 miles. Unfortunately, as we started up the Indian Trail Michelle's boots started causing issues. She decided to put off trail and rest while I finished the trail to the summit.

I continued on to the trail marker, from there the Summit was another .5 miles. It was pretty busy that day, so I met several groups of hikers. Once it was my turn to climb the fire tower I was ready for the cooler temperatures. I was not, however, ready for the spectacular view!! While I was up there, the family who canoed over joined me. They were eating lunch on the tower. What a great idea. I spent a few more minutes up there taking photos. I plan on doing a virtual 360 tour with photos.

The Beehive and the Bowl Trail

There are few places on Earth as beautiful as Acadia National Park. I have been hiking with my friend Michelle, much of the past year. The past couple months we have been working our way through Acadia. Today's hike was up the Beehive. The peak is only 520' so it is not a huge climb. So what makes this climb so important? Michelle is afraid of heights.

We have been working our way up to this hike and today we did it. I have to say, I am impressed. I know how difficult it is to face a fear, especially the fear of heights. Michelle was a trooper and the hike was AMAZING!!.

We started out parking at Sand Beach. The parking lot was pretty empty when we started out about 8 am. With our packs loaded we hiked out of the parking lot and down the road to the trail head. The Bowl Trail starts off and meets the Beehive trail at the first markers about .2 of a mile in. From the junction point you can see the other climbers. There was a couple with two children just a head of us. The boy looked to be about 5 or 6 and the girl a little older. The young boy was wearing a red shirt which was easy to see as he climbed up the Hive. It was while watching him that Michelle said, "lets go!" I have to say I was a bit concerned, knowing that there was going to be some spots that were significantly scary for someone with a fear of heights.

We started off an quickly saw why this hike is so popular. The views along the short (.5 mile) hike are amazing!! The first real obstacle on the hike is the small metal grate that bridges a gap in the ledge. The grate is small, maybe 3 feet in length and 2 feet wide. Once past that grate, the trail winds along the outer edge overlooking Sand Beach. There are several spots that have metal rungs for hands and feet. They are short in length, most less than 4 feet. Some of the climbs are pretty sheer, but again, this only enhanced the spectacular view, over looking Sand Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

We were able to complete the climb to the peak in 40 mins!..The average climb is about 30 mins. I figure we did pretty well!! I have to say it was a pretty emotional moment standing with Michelle at the peak looking out of the water. A year ago I NEVER would have imagined being able to do this climb with Michelle. I know how hard she has worked to overcome the fear of heights and push herself. It was such an honor to be standing there with her!!

We settled down for a few minutes, as we do at every peak. Once we had taken all the photos we wanted, watched the others at the peak and reviewed the map for the remainder of the hike, we got up and started down to the Bowl. The trail down to the Bowl is a relatively moderate hike. There is one rung, but it is not mandatory to use. There is an easy path to the side of the rung. The hike to the Bowl was short but enjoyable. Of course there were several small critters running around, as well as some of my flighted friends. We followed the Beehive trail to the Bowl, one of two lakes in the park that can only be reached by foot. Sargent Pond is the other. (More to come on that later!!)

Michelle and I spent some time at the Bowl admiring the view of Champlain Mountain. The Bowl is quiet and a wonderful place to sit and reflect. The Bowl is a 9.5 acre pond. The guidebook says it is a good example of a glacial tarn.

The remainder of the hike is a little over .5 miles back to the Loop Road. This is a wonderful, albeit a bit strenuous hike. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a relatively quick hike that has amazing ocean and inland views!!

Lenox Mountain ~ Lenox Massachusetts

Yes, I realize the name of this blog is Hiking Maine!! However, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hike Lenox Mountain when I went to Mass. to visit my longtime friend. I grew up in Berkshire County Mass. Dalton, to be precise. I had hiked places before, but never the ones right in my backyard. That's one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place, to let people know what is right here in Maine. Well today I am telling you about what is in Berkshire County Massachusetts. Just in case you find yourself in that neck of the woods. Lenox Mountain is located in the town of Lenox. The mountain climbs to 2,116 feet above sea level at latitude – longitude coordinates of N 42.401474 and W -73.306218.
I was up early on Saturday and loaded my pack into the car. It's only about 20 mins from Dalton to Lenox. It took me another 10 to actually figure out where I needed to be. The actual trail head that is listed in the books and on Trails.com is inaccessible. I had the opportunity to park down the road at the Audubon location or off to the side f the road. I chose the road. From their it was about .8 of a mile up to the trail head. While I started off the incline at an easy pace I was quickly passed by a runner, drenched in sweat and breathing like he was being chased by a bear!! I should mention it was a bit humid and warm on April 18, 2010.
Ok so I am a bit behind in posting as well!!
Lets get back to the story :)

I began the 1.9 mile hike to the peak. As the runner passed me he did exclaim that I had a nice camera (yes he actually meant the camera) and asked if I had seen the Trillium. As I had just started on my way, I replied that I had not, but would be on the lookout. Well it wasn't difficult to see, the whole hike was lined with Trillium. Yet, I don't seem to have any in the photos I took. The walk to the trail head was pleasant and took less than 15 mins. Of course, I stopped a number of times to take pictures of the birds fluttering across the road and back. The area, which is heavily wooded, was filled with chickadee, nuthatch, robin, finch and of course woodpeckers.

Once I hit the trail head the woods became more dense and there were far more birds. I was hopeful that I would see some critters, so I marched on, camera in hand. As I rounded the corner, my attention was caught by the beautiful stream that meandered down the side of the hill. I spent much of the next hour walking through the wooded hillside, over the brooks and boulders. I couldn't help but stop frequently and take photos. I usually end up with a few dozen to a few hundred depending on how long I hike.

As I came upon a clearing I was struck by the oddest tree I had seen. The tree was bent in two, but not broken. It was if it were merely reaching down to touch the ground. It was still early in the season, so the trees had not leafed out. The surrounding trees were also bare so it made for a pretty nice view. The remainder of the hike to the top was pleasant. The trail was easy to follow, although it was cluttered with roots and loose stone. The water that flowed back and forth across the trail was gentle and very beautiful to see. The rocks, covered with moss, hung over the path worn by the water, while trillium and other foliage lined the way.

I continued along for a while longer before reaching the top of the mountain. Except for the two people I saw at the beginning of the hike, I was alone. It was quiet except for the birds and the wind. As you approach the peak, the forest gets more dense and is predominantly conifer, mostly hemlock. You can start to see a view of the surrounding towns, and then you emerge on to the peak to a spectacular view of Richmond Pond and Bartlett's Orchards. There is even a bench so you can sit and take in the view. I spent a few minutes in awe at the site that had been so close to me while growing up, yet I had to travel 8 1/2 hours to hike to it!

Once at the top I had to decide if I wanted to hike back down the mountain trail or take the Overlook Trail that would lead me back through the Massachusetts Audubon Pleasant Valley Sanctuary. I usually prefer to not hike in and out the same way if I can prevent it, so the Audubon trail it was.

The Overlook trail goes down the back side of Lenox Mountain. The Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Sanctuary has over seven miles of trails. I choose to hike the Overlook Trail to the Old Lodge Trail. the Overlook Trail was an easy hike down the mountain. The trail follows the brook and connects to the Old Lodge Trail. The Old Lodge Trail winds around the pond and back out to the Bluebird Trail then to the road. I took my time hiking down, snapping photos all along the way. When I reached the pond I spent some time with a lone duck. The hike was just over 4 miles long and was one of the most enjoyable I had hiked to date. I would recommend this hike and plan on heading back this fall.

Hothole Pond Trail

I'm a little late getting this post up. Last week I decided to go back to the Great Pond Mountain Conservation area to hike the Hothole Pond Trail. This was the first trail I hiked last summer, in the conservation area. It was where I lost my prescription sunglasses :(
They have made some improvements to the trail, so I decided to take another look.
It is a short hike to the trail head from the North Gate, about .8 of a mile.
I started off down the road at about 9 am. I was hopeful that I might see some critters. It was cool, but not freezing cold. My first real stop was at the beaver pond where they did most of the upgrades. This past fall they added a large amount of rocks to the road, to help with the runoff. The beaver pond was beautiful. It was quiet and there were only a few birds about. I had hoped to see the Great Heron that I saw last fall, but no such luck.
I moved on down the trail to the area where the beavers have been pretty busy. Last fall there was a significant evidence of beaver work. I was surprised to see that there was even more evidence of recent beaver work.
The hike continues along the road and up an incline until you reach the pond trail. This trail branches off to the left, though some brush. It was great to see the buds on the trees. The trail branches to the right and leaves the Conservation Land and goes down the the pond. The wind started to pick up and I approached the pond. The view at the pond was beautiful. It started to snow a little while I was at the pond. It was cool, quiet and relaxing.
After hanging out at the pond I decided to head back to the brook that leads to the pond. The trail to the brook was still a bit wet and I had to muck through a couple muddy and wet spots. Once I made it to the brook, I just had to hang out and listen. We have had so much rain that the brook was running real fast and sounded great.
It turned out to be a beautiful day for a hike. I am looking forward to hiking this trail again everything is leafed out..

Peaked Mountain/Chick Hill Clifton, Maine

So as I was hiking up Peaked Mountain, at 5:30 am last Saturday. I said to myself- Self- why in heaven's name are you here? I mean, here at 5:30 in the morning, cold and tired, hiking up a hill. Of course the only answer I could come up with at the time was, where else would I see the sunrise?

I have been hiking for a while now. I started out with little hikes here and there, then progressed to longer and more intense hikes. Some days I start out early, other days I finish with a sunset hike. I will take a day and head to Acadia National Park and do Sergeant and Penobscot Mountains. I also try and hike closer to home when I can,

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Last Saturday's sunrise hike!! I am up and out the door at 4:45 AM, yes folks, in order to do a sunrise hike you have to start out in the dark!! I drive the 20 minutes to the parking area, don my gear and hit the trail at 5:00 am sharp. It was a bit on the chilly side, about 40 ° F and little wind. The trail started up at a nice incline, not to steep but enough to make it work. I had poles, which was nice, as the road was mostly gravel and medium sized rocks. It is something that could be driven on, in fact a young man in a pickup truck came down the hill about 20 minutes into my hike. By 5:30 I had made it to the first significant mark on the trail. I was following the directions from Trails.com. Apparently it is time to update the book!!

Another 20 minutes into the hike I decided that the directions were seriously lacking. Apparently when the cell tower was put in, the "tote road" became a real gravel/rock road. This means if you take what you believe to be, the right road, you end up at Little Chick Hill, a completely different place. I am sure the view is nice, but lets face it, I wanted to be on the mountain I was hiking that morning, for that sunrise!!

I did make it to the top at 6:15, 2 minutes after official sunrise. Ok, so a little bit beyond the goal, but OMG what a view it was. No matter how rough the journey I have never been disappointed by the view at the end of the road!!

I would recommend Peaked Mountain/Chick Hill to anyone who wants a moderate 1.2 mile hike to a beautiful sunrise view.

In the beginning

Why a Blog? Well it is pretty simple, I want to share my experiences with people and a blog is so much easier than telling a story over and over again. If you enjoy hiking, then I would love to have you follow along.

My goal this year is to do 36 peaks and 36 flats (or limited inclination) including Mount Katahdin and the Downeast Sunrise Trail. I am in the process of putting that list together. I will post it as soon as I have something concrete.

I hike alone and with friends. I am sure they will be happy to know they will be talked about in my blog as well.

My blogs will include maps and links as possible, to each location. Of course, they will also include my opinion of the hike, the map and the company...

So here we go Hiking Maine 2010

Angel