Fort Mt Baxter Park
- Thread starter Randalls
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Papa Bear
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It's usually no problem. First the peak is visible from No. Brother and rather close, so you can set your compass appropriately.
Secondly, there is a herd path which starts from No. Brother with some blue blazes on the rocks. When you get to the col, you can generally follow the herd path. The problems will be when you hit a blow down and work around it, you may miss the herd path on the other side. If you get off the path, it can be a bit nasty going, but still you won't get lost since the peak is near and you have your compass bearing (make sure you bring a compass. If you only use a GPS, make sure you've put in a waypoint for Fort AND for No. Brother ahead of time.).
Best strategy is to do the whack like a Hash, Send out a few hounds (scouts) when you seem to be at a dead end and one of them will generally find the way (and shout "On On"). If you don't know what a Hash is, look it up.
BTW: Fort has 2 peaks, I think most folks think the one on the right (easterly) is a few feet higher, but it's no big deal to hit them both (a 2 minute walk along the ridge). There is also a plane crash site east of the easterly peak but I don't know precise directions to that since we skipped it when we did Fort.
Here's my trip report for what it's worth: No. Brother and Fort
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Compass, yes; GPS, no.
Your report is great. I will refer to it next summer when we do the Wilderness.
When me and the kids do herd paths, we keep a distance between us so that if I feel as if I am losing the path, I tell them to stop there as I scout around. Has worked so far. Have you by chance heard if there is a herd path that leads from Fort to the crash? I have just spent some time searching and have only found articles about the crash and images. Nothing on how to actually find it.
Your report is great. I will refer to it next summer when we do the Wilderness.
When me and the kids do herd paths, we keep a distance between us so that if I feel as if I am losing the path, I tell them to stop there as I scout around. Has worked so far. Have you by chance heard if there is a herd path that leads from Fort to the crash? I have just spent some time searching and have only found articles about the crash and images. Nothing on how to actually find it.
Papa Bear
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I vaguely remember it's above tree line so you just need to know where to look. Never went there so that's all I know, but there are folks on this forum who would know.
Dennis C.
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A lot of people working on their NE 100 highest use the well worn "herd path" over to Fort Mtn. Trying to follow it in winter may be a problem because there's no trimmed trail "canopy" overhead and snow covers the pathway. Using Papa Bear's suggestions are good advice no matter what the season.
marty
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I agree with everything that has been stated thus far, but just want to add that Jason Berard and I had to travel a bit to the left after following the cairns down from the summit of N. Brother. This was right at the edge of the treeline, just before you would drop into the thick forest. By doing this, we were able to find a herd path which we followed to Fort. We did not need to use our compass or GPS at all. That was two years ago, however, and things may have changed.
One other thing: Please make a mental note when you ascend out of the trees to the Fort summit. We did not do that and had to spend a few minutes figuring out where the herd path started back to N. Brother.
Good luck. Fort is a cool mountain!
Marty
One other thing: Please make a mental note when you ascend out of the trees to the Fort summit. We did not do that and had to spend a few minutes figuring out where the herd path started back to N. Brother.
Good luck. Fort is a cool mountain!
Marty
eddie
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I was just there at the end of June and I didn't notice any obvious "herd path". Maybe we left the No. Brother summit too far to the NE. The growth is thick and sometimes you can feel your way along a faint "path" with your feet. Since the trees are rather short, you can periodically keep an eye on your target both ways, so a compass is not necessary - I had one but didn't use it. It was about 45 minutes each way. It is a cool summit. When you look towards the other false summit to the SE you will swear that one is higher but it isn't. Enjoy! Definitely do So. Brother and Coe also and descend via the slide. I loved that hike.
Stan
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I'd be careful on setting that compass. There is enough iron in the rocks on North Brother to throw your compass off. It would be wise to determine your course from a topo map, making the magnetic north adjustment of course, and confirm it from various points at and near the North Brother summit.
I don't carry a GPS but never do a bushwhack without reference to a compass. Herd paths come and go and are sometimes easy to follow and sometimes not, as others have described here.
I'd also take a bearing from Fort and see how it compares to the reciprocal of your hike over.
Hopefully you'll have good weather and the herd paths make for easy going. If the weather takes a turn and/or you lose the path, your compass may be the only way to find your way back.
Dennis C.
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Smart thinking. So many hikers leave Fort because of "not working on the NE 100", and then have to go back ... (to GOBACK ... oops ... wrong peak)
Dale&Sherry
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We plan on hiking Fort Saturday? The first attempt, we didn't have long pants on and we were getting scraped up pretty bad.
Amicus
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The wreck is below treeline, at least as of Oct. 2006. There was a herd-path then, which I lost on my return, finding myself in some of the densest spruce I've ever pushed through. At least the distance back to the summit ridge wasn't great.
There has been information on this in threads from prior years, including some photos, which a Search should yield. I think it's well-known that, if the sun is shining in the mid-morning, you can see it glinting off the big tail-section from the summit of No. Brother, which will give you a pretty good, albeit general, idea where to find it.
Maybe that will be the deciding factor. If it is visible from N. Brother, than we may give it a shot. We will be starting out just before six, so we should be on N. Brother around 9:30ish.
One recommendation: when you climb out of the scrub onto the rocky summit, note *exactly* where you came out, so you can go back down onto the herd path. There may still be some orange paint marks. If you miss that point, it can be very difficult to get through that portion of woods.
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