albee
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- Joined
- Jan 14, 2005
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'Whackfest-more officially came to a close on Monday, but I had taken an extra day off from work with the hopes of getting some better weather for bushwhacking and decreasing my MDPP (miles driven per peak). So I headed back into The Beaudry on my own on Tuesday and set my sights on some remote peaks - over 13 miles down a northern Maine logging road from the highway.
Thankfully, the rainy weather had completely cleared by early Monday and the snow that had fallen early Monday morning had melted out of the trees. By Tuesday it was warm enough that all of the moisture on the trees was evaporated, and aside fom the 2' of mushy snow in many areas the conditions were very good.
The itinerary for the day was to start at Moose Mountain off of West Branch Rd and head west, going over Smart and West Smart mtns, and seeing if the three Bump peaks were do-able also. This plan got a little scrambled along the way, but in the end I was able to achieve my goal in a roundabout fashion. Aside from walking down the logging road, the entire trip was off-trail. Solo bushwhacking can be quite disconcerting at times, and I find that I am still developing the mentality for it. I realize that I am completely on my own up there, and any myriad of consequences could lead to disasterous results. I could get a stick in my eye, take a fall, or sustain a serious cut, and I would be miles of forest away from help. Not only did nobody know where I was, but even if they knew where I was heading, searchers wouldn't even have a great idea where to look for me.
With this in mind, I left my car in an obvious location near a logging camp at the junction of West Branch and Beaudry Roads. I left a note on the dashboard with my name, family's phone number, itinerary, and a brief bit about how if you find this on Wednesday morning and I'm not back yet to call for help. I usually don't do this, but since I was so far up in the middle of nowhere it seemed like a good idea.
I gathered up my gear for a full day's 'whackin and set off down the road. I had wanted to do the Caribou Range, but Onestep, MHRSebago and a large crew of Whackfesters had done the route in the pouring rain on Sunday and I didn't want to vulture their tracks, so I picked something different that I can rightfully say I earned. As I headed down the road, I couldn't get a good visual bearing on Moose Mountain because there was a low ridge in the way. I couldn't see the indicators of which route to take, so I kept walking down the road to see how the mountain looked from a different angle and so I could get a better idea of exactly where I was on my map. I'm still getting used to the scales and estimating distance via walking time. I don't like using GPS because I feel it takes a little too much of the challenge out of the hike.
I came around a bend and finally got a good look at Moose Mountain. There is a series of cliffs and rockslides mixed with bands of scraggly trees on the west and southwest faces, but there is a nice long ridge approaching it from the southeast. I had already walked over a mile, and I didn't want to double back to the ridge only to have to walk down the road again to avoid the cliffs on my way to Smart Mtn, so I decided to postpone Moose until later if I felt up for it. I got a very good look at Smart Mountain from this angle, and from consulting with my map it looked like a steep but relatively open route up the southeast slope. I dove into the brush and started a 3 hour trip off-trail. The going was about what I expected, steep slopes and easy route-finding, but about 2/3rds of the way up I encountered more and more dense brush and blowdowns. It took a bit longer than I expected, but I completed the 3/4 mile and 1100' gain in about 75 minutes. The jar was obvious and nobody had signed in since Onestep and Papa Bear from 7/06. I added my name and headed off on the ridge towards West Smart Mtn.
This is where I used one of the tricks that I have learned in my travels off-trail: moose love ridges! I was able to follow various moose herd paths along or near the crest of the ridge, and I made quite reasonable time. I had to put snowshoes on as I was sinking up to my thighs in places without them. It was a new record for springtime snowshoeing conditions for me. May 21 and there's still too much snow! I took a break for lunch and continued on until I could see the peak of West Smart to my left and the intermediary peak of Middle Smart in the foreground. Middle Smart is not an official 3k peak due to insufficient col depth. I decided to skip the extra elevation gain and skirt the peak on the south slope. At one point between Smart and Middle Smart I came across a distinctly cut trail, with a worn footbed and obviously sawn trees. It wasn't particularly wide and it wasn't blazed at all, but after crashing through thick woods, you can tell a trail when you see one. I followed it down towards the col for a bit but left it when I started losing too much elevation. When I got to the col between Middle and West Smart, I found some great open woods and a smooth (but steep!) walk up to West Smart's summit. I signed in at the jar and had a nice time reading register entries dating back to the early 1990's, but I didn't see the Geodetic Survey marker that Papa Bear noted. At this point, I opted to drop back down to the open woods and head back, saving the Bump peaks for another day.
The trip down to the col was uneventful, and it looked like the quickest way back to the logging road would be down the drainage area and following a brook. I generally followed this route, picking up more moose herdpaths along the way and making good time through the open Hardwoods, Hobblebush and Skunk Cabbage. I found a moose antler at one point (my first!) but it was coated in green fungus and had a few cracked horns so I left it behind. The trip out to the logging road went smoothly and I was happy to be back on open ground.
On the way back to Moose Mountain, I kept eyeing the cliffs and since I had plenty of time left in the day I decided to explore an old skidder road that headed in that direction. This road took me to wthin a couple hundred yards of the base of the slides, so I 'whacked over and scoped out a route. It looked do-able, but I knew that this was an area that hardly anyone has ever used, so the rocks were not necessarily completely stable. If I was going up, I would have to be extremely cautious; downclimbing this route would likely be even more dangerous, so I had to choose my route carefully. I decided to head up and it got steep quickly. I felt relieved when I got to one of the bands of trees up there, since I knew they were rooted in something at least a little more stable than a jumble of talus. These slides made the Owl's Head slide look like the Wilderness Trail, and I had quite a rush as my heart really got pumping a few times. Twice I had to abandon the slides and free-climb some low class-4 stuff for 6 to 8 feet at a time. Not for the faint of heart! I stopped climbing a couple times and sat down so I could gaze out at the expanse of the West Branch Valley. The entire Caribou Range, along with Kibby Mtn, East Bump, Smart Mtn, and a couple bumps along the border swath were spread out before me. It was a spectacularly clear day, and I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my efforts. And who says bushwhacks don't have good views??
After 600' of elevation gain, the slides and talus finally ended and I followed the ridge along various moose herdpaths and through scattered blowdowns, and I finally found the jar. It had taken me an hour from the road. Everything in the jar was soaked, so I put a new sheet of paper and a new ziplock bag in there with my entry. I had accomplished my goals for the day, and I was content. I followed more moose herdpaths and a pair of old overgrown logging roads down to an old clearcut area filled with 10' tall Pine trees. In a few minutes I made it back to the road, and from there it was a short walk back to my car.
All in all, the trip took 6 hrs and 15 minutes, with 5 hours of it off trail. A couple little cuts and a few bruises were sustained, but no falls and no incidents. The logging road on the way out was much drier and in better condition than it had been previously throughout the rainy weekend. I even managed to get my little Subaru up to 50 MPH out there a couple times! I saw 8 moose on the drive home, and 20 total over the course of a 4-day weekend. Anyway, I can't wait to get back to The Beaudry and do some more 'whackin!
Thankfully, the rainy weather had completely cleared by early Monday and the snow that had fallen early Monday morning had melted out of the trees. By Tuesday it was warm enough that all of the moisture on the trees was evaporated, and aside fom the 2' of mushy snow in many areas the conditions were very good.
The itinerary for the day was to start at Moose Mountain off of West Branch Rd and head west, going over Smart and West Smart mtns, and seeing if the three Bump peaks were do-able also. This plan got a little scrambled along the way, but in the end I was able to achieve my goal in a roundabout fashion. Aside from walking down the logging road, the entire trip was off-trail. Solo bushwhacking can be quite disconcerting at times, and I find that I am still developing the mentality for it. I realize that I am completely on my own up there, and any myriad of consequences could lead to disasterous results. I could get a stick in my eye, take a fall, or sustain a serious cut, and I would be miles of forest away from help. Not only did nobody know where I was, but even if they knew where I was heading, searchers wouldn't even have a great idea where to look for me.
With this in mind, I left my car in an obvious location near a logging camp at the junction of West Branch and Beaudry Roads. I left a note on the dashboard with my name, family's phone number, itinerary, and a brief bit about how if you find this on Wednesday morning and I'm not back yet to call for help. I usually don't do this, but since I was so far up in the middle of nowhere it seemed like a good idea.
I gathered up my gear for a full day's 'whackin and set off down the road. I had wanted to do the Caribou Range, but Onestep, MHRSebago and a large crew of Whackfesters had done the route in the pouring rain on Sunday and I didn't want to vulture their tracks, so I picked something different that I can rightfully say I earned. As I headed down the road, I couldn't get a good visual bearing on Moose Mountain because there was a low ridge in the way. I couldn't see the indicators of which route to take, so I kept walking down the road to see how the mountain looked from a different angle and so I could get a better idea of exactly where I was on my map. I'm still getting used to the scales and estimating distance via walking time. I don't like using GPS because I feel it takes a little too much of the challenge out of the hike.
I came around a bend and finally got a good look at Moose Mountain. There is a series of cliffs and rockslides mixed with bands of scraggly trees on the west and southwest faces, but there is a nice long ridge approaching it from the southeast. I had already walked over a mile, and I didn't want to double back to the ridge only to have to walk down the road again to avoid the cliffs on my way to Smart Mtn, so I decided to postpone Moose until later if I felt up for it. I got a very good look at Smart Mountain from this angle, and from consulting with my map it looked like a steep but relatively open route up the southeast slope. I dove into the brush and started a 3 hour trip off-trail. The going was about what I expected, steep slopes and easy route-finding, but about 2/3rds of the way up I encountered more and more dense brush and blowdowns. It took a bit longer than I expected, but I completed the 3/4 mile and 1100' gain in about 75 minutes. The jar was obvious and nobody had signed in since Onestep and Papa Bear from 7/06. I added my name and headed off on the ridge towards West Smart Mtn.
This is where I used one of the tricks that I have learned in my travels off-trail: moose love ridges! I was able to follow various moose herd paths along or near the crest of the ridge, and I made quite reasonable time. I had to put snowshoes on as I was sinking up to my thighs in places without them. It was a new record for springtime snowshoeing conditions for me. May 21 and there's still too much snow! I took a break for lunch and continued on until I could see the peak of West Smart to my left and the intermediary peak of Middle Smart in the foreground. Middle Smart is not an official 3k peak due to insufficient col depth. I decided to skip the extra elevation gain and skirt the peak on the south slope. At one point between Smart and Middle Smart I came across a distinctly cut trail, with a worn footbed and obviously sawn trees. It wasn't particularly wide and it wasn't blazed at all, but after crashing through thick woods, you can tell a trail when you see one. I followed it down towards the col for a bit but left it when I started losing too much elevation. When I got to the col between Middle and West Smart, I found some great open woods and a smooth (but steep!) walk up to West Smart's summit. I signed in at the jar and had a nice time reading register entries dating back to the early 1990's, but I didn't see the Geodetic Survey marker that Papa Bear noted. At this point, I opted to drop back down to the open woods and head back, saving the Bump peaks for another day.
The trip down to the col was uneventful, and it looked like the quickest way back to the logging road would be down the drainage area and following a brook. I generally followed this route, picking up more moose herdpaths along the way and making good time through the open Hardwoods, Hobblebush and Skunk Cabbage. I found a moose antler at one point (my first!) but it was coated in green fungus and had a few cracked horns so I left it behind. The trip out to the logging road went smoothly and I was happy to be back on open ground.
On the way back to Moose Mountain, I kept eyeing the cliffs and since I had plenty of time left in the day I decided to explore an old skidder road that headed in that direction. This road took me to wthin a couple hundred yards of the base of the slides, so I 'whacked over and scoped out a route. It looked do-able, but I knew that this was an area that hardly anyone has ever used, so the rocks were not necessarily completely stable. If I was going up, I would have to be extremely cautious; downclimbing this route would likely be even more dangerous, so I had to choose my route carefully. I decided to head up and it got steep quickly. I felt relieved when I got to one of the bands of trees up there, since I knew they were rooted in something at least a little more stable than a jumble of talus. These slides made the Owl's Head slide look like the Wilderness Trail, and I had quite a rush as my heart really got pumping a few times. Twice I had to abandon the slides and free-climb some low class-4 stuff for 6 to 8 feet at a time. Not for the faint of heart! I stopped climbing a couple times and sat down so I could gaze out at the expanse of the West Branch Valley. The entire Caribou Range, along with Kibby Mtn, East Bump, Smart Mtn, and a couple bumps along the border swath were spread out before me. It was a spectacularly clear day, and I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my efforts. And who says bushwhacks don't have good views??
After 600' of elevation gain, the slides and talus finally ended and I followed the ridge along various moose herdpaths and through scattered blowdowns, and I finally found the jar. It had taken me an hour from the road. Everything in the jar was soaked, so I put a new sheet of paper and a new ziplock bag in there with my entry. I had accomplished my goals for the day, and I was content. I followed more moose herdpaths and a pair of old overgrown logging roads down to an old clearcut area filled with 10' tall Pine trees. In a few minutes I made it back to the road, and from there it was a short walk back to my car.
All in all, the trip took 6 hrs and 15 minutes, with 5 hours of it off trail. A couple little cuts and a few bruises were sustained, but no falls and no incidents. The logging road on the way out was much drier and in better condition than it had been previously throughout the rainy weekend. I even managed to get my little Subaru up to 50 MPH out there a couple times! I saw 8 moose on the drive home, and 20 total over the course of a 4-day weekend. Anyway, I can't wait to get back to The Beaudry and do some more 'whackin!
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