spider solo
New member
Thought I would take a few days to do the Kilkenny Ridge Trail.
This past winter I was drawn to the area for it's nice deep snow yet while shoeing often times I was not clear as to where I was on the ridge in relation to some of the mnts.
Heading out from South Pond Recreation Area which was still closed. I found the trail in good shape with a fair amount of blow downs so after my 1st break out came the saw because, frankly with age, I'm finding I'd just as soon saw thru some of them than try to crawl under them . Since I was in no hurry, some I sawed and some remained untouched.
Nice views from Rogers Ledge but some heavy use up there. I stayed a short ways down from the summit at the Rogers Ledge Tent site which seems to have a long forgoten privy stacked on the ground not to far away. The much anticipated rain never arrived and in fact the next couple of days were perfect hiking weather, just cool enough to keep the bugs away.
The following morning I found Unknown Pond to be a real pretty spot complete with a short visit from a snowshoe hare.
Heading to Mt Cabot I found the Horn to have great views and it was nice to see that snow free found it as pristine as I had hoped it would be. I had 'shoed' this section before, but never over to Terrace Mnt. I hadn't stopped for water at Cabot but filled up from a small trickle of water shortly after the Kilkenny headed for the Terrace summit. Glad I did because that was it for the day.
The mnt was actually three small little summits.
The next day I filled my water at Willard Notch, a very small stream. ( that was all there was till Starr King. ) There was plenty of scat from this and that but this was the day for something a bit ..different.
A nice leisurely climb up to North Weeks in the early morning I continued along some of the nicest, lushest forest I have seen in a while. The remaining Weeks mnts were fairly indistinguishable and by the time I'm almost to Mt Waumbek...wondering where the heck I was.... I realize that I'm about to walk up the heels of one very large porcupine!
This would not be a good thing. I stop and realize he still was unaware of my presence..I let him go ahead a few more feet before I spoke. Well that got his attention!! Amazing how big they can get when they bristle out all those quills!! He stopped turned around sat up on his (or her) haunches opened it's mouth (nice mini fangs) and sniffed the air. NOTHING...Though I was just a few feet away I was down wind to him... invisible... and this being my 3rd day out I was hardly fresh as a rose... (poor eye sight I guess) This wouldn't do...so sniffing the ground he takes a few steps towards me ..still nothing... a few more steps nope... not a thing. Well he is still about fifteen feet away but I thought maybe I should say some thing...then again perhaps not...What ever I said it was not the right thing because as soon as I said it he came charging down the trail at me!!
Well this certainly was a 1st for me. I hustled off the trail and went around him with thoughts of flying "ninja porcupines" avenging past deeds done wrong.
Ahhh. but is this the last I see of him?? Nosiree...because 10 minutes down the trail I find that I've lost my hat. I put down my pack and head back up the trail to meet.... you guessed... Mr Ninja himself.
This time I say nothing and I am even further away from him...Yet as I watched he stopped in his tracks and turned to a particular scraggly pine and climbed it in short order....a tree that I would not have thought climbable.
This being a day of realizations, I realized it probably was the benefit of being upwind from him... for there was no doubt he knew it was me ..Mr Third day out... I think I have seen friends wanting to do the same after about a week........
I merely had to pass directly under his tree..twice...to find my hat and ponder how many other times we have been watched from above by the secrect order of Ninja...
Yep, three days will set the mind to wandering......
spdr
This past winter I was drawn to the area for it's nice deep snow yet while shoeing often times I was not clear as to where I was on the ridge in relation to some of the mnts.
Heading out from South Pond Recreation Area which was still closed. I found the trail in good shape with a fair amount of blow downs so after my 1st break out came the saw because, frankly with age, I'm finding I'd just as soon saw thru some of them than try to crawl under them . Since I was in no hurry, some I sawed and some remained untouched.
Nice views from Rogers Ledge but some heavy use up there. I stayed a short ways down from the summit at the Rogers Ledge Tent site which seems to have a long forgoten privy stacked on the ground not to far away. The much anticipated rain never arrived and in fact the next couple of days were perfect hiking weather, just cool enough to keep the bugs away.
The following morning I found Unknown Pond to be a real pretty spot complete with a short visit from a snowshoe hare.
Heading to Mt Cabot I found the Horn to have great views and it was nice to see that snow free found it as pristine as I had hoped it would be. I had 'shoed' this section before, but never over to Terrace Mnt. I hadn't stopped for water at Cabot but filled up from a small trickle of water shortly after the Kilkenny headed for the Terrace summit. Glad I did because that was it for the day.
The mnt was actually three small little summits.
The next day I filled my water at Willard Notch, a very small stream. ( that was all there was till Starr King. ) There was plenty of scat from this and that but this was the day for something a bit ..different.
A nice leisurely climb up to North Weeks in the early morning I continued along some of the nicest, lushest forest I have seen in a while. The remaining Weeks mnts were fairly indistinguishable and by the time I'm almost to Mt Waumbek...wondering where the heck I was.... I realize that I'm about to walk up the heels of one very large porcupine!
This would not be a good thing. I stop and realize he still was unaware of my presence..I let him go ahead a few more feet before I spoke. Well that got his attention!! Amazing how big they can get when they bristle out all those quills!! He stopped turned around sat up on his (or her) haunches opened it's mouth (nice mini fangs) and sniffed the air. NOTHING...Though I was just a few feet away I was down wind to him... invisible... and this being my 3rd day out I was hardly fresh as a rose... (poor eye sight I guess) This wouldn't do...so sniffing the ground he takes a few steps towards me ..still nothing... a few more steps nope... not a thing. Well he is still about fifteen feet away but I thought maybe I should say some thing...then again perhaps not...What ever I said it was not the right thing because as soon as I said it he came charging down the trail at me!!
Well this certainly was a 1st for me. I hustled off the trail and went around him with thoughts of flying "ninja porcupines" avenging past deeds done wrong.
Ahhh. but is this the last I see of him?? Nosiree...because 10 minutes down the trail I find that I've lost my hat. I put down my pack and head back up the trail to meet.... you guessed... Mr Ninja himself.
This time I say nothing and I am even further away from him...Yet as I watched he stopped in his tracks and turned to a particular scraggly pine and climbed it in short order....a tree that I would not have thought climbable.
This being a day of realizations, I realized it probably was the benefit of being upwind from him... for there was no doubt he knew it was me ..Mr Third day out... I think I have seen friends wanting to do the same after about a week........
I merely had to pass directly under his tree..twice...to find my hat and ponder how many other times we have been watched from above by the secrect order of Ninja...
Yep, three days will set the mind to wandering......
spdr
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