Guilford and Russell (Blanchard)-ME

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buckyball1

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Joined
May 18, 2005
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Location
Orrington, ME
small, pretty obscure peaks--had found no beta and was fortunate that logistics worked better than could be expected

Guilford 1325' --near N Guilford (just a week ago, i was enjoying views at 14,200' and today i'm trying 1325' :) )

Access to Guilford is off Rt 150 just north of North Guilford on a dirt road that runs between Second and Third Davis Ponds. I was spared a long road walk as the "locked gate" near Rt 150 was open due to logging activity (careful, the pulp trucks are rolling at high speed right now). You can drive toward the peak on logging roads as far as you dare-i parked a bit over a mile from the summit.

The ascent was fairly easy on a variety of log roads, skid trails and an easy 'whack section-only problems were head high, thick soft growth and brambles on some skid trails and hidden logs and rocks at your feet. There is a set of small easily navigated cliffs before the summit and a "humpy", rounded rock spine on the summit ridge-careful, the "top" is not at the cairn, but further east just before a small building and what i suspect is a repeater tower (not a cell tower or wind measurement device)--there is a USGS disk with "BM" designation--no name, no elevation

I then swung over through Monson to Blanchard for

Russell 2190' (not Little Russell, the fire tower peak or Russell across from Little Russell)--As you pass through Blanchard (a very rapid occurrence), you can drive in a few miles on Mountain Rd and then park and 'whack for the summit. The local road crew was grading the road which always makes for interesting travel. I parked at a spot about 0.85 miles and 700' vertical feet from the top.

This was another of those "pretty nice" 'whacks with fairly open woods and a maze of old "contouring" log roads which allowed you to piece together a good route to the summit. The level top is fairly open and has a number of rock ledges-very mellow. There's a USGS disc ("Reference" type) and some pretty nice views to the SW, W, WNW-(Bigelows, Crockers, Sugarloaf, Abraham, Saddleback, etc i think)--the USGS disks show up with regularity on many of even the "small" prominence peaks

It was only 11 when I finished and I wished I'd prepped another peak or two, but instead headed toward Greenville to check out approach roads for future hikes. I was fortunate to run into Chris Keene (he's done a book on hiking in that area) and received ideas for Scammon, Blure Ridge, Elephant (Greenville), and Prong while he picked my brain for info on places I'd hiked-good exchange.

nice, easy day
time to batten down for tomorrow's rain

jim
 
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