buckyball1
New member
ah, where to start on this one?...and the difference 2 years makes.....in July? 2010, i quit in the middle of this hike, didn't go in the woods for over 2 months and considered stopping "serious" peakbagging altogether......today, the hike was a joy
The weather has been bad of late and i was hoping to squeeze in a hike before forecast rain for day began..left at 3AM; down Rt 95 from Orrington, off Exit 132 at Waterville, up 14/139 to Norridgewok, Rt 201A to Madison, thru North Anson, swing onto Rt 16 thru North New Portland and to Kingfield. --see Delorme page 29 for hike region
Owl's Head-2977' and Black Nubble-2902'..so many mountains with these names-there are 3 Black Nubble on my highest 300 x ME P list----I swung west on W.Kingfield road, north on dirt Blanchard Rd and onto Day Pond Rd toward base of Owl's Head.
When i was in here in 2010, the road wasn't too bad, but today it was a disgrace. I'm used to old dirt roads long abandoned, disintegrating and impassable, but this is a "working road" to an ongoing logging operation--it's a mess. I should never have persevered the last 5-6 miles in, but just gone home..rutted, muddy, undercarriage bashing center strip, slash on the road itself, large rocks you had to maneuver around all the time, many sharp rocks freshly turned ..almost like the road was deliberately this way. I usually have comments of thanks for the logging roads that go way back in and the effort needed to maintain them, but this.....ok, enuff of that...just don't expect to get back there easily right now..don't even consider a low clearance car....ah, but one more thing, there's an "open center" small bridge you need to cross-- have to line up your tires with the boards across and NOT dip a wheel off to the center, nothing there..i was nuts to cross it..soon after this i parked and started to walk the rest of the road.
When i "failed" on this hike in 2010, i went straight up the south face of Owl's Head (the accepted "winter route" i guess). It was steep and very rocky with leg swallowing holes everywhere. Hot, swarmed by bugs and making slow progress, i said "why am i doing this" and descended from 1/2 way up. Today i used a route suggest to me by Carl C and it was superb--big thank you Carl.
Overcast skies, 50 degrees, some fog and mist. I headed toward the northeast end of the col between the two peaks--relatively easy going. From an open woods, delightful col i swing up the side of Owl's Head; bit steep in spots, but again good going..so different from the "south face". Because of the terrain and racing the impending rain, i was able to really hammer today, the first all out effort since i was injured last year--sweat pouring off me, so happy, no problems-delighted to punish myself
. The woods remained easy to the cone of Owl's Head which was a large jumble of medium to small rock and required a bit of care. I had some views off and on through the fog, but when i summitted, total soup. I found the jar (JPs red cordstring, possible a newer jar? (there was a second old, waterfilled jar just below in a pile of rock) my guess is the second jar was JPs original--fairly recent signers in the new jar since included Carl, Oncoman, and Pin Pin. I suspect Herb, Glenn, Markie and others may be unreadable in the older jar.
There was 4 bar cell service at the summit and i called my wife to tell her i was fine..able to leave periodic updates all morning, a rare occurrence. Fast, easy descent back to the col and headed out to run the long ridge to Black Nubble--jar is on south tip..The col sports new logging activity and is easy hiking. As you head up the ridge and over the bumps, the woods are mostly open. The are a lot of blowdowns, but in the open and "hurdlable" with no problems--they do take a toll on the legs eventually. It's like this the entire way to Black Nubble--you can really move quickly if you choose. I think this is the longest stretch of open woods i can remember on any Maine peak of reasonable height. Can you tell i was loving this-and still no rain.
Found the jar easily, my new eyes could see it from a distance ----almost surely a replacement jar hung with the original string--it's just waay to large and new looking for an original--signers in jar were many of the same group mentioned on Owl's Head--perhaps peak height a bit too "low" for some of them to wander across the ridge.--wooded top, no views. I headed down the east face of Black Nubble toward a logging area i had seen on the sat pics--1200+ feet to descend pretty quickly, so steepish and again lots of blowdown, but open and easy going with requisite care.
Back at the car, headed out the logging road and realized it was indeed so bad that it wasn't prudent to drive in ....but i had a great time on the hike--it's a keeper and Owl's Head would normally provide excellent 360 views of many sizable peaks in Bigelow, Sugarloaf, Abraham area.
jim
The weather has been bad of late and i was hoping to squeeze in a hike before forecast rain for day began..left at 3AM; down Rt 95 from Orrington, off Exit 132 at Waterville, up 14/139 to Norridgewok, Rt 201A to Madison, thru North Anson, swing onto Rt 16 thru North New Portland and to Kingfield. --see Delorme page 29 for hike region
Owl's Head-2977' and Black Nubble-2902'..so many mountains with these names-there are 3 Black Nubble on my highest 300 x ME P list----I swung west on W.Kingfield road, north on dirt Blanchard Rd and onto Day Pond Rd toward base of Owl's Head.
When i was in here in 2010, the road wasn't too bad, but today it was a disgrace. I'm used to old dirt roads long abandoned, disintegrating and impassable, but this is a "working road" to an ongoing logging operation--it's a mess. I should never have persevered the last 5-6 miles in, but just gone home..rutted, muddy, undercarriage bashing center strip, slash on the road itself, large rocks you had to maneuver around all the time, many sharp rocks freshly turned ..almost like the road was deliberately this way. I usually have comments of thanks for the logging roads that go way back in and the effort needed to maintain them, but this.....ok, enuff of that...just don't expect to get back there easily right now..don't even consider a low clearance car....ah, but one more thing, there's an "open center" small bridge you need to cross-- have to line up your tires with the boards across and NOT dip a wheel off to the center, nothing there..i was nuts to cross it..soon after this i parked and started to walk the rest of the road.
When i "failed" on this hike in 2010, i went straight up the south face of Owl's Head (the accepted "winter route" i guess). It was steep and very rocky with leg swallowing holes everywhere. Hot, swarmed by bugs and making slow progress, i said "why am i doing this" and descended from 1/2 way up. Today i used a route suggest to me by Carl C and it was superb--big thank you Carl.
Overcast skies, 50 degrees, some fog and mist. I headed toward the northeast end of the col between the two peaks--relatively easy going. From an open woods, delightful col i swing up the side of Owl's Head; bit steep in spots, but again good going..so different from the "south face". Because of the terrain and racing the impending rain, i was able to really hammer today, the first all out effort since i was injured last year--sweat pouring off me, so happy, no problems-delighted to punish myself
. The woods remained easy to the cone of Owl's Head which was a large jumble of medium to small rock and required a bit of care. I had some views off and on through the fog, but when i summitted, total soup. I found the jar (JPs red cordstring, possible a newer jar? (there was a second old, waterfilled jar just below in a pile of rock) my guess is the second jar was JPs original--fairly recent signers in the new jar since included Carl, Oncoman, and Pin Pin. I suspect Herb, Glenn, Markie and others may be unreadable in the older jar.There was 4 bar cell service at the summit
and i called my wife to tell her i was fine..able to leave periodic updates all morning, a rare occurrence. Fast, easy descent back to the col and headed out to run the long ridge to Black Nubble--jar is on south tip..The col sports new logging activity and is easy hiking. As you head up the ridge and over the bumps, the woods are mostly open. The are a lot of blowdowns, but in the open and "hurdlable" with no problems--they do take a toll on the legs eventually. It's like this the entire way to Black Nubble--you can really move quickly if you choose. I think this is the longest stretch of open woods i can remember on any Maine peak of reasonable height. Can you tell i was loving this-and still no rain.Found the jar easily, my new eyes could see it from a distance ----almost surely a replacement jar hung with the original string--it's just waay to large and new looking for an original--signers in jar were many of the same group mentioned on Owl's Head--perhaps peak height a bit too "low" for some of them to wander across the ridge.--wooded top, no views. I headed down the east face of Black Nubble toward a logging area i had seen on the sat pics--1200+ feet to descend pretty quickly, so steepish and again lots of blowdown, but open and easy going with requisite care.
Back at the car, headed out the logging road and realized it was indeed so bad that it wasn't prudent to drive in ....but i had a great time on the hike--it's a keeper and Owl's Head would normally provide excellent 360 views of many sizable peaks in Bigelow, Sugarloaf, Abraham area.
jim
