First trip report:
My yellow lab, a buddy (Ryan), and I started out at the Grafton Notch AT parking lot on August 20th. Not a cloud in the sky, a little bit of cooler fall morning air burning off, we knew the sun was going to shine and it would probably heat up in a bit. With the dog, we didn't want to do the steeper but shorter Eyebrow trail, so we stuck to the normal route and headed up the 4.0 mile summit trail to the look-out on Old Speck Mountain (4,170 ft). Fresh legs and some excitement powered us up in a hurry stopping only a couple times at the rock outcrops for a quick splash and some scenery.
The view from the top of Old Speck is solid. You can certainly trace the entire Grafton Notch Loop from up here, around the two Baldpates to Long Mountain and Puzzle Mountain on the eastern side of Rt 26. And on the western side down the ridge of Old Speck over to Slide Mountain and Sunday Rivers White Cap (Not the Ski Area, simply another mountain peak). The western side was our original plan, with a car parked at both ends and two free days, this seemed like a great short option.
However, it was during our break at Old Speck that Ryan noticed his Asolo boots starting to show their age. He noticed that the heel of his right sole was peeling off the upper. Literally the ONE peice of gear you cannot go without, at the 4 mile mark of a 19.7 mile plan, this was a time to make a judgement call. So we headed down the steeps to Speck Pond (~1.1m). The original plan was that this detour would be a good water source and short miles for an amazing spot. Ryan had been here some 12 years ago on a High School trip and knew it was a pretty amazing place.
The descent into Speck Pond only showed his Boots who was boss, by the time we made the campsite, a repair or fix was definitely needed. Without a large tube of Shoe-Goo, or multiple packs of Super-Glue, we were going to be ductaping Crocs to his feet for the hike out. Out of options, and concerns of making it the full 19.7m stretch, we decided to snag a campsite and enjoy a Sunset.
For those that haven't been to Speck Pond, it is a MUST. A decent size pond with some fishable small Brown Trout, it sits at roughly 2,500 feet between a couple of small peaks just off of Mahoosuc Notch. An awesome AT stopping point, with fresh mountain spring water, privy, leanto, and six raised platform campsites, its easy to be comfortable here. By nightfall there was a family of four, three solo AT section hikers, a dozen Harvard Freshman oreintation college kids, and a 10-pack of Outward Bound kids in camp. Certainly a common stopping point. However, the campsites are a respectable distance apart, and noise was not a problem for us.
Day Two unfortunately saw us simply trek back the same Speck Pond Trail, to Old Speck to the Grafton Notch AT Parking Lot. We never did make it to the original destination as the boots simply failed. Boot number two showing its teeth on the way down Wednesday. A few pictures are below, definitely an awesome two day hike even though it was cut a little shorter.
Highly recommend bagging both Old Speck and stopping at Speck Pond. Great spots in the Northeast.
Ryan and I on the steeps between Speck Pond and Old Speck Mtn
Speck Pond #6
Attempted Boot Fix
One Mile from the Car, these were truly done
My yellow lab, a buddy (Ryan), and I started out at the Grafton Notch AT parking lot on August 20th. Not a cloud in the sky, a little bit of cooler fall morning air burning off, we knew the sun was going to shine and it would probably heat up in a bit. With the dog, we didn't want to do the steeper but shorter Eyebrow trail, so we stuck to the normal route and headed up the 4.0 mile summit trail to the look-out on Old Speck Mountain (4,170 ft). Fresh legs and some excitement powered us up in a hurry stopping only a couple times at the rock outcrops for a quick splash and some scenery.
The view from the top of Old Speck is solid. You can certainly trace the entire Grafton Notch Loop from up here, around the two Baldpates to Long Mountain and Puzzle Mountain on the eastern side of Rt 26. And on the western side down the ridge of Old Speck over to Slide Mountain and Sunday Rivers White Cap (Not the Ski Area, simply another mountain peak). The western side was our original plan, with a car parked at both ends and two free days, this seemed like a great short option.
However, it was during our break at Old Speck that Ryan noticed his Asolo boots starting to show their age. He noticed that the heel of his right sole was peeling off the upper. Literally the ONE peice of gear you cannot go without, at the 4 mile mark of a 19.7 mile plan, this was a time to make a judgement call. So we headed down the steeps to Speck Pond (~1.1m). The original plan was that this detour would be a good water source and short miles for an amazing spot. Ryan had been here some 12 years ago on a High School trip and knew it was a pretty amazing place.
The descent into Speck Pond only showed his Boots who was boss, by the time we made the campsite, a repair or fix was definitely needed. Without a large tube of Shoe-Goo, or multiple packs of Super-Glue, we were going to be ductaping Crocs to his feet for the hike out. Out of options, and concerns of making it the full 19.7m stretch, we decided to snag a campsite and enjoy a Sunset.
For those that haven't been to Speck Pond, it is a MUST. A decent size pond with some fishable small Brown Trout, it sits at roughly 2,500 feet between a couple of small peaks just off of Mahoosuc Notch. An awesome AT stopping point, with fresh mountain spring water, privy, leanto, and six raised platform campsites, its easy to be comfortable here. By nightfall there was a family of four, three solo AT section hikers, a dozen Harvard Freshman oreintation college kids, and a 10-pack of Outward Bound kids in camp. Certainly a common stopping point. However, the campsites are a respectable distance apart, and noise was not a problem for us.
Day Two unfortunately saw us simply trek back the same Speck Pond Trail, to Old Speck to the Grafton Notch AT Parking Lot. We never did make it to the original destination as the boots simply failed. Boot number two showing its teeth on the way down Wednesday. A few pictures are below, definitely an awesome two day hike even though it was cut a little shorter.
Highly recommend bagging both Old Speck and stopping at Speck Pond. Great spots in the Northeast.
Ryan and I on the steeps between Speck Pond and Old Speck Mtn
Speck Pond #6
Attempted Boot Fix
One Mile from the Car, these were truly done
