Doubletop (Maine) 11 Aug. 2015

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Joined
Jan 15, 2013
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Location
Vernon, Conn.
On Tuesday during my stay at the Baxter Bash I climbed Doubletop solo. Unlike my other hikes during the bash for that one I was under, or in, stratus clouds the whole time.

Lori was nice enough to help with the car spot, driving to Nesowadnehunk Field, where I parked my car, and then driving me to the southern trailhead right after where the Kidney Pond Road crosses Nesowadnehunk Stream.

There were a few overgrown stretches of trail near the beginning, but it soon became an easy fairly flat woods walk, until it became a very steep woods walk. Estimating from the map, it looks like a two mile section where you gain 2000 feet, which is about what it seemed.

After a while I got to an area where the trees were short enough to give unobstructed views of the inside of the cloud. Then when I got to the ridge there was sign pointing to the right with the text "Kidney Ponds Camp". I thought that was strange, since I'd though Kidney Ponds were behind me, but I went to the right, up on what I assumed was South Doubletop. This was a rocky outcrop which undoubtedly has great views when you're not in a cloud.

Then I tried to continue to North Doubletop. But I couldn't find the trail. There were no blazes of cairns to be seen, and though there were several possibilities, all of them ended in a spot which was either the top of a cliff or a place where I refused to proceed, thinking they couldn't possibly have intended hikers to do a trail that dangerous. I was starting to get really stressed out here, thinking I'd have to turn around and go back, and that since the north peak was the NEFF peak I'd miss my goal. Eventually I pulled out my compass just as a sanity check and saw that north was 180° away from what I thought. So I turned around, and when I got to the sign I saw that way I should have gone was totally obvious.

What I should have thought when I saw that sign is, "That sign is pointing to where I came from, so it's for people headed the other way. It's obviously fallen off where it was attached and is now oriented arbitrarily. However, it's clear that southbounders should turn right here, so I should turn left. Maybe I should look to my left and see if I can see a blaze." If I had done that I would have saved myself a lot of trouble.

Anyway, back on trail it was an easy hike up to the south peak, and then down to the col and back up to the north peak. After that the descent down to Nesowadnehunk Field is alternately gentle and steep, but with the steep sections shorter and not as severe as on the other side.

It had rained a little bit while I was on the higher elevations, but didn't start raining hard until I was maybe a half mile from the trailhead.

Then I drove back to Foster Field and enjoyed an evening under the tarp with my fellow bashers.

Doubletop was number 49 for the New England Fifty Finest list. All I have left is Gore.

Here are the pictures.

--

Cumulus

NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 22/115 (17/67, 5/46, 0/2)
NEFF: 49/50; Cat35: 36/39; WNH4K: 36/48; NEHH 81/100
LT NB 2009

"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll
 
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