North Bald Cap, Mount Success, Lary Flume (Mahoosic Range) on 6/26/2016

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North Bald Cap, Mount Success and Lary Flume (Mahoosic Range)
Date of Hike: 6/26/2016

Random Group of Hikers, party of 9. We spotted cars at the Mt. Success Trail off Success Pond Road (the road was in decent shape, recently graded but a little washboard-y), then drove a few cars up the logging road that runs southerly from Success Pond Road to the northeast side of North Bald Cap. I was easily able to get all the way up it with my Honda Fit. We hiked through overgrown skid trails a short distance nearly to the NE base of the cliff, picked up a well beaten rock climber's approach trail to the base of the first cliff and beneath it where the trail ended. From there we hiked up the steep deciduous wooded gully between the first & second cliff. Would probably have had it easier if we bushed up through woods behind the 1st cliff instead but didn't want to backtrack at that point. From the top of the gully we found ample moose trails through the woods along the ridgecrest that took us to the upper series of ledges above the main precipice, then followed the mostly open ledges S. along contour using aerial imagery & GPS to keep on rock and out of krummholz, to the S. side of the summit. From there it was all open ledges to ascend to within 20' feet of the summit where there is a mason jar tied to a tree in a woods patch beyond a ledge cairn. We then bushed SE and E down to the A.T. over ledge, then open woods, then a nasty short section of stick timber, to the N side of a somewhat overgrown clearcut with well beaten moose paths through it, then to the A.T. in the woods just beyond the clearcut. We hiked the A.T. south to Gentian Pond, then backtracked N. on the A.T. a short distance, bushwhacked E. though mostly open woods near even contour to the base of Lary Flume, hiked up through the ravine and over mossy rocks to a point near the top, then cut back to the A.T., thence over Mt. Success & down Success Trail to our cars. Lots of Cotton Grass & Labrador Tea in bloom on Success. The A.T., Success Trail, and Overlook loop were in good shape with a few rotted bog bridge segments. We also took the side trip to the plane crash site along a flagged route just off the first lower summit clearing one reaches ascending Success from the south on the A.T. The remains are quite substantial, a large passenger plane. The herd path to the plane crash, which partially follows the NPS A.T. boundary cut (yellow blazes) is well beaten and very easy to follow.

It was our original intent to also do the Dream Lake/ Dryad Falls loop option with a side trip to Bald Cap Peak (where there is a newly blazed & signed trail) but the 90-ish degree heat got the best of us & we opted for more swimming time at Gentian. Dropoff views from the top of North Bald Cap were well worth the abuse. Larry Flume had no water flowing above ground, probably on account of drought, but the ravine was a lot of fun, cool temps and not very hard to get to. Still ice in some of the holes.

Shoeless Paul [email protected]
Photos pending: http://www.meetup.com/random-hikers/events/231955248/
 
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