TroutBumNH
Member
I got out of Portsmouth at 5:30am to get up to Mount Cabot.. #45 for me. It was quite foggy getting up to Berlin from the seacoast, and relatively slow going. I made the hatchery gate and beyond, and parked at the little lot for the Unknown Pond Trail. I crossed the road and walked the .2 miles up the York Pond Trail to the Bunnell Notch Trail. I left the car at 8:45.
My route was to be Bunnell Notch to Kilkenny Ridge to Unknown Pond. Bunnell Notch was easy to follow and not particularly muddy... probably due to increasing use. It was an easy walk along a brook up to the col, and before I knew it, I found myself at the intersection with the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. It's an easy sidehill traverse to 90-degree right at signed-yet-closed Cabot Trail, and from there it's a set of long, gradual-but-steady switchbacks up the side of Cabot. The boy scout cabin appears quite suddenly. It's small and simple, and must be quite a refuge on a rainy night! The views were very nice from the cabin, but I wanted to keep my pace going, so I pushed on.
As often reported, the peak of Cabot itself is nothing too special... except that it's a 4000-footer, and for me, number 45 towards a long term goal. I tagged the sign, and after a brief chat with two very pleasant women who had poached the Cabot Trail, chose to keep moving before a true break.
I rolled over the Bulge, and found the side path to the Horn. I scrambled to the top of the Horn, to be treated to unbelievable views. So thank you to the regulars for convincing me to make a .6 mile side trip! (Like Tom & Atticus, I read these forums all the time, yet don't contribute very frequently. Well, Tom, I've decided to participate more and not lurk so much based upon your post. So thanks for that!) I enjoyed a snack and some water and enjoyed the sun and the views for a while before moving on.
The trip out was uneventful. There's a lot of rocky sidehill on Kilkenny on the way down to Unknown Pond from the Horn side trail. Also, there's some mud on the flats and ups and downs before the pond, but not much. The Unknown Pond trail veers off the Kilkenny Ridge trail (seems like it would've been easy to pass)after following the pond's shore for a bit. After hiking up and walking on rocks/roots for a good chunk of the day, the Unknown Pond trail made for *great* footing for the trek out. I got into a great zone and walked out in good time. There were long stretches of just sand/soil and not as many rocks/roots. Not too far below the pond you walk on slopes that are open and fern filled with birches. Just a little bit different, and very cool to descend through. Otherwise, it was a very gentle walk back to the Subaru.
Adding book distances, I walked 11.7 miles in 5 hours. Not too bad considering a long lunch on the Horn. I checked the back of my WMG and saw that I started putting in dates '97, then started actually trying to hit the list in 1999. Well, it's down to Zealand, West Bond, and Isolation. I did a Bond Traverse in 1999, but was with a friend who got to feeling sick, so we went to Guyot, then bailed the next day. I figured I'd come back the next week, and now here I am (!!).
I might shoot up there tomorrow to do a Lincoln Woods to Zealand traverse, and bag West Bond and Zealand in the process. Then it will be Isolation when the weather looks right, and a cold bottle of some Dogfish Head product to celebrate #48! Afterwards, I look forward to not using a list for a while except for the one in my head of 'my favorites' that deserve another visit... and soon, i'm sure i'll start contemplating things like the numer 67 and these same 48 between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.... good stuff!
Again, echoing Tom & Atticus, thank you to the whole VFTT community for the wealth of information these forums provide! Sometimes when I feel I'm obsessed, I come to the forums and feel right at home! ;-)
Mike
My route was to be Bunnell Notch to Kilkenny Ridge to Unknown Pond. Bunnell Notch was easy to follow and not particularly muddy... probably due to increasing use. It was an easy walk along a brook up to the col, and before I knew it, I found myself at the intersection with the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. It's an easy sidehill traverse to 90-degree right at signed-yet-closed Cabot Trail, and from there it's a set of long, gradual-but-steady switchbacks up the side of Cabot. The boy scout cabin appears quite suddenly. It's small and simple, and must be quite a refuge on a rainy night! The views were very nice from the cabin, but I wanted to keep my pace going, so I pushed on.
As often reported, the peak of Cabot itself is nothing too special... except that it's a 4000-footer, and for me, number 45 towards a long term goal. I tagged the sign, and after a brief chat with two very pleasant women who had poached the Cabot Trail, chose to keep moving before a true break.
I rolled over the Bulge, and found the side path to the Horn. I scrambled to the top of the Horn, to be treated to unbelievable views. So thank you to the regulars for convincing me to make a .6 mile side trip! (Like Tom & Atticus, I read these forums all the time, yet don't contribute very frequently. Well, Tom, I've decided to participate more and not lurk so much based upon your post. So thanks for that!) I enjoyed a snack and some water and enjoyed the sun and the views for a while before moving on.
The trip out was uneventful. There's a lot of rocky sidehill on Kilkenny on the way down to Unknown Pond from the Horn side trail. Also, there's some mud on the flats and ups and downs before the pond, but not much. The Unknown Pond trail veers off the Kilkenny Ridge trail (seems like it would've been easy to pass)after following the pond's shore for a bit. After hiking up and walking on rocks/roots for a good chunk of the day, the Unknown Pond trail made for *great* footing for the trek out. I got into a great zone and walked out in good time. There were long stretches of just sand/soil and not as many rocks/roots. Not too far below the pond you walk on slopes that are open and fern filled with birches. Just a little bit different, and very cool to descend through. Otherwise, it was a very gentle walk back to the Subaru.
Adding book distances, I walked 11.7 miles in 5 hours. Not too bad considering a long lunch on the Horn. I checked the back of my WMG and saw that I started putting in dates '97, then started actually trying to hit the list in 1999. Well, it's down to Zealand, West Bond, and Isolation. I did a Bond Traverse in 1999, but was with a friend who got to feeling sick, so we went to Guyot, then bailed the next day. I figured I'd come back the next week, and now here I am (!!).
I might shoot up there tomorrow to do a Lincoln Woods to Zealand traverse, and bag West Bond and Zealand in the process. Then it will be Isolation when the weather looks right, and a cold bottle of some Dogfish Head product to celebrate #48! Afterwards, I look forward to not using a list for a while except for the one in my head of 'my favorites' that deserve another visit... and soon, i'm sure i'll start contemplating things like the numer 67 and these same 48 between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.... good stuff!
Again, echoing Tom & Atticus, thank you to the whole VFTT community for the wealth of information these forums provide! Sometimes when I feel I'm obsessed, I come to the forums and feel right at home! ;-)
Mike
Damn! I'm hiking Cabot this Sunday if all goes to plan and I've been hoping the bridge would still be there. No such luck, I just saw this posted yesterday in "trail conditions":
