woodsxc
New member
My mom flew out to visit me this weekend. She got in early Saturday evening and is going back around midday on Monday. In keeping with our family tradition of never going anywhere without going for at least one hike, we decided to go for a hike on Sunday. I quickly narrowed down the list of potential hikes to those within an hour's drive: Bradbury Mountain, Morse Mountain, Camden Hills, and Popham Beach. I knew that there was a BOC trip going to Morse today, so I crossed that off the list. Popham was pretty, but not great for hiking, and I had been to Bradbury this fall when my dad visited me. That left me Camden Hills.
I had been there late this fall, but it was cold, rainy, and foggy, obscuring the views. I was itching to go back in better weather and the forecast of clear skies and temperatures in the 50's sounded pretty darn good.
We left Brunswick around 10 and were on the trail by 11:45. We set off on the Megunticook Trail aiming for lunch on top of Megunticook. Both of us started out wearing light jackets but quickly switched to just long sleeve shirts. The beeches and maples have budded but haven't yet sprouted their leaves, giving us beautiful views of the ocean even on the lower parts of Mount Megunticook.
We made decent time up the hill, pausing to enjoy the warm sun and fresh air. Mom and I chatted as we went, me catching up on news from home and her on my times at college. There are few better ways to spend time with someone than on a hike.
When we got to the "Ocean Overlook", we stopped to drink in the views (panorama is on the way):
We (correctly) figured that this was about as good as it was going to get, so we sat down on a ledge and ate lunch there. We munched on apples and tuna-and-cheese pitas and watched the Turkey Vultures soar on thermals.
After lunch, my peakbagging instincts took hold and we headed up the half mile trail to the summit. The summit, an open rock ringed by 10-12 foot tall trees, was exactly as I remembered it from last time, and so we took off back the way we came. In the shade below the summit, some monorail remnants made for slippery footing but nothing impassible. A Golden-Crowned Kinglet gave us fits as it flitted around the trees, always seeming to land in the one place that we couldn't see it or where it was directly in line with the sun. Finally, he settled on a low branch and posed while we confirmed his identity.
When we arrived back at the overlook, we descended towards Mount Battie, enjoying the rocky outcrops and views of Megunticook's flank.
Interestingly enough, we passed Imzadi and her party as they were climbing the Ridge Trail. However, since neither of us had a VFTT banner prominently displayed, we didn't actually stop and talk.
From there, it was just a short jaunt on the Carriage trail and a mile of the Nature Trail. We had one run in with an awesome garter snake (at least in my opinion, Mom isn't so keen on snakes).
And that was the end of our hike. We arrived at the "hiker's parking lot" and walked another quarter mile down to the car and then we were off. All in all, it was an uneventful hike, but an excellent one none the less. It was nice to go back to the Hills in good weather as the views are fantastic, but more importantly, I got to spend a few hours in the woods with my mom. You don't need to hit a 4K peak to enjoy yourself in the woods, you just need the right company. We got to talking about summer plans and the possible destinations for our family backpack trip, and she sold me on Isle Royale, though I'd still like to go to the Smokies.
I had been there late this fall, but it was cold, rainy, and foggy, obscuring the views. I was itching to go back in better weather and the forecast of clear skies and temperatures in the 50's sounded pretty darn good.
We left Brunswick around 10 and were on the trail by 11:45. We set off on the Megunticook Trail aiming for lunch on top of Megunticook. Both of us started out wearing light jackets but quickly switched to just long sleeve shirts. The beeches and maples have budded but haven't yet sprouted their leaves, giving us beautiful views of the ocean even on the lower parts of Mount Megunticook.
We made decent time up the hill, pausing to enjoy the warm sun and fresh air. Mom and I chatted as we went, me catching up on news from home and her on my times at college. There are few better ways to spend time with someone than on a hike.
When we got to the "Ocean Overlook", we stopped to drink in the views (panorama is on the way):
We (correctly) figured that this was about as good as it was going to get, so we sat down on a ledge and ate lunch there. We munched on apples and tuna-and-cheese pitas and watched the Turkey Vultures soar on thermals.
After lunch, my peakbagging instincts took hold and we headed up the half mile trail to the summit. The summit, an open rock ringed by 10-12 foot tall trees, was exactly as I remembered it from last time, and so we took off back the way we came. In the shade below the summit, some monorail remnants made for slippery footing but nothing impassible. A Golden-Crowned Kinglet gave us fits as it flitted around the trees, always seeming to land in the one place that we couldn't see it or where it was directly in line with the sun. Finally, he settled on a low branch and posed while we confirmed his identity.
When we arrived back at the overlook, we descended towards Mount Battie, enjoying the rocky outcrops and views of Megunticook's flank.
Interestingly enough, we passed Imzadi and her party as they were climbing the Ridge Trail. However, since neither of us had a VFTT banner prominently displayed, we didn't actually stop and talk.
From there, it was just a short jaunt on the Carriage trail and a mile of the Nature Trail. We had one run in with an awesome garter snake (at least in my opinion, Mom isn't so keen on snakes).
And that was the end of our hike. We arrived at the "hiker's parking lot" and walked another quarter mile down to the car and then we were off. All in all, it was an uneventful hike, but an excellent one none the less. It was nice to go back to the Hills in good weather as the views are fantastic, but more importantly, I got to spend a few hours in the woods with my mom. You don't need to hit a 4K peak to enjoy yourself in the woods, you just need the right company. We got to talking about summer plans and the possible destinations for our family backpack trip, and she sold me on Isle Royale, though I'd still like to go to the Smokies.
