luv2hike
New member
We are planning on heading to BSP July 11 and we are going to hike No. Brother, Fort, So Brother and Coe. Knowing that Fort is a bushwhack is there anyone that can give us some helpful hints as to how to approach the hike?
Fort Mountain
- Thread starter luv2hike
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Wear LONG PANTS and LONG SLEEVES.
That said, Bob & Geri & Cantdog and I just did Fort last week. It's not really nasty at all. Take a good look at Fort when you're up on N. Brother to see where you're going, and then follow the cairns to the herd path. Keep your eyes on the ground and you should have no trouble following the path. There were surprisingly few blowdowns, considering it's technically a bushwhack, but the vegetation is tight and will scrape/scratch/cut the heck out of you. The footing is good except in a few select spots, particularly going up the face of Fort where there are huge "holes" between the boulders. Don't let a foot go through them. The route does wind around a bit up to Fort's summit because of the uneven surface. Coming down you'll see some old blazes that will get you on track easily.
The herd path does *not* follow the old trail shown on the older USGS maps.
If you're doing all the peaks in one trip, go counter-clockwise (up Coe first). The Mt. Coe trail goes right up a slide, so if you don't have dry conditions you should rethink your route.
It's a LONG day to do all 5 peaks (you have to resummit N. Brother to get back out). Start early and rested. There was no water from the ravine before the Coe Slide all the way until the S/N Brother col (N side of the trail junction), and no water between there and Fort. On the way down the Marston Trail, if you need water, go to the crossing just *after* the pond, not the little muddy one at the pond itself.
Check out Bob and Geri's trip report, and my pictures (go to the bottom of page 2 for the start of the Coe/Bros/Fort hike).
I hope you like blackflies.
That said, Bob & Geri & Cantdog and I just did Fort last week. It's not really nasty at all. Take a good look at Fort when you're up on N. Brother to see where you're going, and then follow the cairns to the herd path. Keep your eyes on the ground and you should have no trouble following the path. There were surprisingly few blowdowns, considering it's technically a bushwhack, but the vegetation is tight and will scrape/scratch/cut the heck out of you. The footing is good except in a few select spots, particularly going up the face of Fort where there are huge "holes" between the boulders. Don't let a foot go through them. The route does wind around a bit up to Fort's summit because of the uneven surface. Coming down you'll see some old blazes that will get you on track easily.
The herd path does *not* follow the old trail shown on the older USGS maps.
If you're doing all the peaks in one trip, go counter-clockwise (up Coe first). The Mt. Coe trail goes right up a slide, so if you don't have dry conditions you should rethink your route.
It's a LONG day to do all 5 peaks (you have to resummit N. Brother to get back out). Start early and rested. There was no water from the ravine before the Coe Slide all the way until the S/N Brother col (N side of the trail junction), and no water between there and Fort. On the way down the Marston Trail, if you need water, go to the crossing just *after* the pond, not the little muddy one at the pond itself.
Check out Bob and Geri's trip report, and my pictures (go to the bottom of page 2 for the start of the Coe/Bros/Fort hike).
I hope you like blackflies.
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It's not a bushwhack. Descending NoBro in the direction of the upper left Fort Mt. ridge, you'll see evidence of a path. Once it enters the scrub, it's immediately difficult to follow, but if you look down as you go, you'll find evidence of the path...broken twigs, footprints, treadway. The path splits from time to time where blowdown is encountered (which is frequent) but diligence and common sense will get you back to the path(s). As you finally break out of the broken woods onto the rocks going up Fort, make careful note of the location. The path's entrance to the woods here is harder to discern than on the NoBro side. Also: if you plan on wearing shorts, bring gaiters - or your shins will shed skin.
luv2hike
New member
MichaelJ said:Wear <a href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=1&k=long%20pants" onmouseover="window.status='<a href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=1&k=long%20pants" onmouseover="window.status='LONG PANTS'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">LONG PANTS</a>'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">LONG PANTS</a> and <a href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=1&k=long%20sleeves" onmouseover="window.status='<a href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=1&k=long%20sleeves" onmouseover="window.status='LONG SLEEVES'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">LONG SLEEVES</a>'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">LONG SLEEVES</a>.
That said, Bob & Geri & Cantdog and I just did Fort last week. It's not really nasty at all. Take a good look at Fort when you're up on N. Brother to see where you're going, and then follow the cairns to the herd path. Keep your eyes on the ground and you should have no trouble following the path. There were surprisingly few blowdowns, considering it's technically a bushwhack, but the vegetation is tight and will scrape/scratch/cut the heck out of you. The footing is good except in a few select spots, particularly going up the face of Fort where there are huge "holes" between the boulders. Don't let a foot go through them. The route does wind around a bit up to Fort's summit because of the uneven surface. Coming down you'll see some old blazes that will get you on track easily.
The herd path does *not* follow the old trail shown on the older USGS maps.
If you're doing all the peaks in one trip, go counter-clockwise (up Coe first). The Mt. Coe trail goes right up a slide, so if you don't have dry conditions you should rethink your route.
It's a LONG day to do all 5 peaks (you have to resummit N. Brother to get back out). Start early and rested. There was no water from the ravine before the Coe Slide all the way until the S/N Brother col (N side of the trail junction), and no water between there and Fort. On the way down the Marston Trail, if you need water, go to the crossing just *after* the pond, not the little muddy one at the pond itself.
Check out Bob and Geri's trip report, and my pictures (go to the bottom of page 2 for the start of the Coe/Bros/Fort hike).
I hope you like blackflies.
Michael J,
Thanks for the advice.
We hiked Redington from So. Crocker last week. Is this "bushwhack" similar to what we experienced going over to Redington? About how long did it take you to go over to Fort and back to No Brother? We have hiked the 48 4000' and are usually at or a bit quicker than book time.bobandgeri
Well-known member
It took us @ 1 Hour over and a little longer on the return. Redington was easier as it is not as over grown. From the Summit of N Brother - look a little to the left of Fort and you will see the carin marking the begining of the trail over. Just keep watching the ground and the trail is easy to follow, but it is very overgrown and you will be pushing your way through the spruce. As MichaelJ said - wear long pants and shirt to keep from becoming all scratched up. Ditto on the water situation - bring a filter! Fill up just before you start up the Coe slide at a stream and again when ever you can before the last part of the ascent up N. Brother.
We stopped for pics often and on the summits for 20 minutes or longer - the overall hike too us 11 hours at an easy pace. Be sure to do this on a dry day as the hike up Coe slide would be dangerous in wet conditions.
Have fun- BSP is a great place! Drive slow on the Tote road - we say moose each morning as we were driving to the hikes.
We stopped for pics often and on the summits for 20 minutes or longer - the overall hike too us 11 hours at an easy pace. Be sure to do this on a dry day as the hike up Coe slide would be dangerous in wet conditions.
Have fun- BSP is a great place! Drive slow on the Tote road - we say moose each morning as we were driving to the hikes.
vegematic
Active member
Great thread! I'm planning to do this same hike during the last week of July. I was thinking of throwing in O-J-I as well. It looks like a short scoot off the loop without adding too much vertical. Am I crazy for even considering it? I tallied up the total mileage and vertical including O-J-I and it came to about 13.5 miles and 5000 ft of climb (with estimates for the Fort whack) but do the trail conditions make it tougher than it sounds?
-vegematic
-vegematic
luv2hike
New member
Hmmm... we have always carried water in bottles or in our hydration packs. Sometimes we carry both bottle and the hydration pack if we think it will be a long trip. Do you think we should look into a filter system? We will have the opportunity to stop at Bean's on the trip up. If so, any recommendations on what we should purchase?
bobandgeri
Well-known member
When we were descending N Brother after having completed the Fort summit, we ran in to a you ng man in his mid to late 20's who was a much faster hiker that the 4 of us. We ran into him the next day and he told us it took him an hour in each direction to do Fort - plan on at least 2 hours added to your day!
I carried a 3 liter camelback and another 1 liter nalgine and needed to use the filter each day we hiked up at Baxter. We use the MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter and have had good luck with it. EMS, REI, and Beans all sell it for $79.95.
We saw several people running out of water the days we hiked - take a filter and be safe. FYI - if you are doing Baxter Peak from Hunt trail - the spring at Thoreau Springs is found .2 miles south on the Abol trail.
I carried a 3 liter camelback and another 1 liter nalgine and needed to use the filter each day we hiked up at Baxter. We use the MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter and have had good luck with it. EMS, REI, and Beans all sell it for $79.95.
We saw several people running out of water the days we hiked - take a filter and be safe. FYI - if you are doing Baxter Peak from Hunt trail - the spring at Thoreau Springs is found .2 miles south on the Abol trail.
luv2hike
New member
Not having had much experience in bushwhacking I am a bit worried about the trip over to Fort and back but everyone's advice has been extremely helpful and reassuring. We'll bring lots of water and hopefully we won't have to wander around amongst the spruce too much. The weather looks promising for Tuesday so I'm not concerned about the slides. I'm looking forward to the challenge!
Thank you!
Thank you!
What Bob & Geri said. This route was a bit easier to follow than the one over to Redington from S. Crocker. It wasn't as nice as that first stretch from the summit to the boundary cut, but it wasn't as unfollowable as the latter portions further down. As long as there are several of you and you stick reasonably close together, you should be fine. Just like with the descent off S. Crocker, there are one or two spots where you might suddenly think you're off the route; note where you are, push through the brush in front of you, and odds are it's right there. If it's not, a quick backup will get you back on the path.
As for water, well, there comes a point when carrying more water weight actually starts to hurt you more than help you. That's when it's time to think about a filter. The tradeoff, of course, is being sure the water is where you want it to be. I can guarantee the outlet from the pond on the Marston Trail 0.8 miles below the Brothers col at the Marston/Coe trail junction will have water to fill up on the way out after all 5 summits. But earlier, I only *think* that there will then be water shortly after this junction as you head up N. Brother, since it seemed to be a fairly steady flow and there were several different options, but I have no idea if it's regular or vanishes in dry weather.
In other words, I'd bring a filter and 3-4L each. And since you're not experienced with a filter, practice and try it out first. If you don't have that opportunity, bring 4-5L each, especially given the Millinocket forecast of 79F and sunny.
Phew, I'm feeling awfully verbose today.
(oh, for a filter, either the Pur Hiker or the MSR Miniworks; they each have their own pros and cons but those two seem to be the most popular and common)
As for water, well, there comes a point when carrying more water weight actually starts to hurt you more than help you. That's when it's time to think about a filter. The tradeoff, of course, is being sure the water is where you want it to be. I can guarantee the outlet from the pond on the Marston Trail 0.8 miles below the Brothers col at the Marston/Coe trail junction will have water to fill up on the way out after all 5 summits. But earlier, I only *think* that there will then be water shortly after this junction as you head up N. Brother, since it seemed to be a fairly steady flow and there were several different options, but I have no idea if it's regular or vanishes in dry weather.
In other words, I'd bring a filter and 3-4L each. And since you're not experienced with a filter, practice and try it out first. If you don't have that opportunity, bring 4-5L each, especially given the Millinocket forecast of 79F and sunny.
Phew, I'm feeling awfully verbose today.
(oh, for a filter, either the Pur Hiker or the MSR Miniworks; they each have their own pros and cons but those two seem to be the most popular and common)
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arm
Well-known member
my first water filter was a sweetwater, which w*rked fine, but was not real sturdy - the handle broke so i fixed it by buying another filter
picked up an MSR miniw*rks, which never filtered well ... if you attach it to a nalgene bottle tightly, it wouldn't pump well ... if you loosen it, it would pump well but would spill water all over the place
katadyn guide filter filters much better than the others ... 25-30 pumps per liter ... it cranks, and it's as sturdy as a brick loaf shack
picked up an MSR miniw*rks, which never filtered well ... if you attach it to a nalgene bottle tightly, it wouldn't pump well ... if you loosen it, it would pump well but would spill water all over the place
katadyn guide filter filters much better than the others ... 25-30 pumps per liter ... it cranks, and it's as sturdy as a brick loaf shack
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SherpaKroto
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DEFINITELY watch where you leave the scrub on the final push to Fort. If you miss the faint herd path on the return, you will find yourself off the corridor and in thick spruce.
Arm and bigmoose are right about the path. Where the cairn marsk a hard left, look slightly right as you head to Fort and you will see the true route. If you keep your eyes open, it is relatively easy to find your way over to Fort.
One last note: there are some strange forces at work in BSP making compass use more difficult. I've seen my compass off by a good 30 degrees on more than one occasion. Still, take a good compass bearing, but pay close attention to your surroundings as the bearing may not be that dependable. The site lines to and from Fort are good, so with patience, a good sense of direction, and observation, the trip to and back is not bad at all. 2 hour RT is a good estimate.
vegematic: I was gassed after finishing the Marston Loop (with Fort). We did it in a clockwise fashion (ascending North Brother first). Fort takes a lot out of you, and the loop feels a lot longer than it looks on paper. We went clockwise as it was September, and we did not want to risk being on Fort nearing dusk. Otherwise, I'd got counterclockwise in order to climb the Coe Slide (a darn impressive sight!)
Oh yeah: watch out for headhunters! Those nasty guys love to catch you while you are looking down to follow the path!
Good luck to all!
Arm and bigmoose are right about the path. Where the cairn marsk a hard left, look slightly right as you head to Fort and you will see the true route. If you keep your eyes open, it is relatively easy to find your way over to Fort.
One last note: there are some strange forces at work in BSP making compass use more difficult. I've seen my compass off by a good 30 degrees on more than one occasion. Still, take a good compass bearing, but pay close attention to your surroundings as the bearing may not be that dependable. The site lines to and from Fort are good, so with patience, a good sense of direction, and observation, the trip to and back is not bad at all. 2 hour RT is a good estimate.
vegematic: I was gassed after finishing the Marston Loop (with Fort). We did it in a clockwise fashion (ascending North Brother first). Fort takes a lot out of you, and the loop feels a lot longer than it looks on paper. We went clockwise as it was September, and we did not want to risk being on Fort nearing dusk. Otherwise, I'd got counterclockwise in order to climb the Coe Slide (a darn impressive sight!)
Oh yeah: watch out for headhunters! Those nasty guys love to catch you while you are looking down to follow the path!
Good luck to all!
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dms
Active member
If you have time, and are so inclined, there is a plane wreck site just south of the east peak of Fort, there is a faint trail to it. You can see the wreckage from N. Brother.
D'oh!
Well, *I'm* not going back.
The radio from the wreck is sitting on the summit of Fort; it's in one of Bob's pictures.
I was 4th in line so I didn't even notice this, I just followed the other three. Bob? You were leading ... what caught your eye to make the turn, because I know we started by following the cairns.
Arm - as for the Miniworks, there's a small notch or hole that's supposed to let the air out of the Nalgene as you pump water in. Sounds like it was malformed, given the problems you had.
Well, *I'm* not going back.
The radio from the wreck is sitting on the summit of Fort; it's in one of Bob's pictures.
I was 4th in line so I didn't even notice this, I just followed the other three. Bob? You were leading ... what caught your eye to make the turn, because I know we started by following the cairns.
Arm - as for the Miniworks, there's a small notch or hole that's supposed to let the air out of the Nalgene as you pump water in. Sounds like it was malformed, given the problems you had.
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bobandgeri
Well-known member
We started out following the carins at the top of N Brother - the first was found by looking just to the left of the west peak on Fort. As passed the carins you could start to see a well worn trail on the ground that led into the spruce. Just keep watching the ground and you will have no problem following the trail - when you come to a blow down - go over it - or if you go around be sure to look for the trail on the ground again. It is well defined on the ground but very over grown in sections - other sections open up more but you should still follow the trail on the ground.
On the return trip you are assisted by red and white markings on trees.
Arm - you MSR may be defective - we've had ours for several years and not had any issues. When clogged it needs to be cleaned with the scrub pad provided with it.
On the return trip you are assisted by red and white markings on trees.
Arm - you MSR may be defective - we've had ours for several years and not had any issues. When clogged it needs to be cleaned with the scrub pad provided with it.
