Grafton Loop Trail (GLT) Backpack Trip - LONG

[chomp]

Grafton Loop Trail (GLT) Backpack Trip; now w/ Photos.

Here are the photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/chompat99/GraftonLoopTrail


Preparation:

Seeing that the weather was going to be really nice up north this weekend, I decided to finally hit the Grafton Loop Trail for the long weekend. I had been dying to do this loop for a couple of years now, but things just hadn’t worked out either schedule-wise or weather-wise. For those unfamiliar, the GLT is a 38.6 mile loop in Maine that departs from Old Speck to the south over Sunday River Whitecap, Stowe Mtn and Bald Mtn. It then crosses Route 26, and goes over Puzzle Mtn, Long Mtn, Lightening Ledge and Baldpate. From there, the Appalachian Trail connects Baldpate to Old Speck.

I decided to hike the loop clockwise from the southern trailhead, planning on roughly a 10 mile day to start. This would put me on the newest part of the loop first, and give me a somewhat easy day to get going especially considering my late start. The western side is the part constructed by the AMC. In the beginning, the trail follows a snowmobile trail, which is very muddy and makes for difficult walking. In fact, a LOT of this trail was very muddy, but water seemed abundant considering it was the middle of summer. I think in a more normal year, conditions would be better.

 

[chomp]

Day 1: GLT Clockwise to Slide Mountain Campsite

Anyway, the trail doesn’t stay on the snowmobile trail for long. Just about the time where I was questioning if I was still on the GLT, a sign noted that it turns off to the right. For the next couple of miles, the trail meanders along a very pretty and moss-covered brook on its way up Bald Mountain. (I’ll could mention moss-covered about 73 more times – this entire trail is GREEN). I thought that the location of this part of the trail was nice, and the walking was pleasant, but I got a feeling that it was very unfinished. It seemed like in parts that the trail was too steep, and in fact you could see signs of erosion already in spots. In others, the trail was difficult to follow. Or rather, you couldn’t see the trail the whole time, but instead just walked from blaze to blaze. Still, it was very nice with the brook babbling away and the open forest providing a sense of openness.

Upon reaching what felt like the summit of Bald Mountain, there was no sign, but I noticed an orange ribbon tied to a tree and immediately off to the left was a faint herd path. What was over there? The original route of the GLT? A new route? A pot of gold? A keg of Heineken? Not being one to pass up a mystery, I followed the trail. It was faint but not too difficult to follow, even with a couple of blowdowns in the way. After just over a tenth of a mile or so, I popped out on some open ledges with views of Sunday River and the mountains to the south. As far as I could tell, this was the end of the side trail, so perhaps it’s a view trail in the works? It would stand to reason, since this is the only view on the trail for the next 4 miles. I had a great snack break and then retraced my steps back to the GLT and headed north.

The next stop along the route was Stowe Mountain. There were some granite ledges. With no views. Lets move on. Actually, the one interesting thing near the top of the mountain was the skeletal remains of a moose. And I’m not just talking about a skull and a leg bone. I mean, I could have put this guy (gal?) back together T-Rex style if I had some glue, fishing line and a few hours to kill. I walked all around the area and found the skull, both jaw bones, the spine, legs, ribs, hip bone. I even found a piece of the back with the discs still somewhat intact. For some reason, that gave me the creeps. Anyway, I didn’t re-assemble the moose, but I did put the jaw bones back together with the skull, but the end result looks more like a tie-fighter than a T-Rex. Oh well.

I passed by the first primitive campsite on the loop, Sargent Brook, but since it was a ways off the trail, I opted not to go all the way down there. Instead, I kept climbing towards Sunday River Whitecap which was… wow.

But before I get to that.. the name, Sunday River Whitecap. OK, so I know that the mountain is owned by Sunday River, and I know that there is a Whitecap in the resort, but that mountain is different from this mountain. So, did the mega-corporation that owns “Sunday River Whitecap” agree to allow the trail to go over the summit in exchange for the mountain to be called Sunday River Whitecap? Did they manage to get some free advertising out of the deal? And if they did, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I mean, on one hand its shameless naming of a mountain where mega-corps should stay away. On the other hand, they are allowing hikers access to this truly spectacular mountain. Anyway, I digress…

SRW is amazing, and after seeing the amount of work that went into build the trail up, over and around this mountain, I can understand why the AMC maybe hasn’t gotten around to completely finishing up some of the other work that needs to be done. They have installed tons of scree walls, board walks and stone staircases on this mountain to minimize any impact that hikers may have. They even built several walkways to various viewing points off the summit to minimize herd paths from people looking for their own space. Not that I needed my own space today, I had the entire place to myself. On a holiday. Of a long weekend. I had seen nobody all day so far, in fact. Not wanting to see all that work done for not, however, I used the paths to the various viewpoints even though there is a beautiful 360 from the summit. This mountain is truly awesome, worth the trip all by itself.

After a snack break and a brief nap, I moved along to my final destination, Slide Mountain Campsite. The trail off of SRW was very very steep. In fact, the terrain for most of this loop is what I would consider difficult, and I could not have imagined finishing it without my poles. The trail drops down over the open ledges quickly and wraps around Miles Notch before it begins a sidehill traverse of Slide Mountain. This area was wooded but beautiful. Lush and green and open woods made for some very pleasant end-of-the-day hiking.

When I got to the campsite, however, there was an issue. First off, this campsite only has three very small tent sites. And all three of them were being occupied by an Outward Bound group. Ben, the group leader, introduced himself and informed me (and three others looking to tent) that his group was taking up all of the spots, that they were going to be there for a few days, and that some of the kids were off in the woods tenting out (???) and to not walk around the woods and disturb them. What the… ? The GLT is on private land, and they ask that you tent at designated areas, and here is Ben from Outward Bound telling people to move along the trail and tent somewhere else. He offered to “try” to move some of the tents together on one site, but to be honest be gave me the creeps, and the idea that I couldn’t “disturb” his “students’ freaked me out. Anyone have any contacts with the Outward Bound organization? I have some encounters with various Outward Bound groups in the past, and they have always been friendly and positive. This one was neither, plus I question the whole appropriateness of where they were having their activities. I’d like to be able to give them some feedback.

Anyway, I did move north along the trail about a tenth of a mile before I found a nice flat spot to camp. I made dinner, read my book (Microsurfs) and listened to the Garden State Soundtrack until I was ready to fall asleep. I couldn’t have asked for a better day to start my GLT hike. I managed to get in 10 miles – not bad for the late start.

 

[chomp]

Day 2: GLT Clockwise from Slide Mountain Campsite to Lane Campsite

Saturday was the toughest day of the trip. I packed up camp and began the day by climbing 1500+ feet up the south side of Old Speck. This trail was very well constructed by the AMC and it was an awesome, heart-pounding climb to get the day going. I popped in my earbuds and cranked up the Flobots and I hit the summit in no time. The view was a little hazy from the firetower, but worse than that were the black flies. Bugs had been present all weekend, but there was a swarm on Old Speck which made photography and lounging difficult. Still, the view of Mahoosuc Notch from the tower is one of my favorite views in New England – the notch looks so savage from this vantage point.

Knowing that I had a long 15 miles of hiking to do, and considering the infestation, I didn’t linger too long before heading down the mountain along the AT. Considering it was Saturday of a long weekend, I expected to run into a ton of day hikers, but that just never happened. The hike down was hard but uneventful, and it was amazing how different it was being on the AT compared to the brand new GLT. It was like going from walking on sponge cake to asphalt. But the AT is an old friend, and anytime I’m back on a piece of it, it feels like a comfortable hoodie. (Sorry, I hate sweaters).

About a mile from the road I opted to take the Eyebrow Trail over the AT since I had never done it before. This trail juts out over a rock-ridge, called The Eyebrow, duh, and then drops very steeply back down to the AT just before the road. The view was OK, nice even, but not really worth the effort, IMO. It’s more of a nice quick hike up from the road to get an overlook view without going all the way to the summit. When I reached Grafton Notch, I took a nice long lunch break, had a nap on the picnic table and organized my pack. I was preparing for the hardest part of the day, which was hiking up Bald Pate.

Again, given that I had done the AT, I opted for another side loop – the Table Rock trail. This was an awesome trail – one I highly recommend if you like steep hikes and rock scrambling and wide open views. The trail doesn’t mess around, and before you know it, there are endless rock staircases heading straight up towards the ledge. Then the staircases give way to rock scrambling. There are even a few small caves that you can explore, which on a hot day like today was a welcome retreat from the heat. The view from the top of table rock was amazing, and you could really see why they call the ledge on the other side of the road “The Eyebrow”. Also, I think that Table Rock has possibly the best view of SRW from anywhere along the loop. In the future – Table Rock, yes, Eyebrow, no.

Now things started to get difficult. The trail up Baldpate was hard and steep and badly eroded. It appears that the MATC is aware of this problem as they are obviously in the middle of a major relocation of this trail off to the left. Things are really in bad shape along the steepest sections of AT right now, and erosion is almost out of control. This has lead to many alternate herd paths being created as hikers have attempted to find solid footing. Not impossible or anything like that, but it was ugly. It was great to see that the MATC was already addressing this problem, and I look forward to hiking on the new sections when it is completed. After some struggling and a boost thanks to the new Raconteurs album, I made it to the summit, which is of course, awesome. If you haven’t been to Baldpate (its not quite a 4ker), well.. shame on you. Go there. Now. Seriously, get up from your computer and go there – its worth it.

I took an extended break here and enjoyed the cool breeze and beautiful views. I met a fellow named Satch from Pennsylvania who is working on sections of the AT. He is planning on retiring at 60, but wants to get the hardest sections of the trail out of the way now in case he isn’t so nimble in 10 years. After he finished NH and Maine, he is going to work on the Smokies. Nice guy, and we took summit photos of each other – you know, the standard hiker greeting on mountain tops. We sat and talked trail for a while before the waning daylight and increasing number of bugs chased us both away.

From the summit, the GLT heads south along some very beautiful new trail. My only complaint was that unlike the AT, there were absolutely no views on the southern slope of the mountain. Basically you walk into the forest 20 feet from the summit and that’s the last of the views. There are a couple of sneak peaks as the trail moves over some ledgy areas, but no wide open views like the other trails. Still, it was a great descent and the trail was laid out very nicely. I dropped all the way down to the East Baldpate campsite. This spot is very nice with plenty of camping options, a privy and a reliable river with a small swimming hole nearby. Nice spot, but I wanted to get a couple of more miles in today, so I headed over to the Lane Campsite.

In between the two locations is Lightening Ledge Knob. The climb up is not hard but significant, and as I approached the top there were pink flowers and grey ledge. I was hoping for a great view. Instead, the knob has only the most limited of views. What the heck? I know not everyone agrees, but come on – how many trees did they cut down to make this trail? Couldn’t they whack a couple more to give a better view, especially since I just climbed a few hundred feet to get here? I shouldn’t be surprised – MATC’ers like to send their trails up and over every little hump they can find, view or no view. They especially like rock slabs since they don’t erode, even if the slabs are a little too steep. I have a good friend that volunteers for the MATC and he told me once “We build a trail that is going to last. Hiker’s happiness are a very secondary consideration.” This was somewhat tongue-and-cheek, but his point was that they care about the sustainability of a trail more than the hikability.

All that being said, about 5 minutes after I left the knob and was swearing under my breath for not having a hand saw in my pack (JOKING… mostly), I came across the real Lightening Ledge. It was beautiful and amazing everything I was looking for, so all I really needed was a little patience. And that is much less weight to carry than a saw. Thanks, MATC, sorry I ever doubted you.

Camp was a little over a mile away, and again it was primitive, but the water was very reliable and there was a somewhat short side trail down to a nice waterfall. There is also a fantastic swimming hole at the base of the falls. Other than that, nothing special to report here, but it was a pretty place to camp and it was nice to have the sounds of running water in the background to fall asleep to. Also, just a short ways from the tent sides it a really nice spot along the river to sit and soak your feet and wash up a bit. It’s a very slab-y river, similar to Franconia Falls. On a side note, I did about the best job ever of bear-bagging my food here!

 

[chomp]

Day 3: GLT Clockwise from Lane Campsite to Southern Trailhead

I woke up on Sunday ready to finish out the last 14 miles, and thinking that I had a fairly easy day ahead of me. I was wrong – today was strenuous, rugged, wild and tiring. It was also my favorite day of the trip.

The hike started with lots of up and down meandering along the river, which was pleasant and I noticed there were tons of good swimming holes. This would be a good part of the loop to do on a 90+ degree day. You could be constantly taking a swim! After passing by the Knoll Campsite, the trail gradually started a 1500+ foot climb up to Long Mountain. Along the way it passes an old Town Corner Marker between Andover and Lowry before the climb really begins. I started up thinking it was going to be a long but rather mellow climb, however about a half mile from the top, it gets really steep. I was surprised by just how steep this trail got, but it was fun climbing straight up through the ferns and open woods with occasional views behind me. Only at the very top did the terrain change to thick pine. There was no view (and the trail doesn’t go over the true summit), but there is a steep side trail off to the left that leads to a ledge with a small bench. As I looked around, I could see that the MATC whacked about half a dozen small trees to open this view up more. I can’t believe I ever doubted you guys!

Now is where the annoying part of the day begins. From Long Mountain (3021’), the trail drops over 1500’ and 4 miles before climbing 2 miles and 1500’ back up Puzzle Mountain. The hike down Long is actually very nice, and it weaves in and out of an open meadow. I’m not sure if its an old logging area or burn area, but it reminded me of the open “parks” out west, with tall grass and open views and lots of mud and pools of water. The trail dropped and dropped for what seemed like forever, but the grade was gentle and the hiking was great. Finding the trail was never an issue, but it did require you to pay attention to blazes and arrows to stay on course. I can see a lot of this trail getting overgrown and being more difficult to follow in the future, however.

When I reached the bottom, however, the terrain changed dramatically. First, the climb begins almost instantly (nothing gradual about this side of things) and it is very wild and rugged. Footing was brutal and it felt like I was hiking up a old river bed. Vegetation was invading the trail, and I felt like I was fighting for every uphill step. It was great! I wouldn’t want to hike like this all day, but I truly felt like I was on a remote long distance trail right here. Sweating, struggling, pushing vines and leaves out of the way to try to find a semi-solid place to put my foot, it was exhausting work for just over a half a mile I would guess. That’s when the real fun began as the trail hit the slope of the mountain like it was in a hurry. I struggled getting to the Stewart Campsite at around 2400’ but I used NIN The Fragile album (Left and Right) to easy my pain and push me up the path. It was still a hell of a climb from the campsite to the summit, but the worst was over. I think that stopping for water and chugging about a half gallon to cool off helped as well.

As for Puzzle Mountain… what can I say but magnificent. It is my new favorite mountain. After the steep climb the trail pops out on a wide open ledge with a view directly up into Grafton Notch. I could also see Long Mountain and the open slopes that I had just descended through. It actually looked a little bit like an old, overgrown ski area, but I don’t think there was ever one up there. Anyway, the view was so nice, I stopped right there before going to the top, ate a big lunch and took a nap on the rocks. Awesome way to spend the afternoon – I soaked up the sun, the view, and the near-end of the trip.

But that was just the start of how cool the mountain was. From those ledges, the trail ducks back into the woods for a short time. At one point, there is a side trail off to the true summit for you peak baggers, but I followed it only long enough to realize it wasn’t to a view. The trail did seem well defined and even had small cairns marking the way. Anyway, back on the GLT, the trail wound its way over ledge after ledge, providing excellent views the entire way. At the “summit”, was a 10 foot rock cairn with views in all directions, though the true summit of Puzzle obscured the view to the east. What a day, what a trail.

And the views and ledges continued for over a half a mile down the mountain. Everytime I thought that the trail had given me its last open view, BAM, I got another one. Maybe it was how tired I was, or maybe I was delirious with dehydration, or maybe it was the MGMT playing on my iPod, but I really felt a connection with this mountain. It felt like so many places that I had been before, but like no place I had been before all at the same time. It reminded me of Camel’s Hump in Vermont and Rainbow Ledges in Maine and Mount Cube in New Hampshire. But it also had a feel all its own, and the MATC did a positively perfect job picking the route for this trail down the mountain. I really can’t say enough about the mountain, so I’ll just stop now.

The rest of the hike was uneventful and a little steeper that I had imagined, but I was dropping down to 700’. And as always at the end of the hike, it felt like it went on forever instead of the 3.2 miles it was supposed to be. But by 2:30 I was back at my car and I passed out in the grassy parking lot, tired, thirsty and happy. The GLT was more than I could have hoped for, and both organizations did a great job building this new trail.

 

[chomp]

So that was the narrative – as for some of the details for those thinking about hiking it. First, for a comparison, I think that a 3 day GLT hike is harder than a 3 day Pemi Loop hike. Sure, its 10 more miles, but its probably less elevation. But maybe not, there are lots and lots of PUDS along the GLT than just don’t register, plus there are a couple of good long climbs mixed in there. But more than that, I think the terrain is harder. On the Pemi Loop the trail is well worn in and predictable, save for a couple of hard miles around Garfield. On the GLT, most of the trail is wild and steep. Footing was constantly a problem with mud being a major factor. During a drier period, this might not be much of an issue, but it was this weekend. Slipping while climbing or descending with a pack really sucks the energy out of me.

Also, I mentioned this earlier, but I wouldn’t even consider hiking this trail without sticks. Sure, there are a lot of parts where you don’t need them, but given the terrain and footing, I found them essential. YMMV.

In addition, I hiked the loop clockwise from the southern trailhead, and I was glad that I did. Initially my decision was based on wanting to do 10 miles on Friday and get over SRW in guaranteed good weather. Dropping into Grafton Notch and coming back out was hard, however, and I could see maybe starting a GLT hike from the upper trailhead. Then again, you don’t get that remoteness feeling right off the bat like you do from starting at the southern most point. One thing I know I wouldn’t do is start the GLT from the south and go counterclockwise. Unless you want to just hike 5 miles on day one, you would need to go up and over Puzzle, down to the valley, then up and over Long before hitting Town Corner Campsite, a very long and arduous 10.5 miles, IMO.

So there you go, I’ll have photos soon hopefully!

 

[David Metsky]

I haven't finished the full report yet, but it looks like a great trip so far.

The Outward Bound students were probably solo'ing. They camp out and remain isolated and alone for 2-3 days, kind of a retreat. I suspect they didn't plan on encountering too many other hikers up there so they figured it was a good place to do this.

 

[mookie]

Awesome TR Chomp. Very informative, just in case i ever get real ambitious!!

 

[Mad Townie]

Thanks, Chomp. I've been thinking about the Loop for awhile, and I suppose I should do it someday since I've climbed Speck and the Baldpates more times than I can count. (Yeah, that means more than 3.) The details in your TR will be valuable for the rest of us who follow in your footsteps.

 

[cbcbd]

listened to the Garden State Soundtrack until I was ready to fall asleep.

Sweet soundtrack, totally mellow. Weird about the Outward Bounders. Sounds like a killer loop.

 

[Gillian]

Great TR Chomp!! Glad you got to finally explore this loop - sounds like a very special place. Have to agree with you on the Puzzle

 

[cooperhill]

Great trip report. Some valuable info as well .. I'm hoping to try this sometime in August. I'm wondering whether I'll bring my dog though. Do you recall any tricky sections with ladders?

RE: Outward Bound
"This one was neither, plus I question the whole appropriateness of where they were having their activities. I’d like to be able to give them some feedback."

I agree. You'd think they'd find a location that would accommodate all of the people in their group or split their group up so as not to be an impact on the resource.

 

[giggy]

awesome report - sounds like a great backpack.

 

[MattC]

Thanks, MATC, sorry I ever doubted you.

No problem, just try to remember the second T in my name. Oh, wait, you're talking about those other guys, right?!

Seriously, nice report. I wish I lived closer to Maine when I read stuff like that.

Matt

 

[chomp]

I'm wondering whether I'll bring my dog though. Do you recall any tricky sections with ladders?

There were some tricky sections to be sure, but nothing that a trail dog couldn't handle I would think. I did see paw prints on the trail, so at least one other dog has done it. But, I wouldn't make this a pups first backpack or anything like that, more for sections of the AT than the new GLT.

That all being said - I would stay off the Table Rock trail. There are a couple of tricky places there for a dog. I actually saw one on the way up and they had to carry her in a few spots. Still, she made it and looked happy at the top of the rock.

 

[SherpaKroto]

Knowing the view from Puzzle, it is indeed the best way to get the most of that loop. The feeling of "from whence you came" must have been inspiring.

Now, how long have I been telling you about Puzzle? Truth be told: you couldn't have done it any better for your first time on it. I lucked out and just sat at the cairn for nearly an hour. As I got up to leave, Bob Stewart appeared and I hiked down with him to his cabin. One of the best hiking days I've ever had.

Oh, BTW, SR Whitecap has had that name far longer than the Ski area has been in existence.

 

[una_dogger]

Awesome and comprehensive! Really appreciate the details, cuz we are planning to do the GLT this August as part of our "Trek O'Cross Maine" hiking adventure vacation.

And..I agree...Baldpate is a VERY special mountain, I especially love the boggy areas on top and the little col of pines between the main and east peaks.

 

[chomp]

Knowing the view from Puzzle, it is indeed the best way to get the most of that loop. The feeling of "from whence you came" must have been inspiring.

Now, how long have I been telling you about Puzzle? Truth be told: you couldn't have done it any better for your first time on it. I lucked out and just sat at the cairn for nearly an hour. As I got up to leave, Bob Stewart appeared and I hiked down with him to his cabin. One of the best hiking days I've ever had.

Oh, BTW, SR Whitecap has had that name far longer than the Ski area has been in existence.

Awesome story, Sherp. and good to know that SRW was named after the river not the resort.

 

[chomp]

Photos

OK, so I wrote a frekin book. But I hate reading that much stuff, too, so lets all just cut to the chase and check out the photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/chompat99/GraftonLoopTrail

Comments are welcome.. even the unwelcome ones.

 

[gooly]

Sounds like a great adventure. fantastic tr and pics chomp

 

[Doc McPeak]

Great report! Sounds like my kind of backpacking trip. I'm headed for GN in late summer, but only have time for a pair of day hikes. What do you recommend? Initial plans were for Goose Eye and Baldpate, but Puzzle sounds awesome.