bpschroder
New member
On Sunday morning July 24th I set out to hike Mt Cabot. The weekend weather was absolutely fabulous and upon waking I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a cloud in the sky again. After reading some recommendations I decided to hike in from the Mill Brook Road in Stark. The Mill Brook Road is a long dirt road and you only have to drive down to the second bridge to find the Unknown Pond Trail. Some other hikers and myself made the mistake of driving down to the dead end and then turning around to find the trail just before the second bridge. On my drive up the road I chased a moose for a little while until he finally jumped into the forest. All the while I was thinking maybe he’ll jump back out and crush my little car!
The trail up to Unknown Pond is gradual and beautiful. I had quite a pleasant time hiking up to the pond. It was still early in the morning when I reached the pond and it was tranquil and peaceful. I stopped to snack at one of the open areas and would have enjoyed it more, but a group that stayed overnight nearby had a dog that would bark anytime I made the slightest noise. Frustrated that I couldn’t enjoy the area longer without bringing out the hounds of hell I hiked on up the Kilkenney Ridge Trail.
I ascended up the ridge and took the side trail to the Horn. It was a short distance up to the Horn and well worth it. The summit of the Horn is a large boulder that is kind of tricky to scrabble up, but is worth the extra effort. The view as incredible and with the weather so nice, not a cloud in the sky, I could have stayed all day. After spending a considerable time lounging all alone on the summit I scrambled back down and headed over to Mt Cabot.
Along the way, I passed over the Bulge, which seemed a lot larger from the Horn, but was more of a hump along the way to Mt Cabot with a little clearing. Soon, I was on the summit of Mt Cabot, which has a larger clearing, but no views so I hiked on to the clearing near the cabin. I stayed for lunch and chatted with an older couple who live nearby that used to hike up to Mt Cabot more often, but since the trail closings don’t get up as often. They said they know the owner personally, and he won’t let them hike up the trail either.
I was spoiled by such a wonderful view from the Horn that I didn’t stay long on the summit and hiked back to the car. It was such a beautiful day I was surprised not to see any other hikers except near the Unknown Pond.
Pictures from the hike
The trail up to Unknown Pond is gradual and beautiful. I had quite a pleasant time hiking up to the pond. It was still early in the morning when I reached the pond and it was tranquil and peaceful. I stopped to snack at one of the open areas and would have enjoyed it more, but a group that stayed overnight nearby had a dog that would bark anytime I made the slightest noise. Frustrated that I couldn’t enjoy the area longer without bringing out the hounds of hell I hiked on up the Kilkenney Ridge Trail.
I ascended up the ridge and took the side trail to the Horn. It was a short distance up to the Horn and well worth it. The summit of the Horn is a large boulder that is kind of tricky to scrabble up, but is worth the extra effort. The view as incredible and with the weather so nice, not a cloud in the sky, I could have stayed all day. After spending a considerable time lounging all alone on the summit I scrambled back down and headed over to Mt Cabot.
Along the way, I passed over the Bulge, which seemed a lot larger from the Horn, but was more of a hump along the way to Mt Cabot with a little clearing. Soon, I was on the summit of Mt Cabot, which has a larger clearing, but no views so I hiked on to the clearing near the cabin. I stayed for lunch and chatted with an older couple who live nearby that used to hike up to Mt Cabot more often, but since the trail closings don’t get up as often. They said they know the owner personally, and he won’t let them hike up the trail either.
I was spoiled by such a wonderful view from the Horn that I didn’t stay long on the summit and hiked back to the car. It was such a beautiful day I was surprised not to see any other hikers except near the Unknown Pond.
Pictures from the hike
