buckyball1
New member
Today was the first good hiking day statewide (ME) in a long time...back visiting the Aroostook County/NMWoods area for the 5th time this year (one a complete washout). Which found me at the usual crazy hour hurtling north in the pitch black through moose country and trying to keep reasonably alert listening to sports talk radio (even my fav CDs tend to anesthetize me at that hour)..but i wonder just how many screaming Long Island car salesmen, come-ons for "Cougar Life" and most annoying "1-877-Cars for Kids" jingles can one human stand....but i digress..
..big plans, long day..need everything to go just right..mainly, are the roads in good enuff shape to get near these peaks?,,grab a full tank of gas at the station in Smyrna Mills that leaves their pumps on all night, stop in Ashland at the bank lot shortly after daylight to load my pack, put my boots on and head into NMW at 6 Mile gate. The gate person is just arriving about 5:15 as i have my self registration ready to drop in the slot and seems bemused by my plans..but a nice guy..my first try is
Pt 1740+-1750' -The peak is just north of Chandler. I go in to about mile 19? on Pinkham Rd (in pretty nice shape to there) and turn up Spectacle Pond Tote Rd (good) and then Center Pond Rd -have to stop and park before i planned to as a hill is eroded and i really don't need to bury the Forester that far back in. This adds 1/2 each way to the hike, but not an issue. It's a cool 33 and full sun as i start (it was 55 and cloudy just north of here on Thurs), walk up the eroded hill (could have driven it) and turn up some skid trails to head for the top.
The majority of the ascent is pretty easy with only the drag coefficient of serious brambles on the old logging roads. About 0.2 from the top, i hit a band of moderately thick evergreens with blowdown and very wet ground underneath. The top is a "nothing: with only occluded views of surrounding area. I can see the Peaked/Middle/Round trio (hope to be on Round later), but not Norway as Mooseleuk stands in the way. Coming down thru the evergreen "steep", i have to constantly grab scrub to prevent from slipping on the wet leaves.
My gear is totally soaked upon return to the car, but it's starting to warm to an eventual 68 degrees. Out to Pinkham, 9 miles further south on it, turn onto Pell and Pell very good shape for 9 miles and then onto Norway Rd (unsigned). This hike is my "irrational worry peak" for the day. I've been in this way to do Mooseleuk a few years ago and found Norway Rd iffy and Mooseleuk no fun; now i'm going much further on the road to hike the next peak in the chain.
Norway Bluff-2285'-Until my serious planning, i didn't even realize this was a fire tower peak.Norway Bluff Rd is fine all the way except for 2-3 large holes that you avoid or risk a huge tow bill. I'm able to reach my planned parking area with no difficulty. The lower part of the mountain has been heavily logged fairly recently and all vestige of the start of the old fire wardens trail has been obliterated. I head up a skid road/heavy slash, notice a "shadow" which looks like a path paralleling the skid road (which i ignore), but finally wander over to the shadow to find the old trail-in very nice shape. It's steep (600+'vertical in 0.3 miles at one point), but fun, easy, no stress hiking. The woods have dried a bit since doing "1740" and i soon top the ridge and reach some old buildings and small communication towers-cairns abound.
One might be tempted to stop here, but i know the top is further down the ridge-a quick, easy 0.2 miles brings me to the west end of the ridge and the old tower--great views to the west. It's a typical vertical ladder ME tower and i head up too my usual "12th or 13th rung" to find a very nice 360 view of north/central ME peaks/lakes. Almost everything in Baxter is visible, smaller northern end peaks, the Traveler Loop, Brothers, Coe, Double Top and of course Katahdin. Close by me is Chandler and i can see Beetle (last week's hike) and Soper (next week?), both obvious fire tower prominences. Norway becomes my favorite hike of 2011 and one i'd gladly do again--unknown gem.
I head back to Pinkham, north to the Machias River and turn onto the Jack Mt road headed for
Round Mt-2150'-This one i knew was a fire tower
and is a more popular (all relative ) hike. The published directions to Round are pretty weak (no flames please). Take the Jack Mt road about 3.8 miles and then turn right at an angle onto the Weeks Pond Rd (sign). This is after and not to be confused with the 2 Weeks Brook roads. Weeks Pond Rd is also usually referred to as the Round Mt Rd (not on any sign). There was beaver flooding (the really are stalking me this Spring) part way in, but after scoping it a bit, i bulled the Subaru through saving an extra 3 miles of walking. Parked near the "gravel" parking area--it's now all grass -- could have drive 0.4 miles further. Rather than depend on the "accepted" direction, just use a topo map. (happy to provide detail if you ever want it for this or any other hike)
I followed roads around the north side of Round and to the west of it and the starting point for the old fire tower trail. It now 'starts" behind a large newish $ camp which seems to have supplanted the old fire warden's cabin. The balckflies have appeared up here (no sign of them 3 days ago), but are not yet biting. You can easily find the trail behind the house and follow it all the way to the tower. It's steep (about 850' vertical in 0.45 miles), but unlike the Norway "trail" this one is ugly; growing in, many blowdowns, wet, slippery mess-no fun at all. I found the top and the tower equally uninspiring. Skeleton only, no cab-view form 15-16 rungs up the latter (yes, the trees are higher here than most other tower peaks) is 360, but mediocre. I gather you guessed i'll not return to Round. Hung on to anything i could grab to keep from crashing and burning on slippery descent.
Then the long journey out to Ashland and south to home.
Excellent day- 3 peaks. no serious dirt road issues, the first good leg workout of the year and an unheralded keeper in Norway
jim
..big plans, long day..need everything to go just right..mainly, are the roads in good enuff shape to get near these peaks?,,grab a full tank of gas at the station in Smyrna Mills that leaves their pumps on all night, stop in Ashland at the bank lot shortly after daylight to load my pack, put my boots on and head into NMW at 6 Mile gate. The gate person is just arriving about 5:15 as i have my self registration ready to drop in the slot and seems bemused by my plans..but a nice guy..my first try is
Pt 1740+-1750' -The peak is just north of Chandler. I go in to about mile 19? on Pinkham Rd (in pretty nice shape to there) and turn up Spectacle Pond Tote Rd (good) and then Center Pond Rd -have to stop and park before i planned to as a hill is eroded and i really don't need to bury the Forester that far back in. This adds 1/2 each way to the hike, but not an issue. It's a cool 33 and full sun as i start (it was 55 and cloudy just north of here on Thurs), walk up the eroded hill (could have driven it) and turn up some skid trails to head for the top.
The majority of the ascent is pretty easy with only the drag coefficient of serious brambles on the old logging roads. About 0.2 from the top, i hit a band of moderately thick evergreens with blowdown and very wet ground underneath. The top is a "nothing: with only occluded views of surrounding area. I can see the Peaked/Middle/Round trio (hope to be on Round later), but not Norway as Mooseleuk stands in the way. Coming down thru the evergreen "steep", i have to constantly grab scrub to prevent from slipping on the wet leaves.
My gear is totally soaked upon return to the car, but it's starting to warm to an eventual 68 degrees. Out to Pinkham, 9 miles further south on it, turn onto Pell and Pell very good shape for 9 miles and then onto Norway Rd (unsigned). This hike is my "irrational worry peak" for the day. I've been in this way to do Mooseleuk a few years ago and found Norway Rd iffy and Mooseleuk no fun; now i'm going much further on the road to hike the next peak in the chain.
Norway Bluff-2285'-Until my serious planning, i didn't even realize this was a fire tower peak.Norway Bluff Rd is fine all the way except for 2-3 large holes that you avoid or risk a huge tow bill. I'm able to reach my planned parking area with no difficulty. The lower part of the mountain has been heavily logged fairly recently and all vestige of the start of the old fire wardens trail has been obliterated. I head up a skid road/heavy slash, notice a "shadow" which looks like a path paralleling the skid road (which i ignore), but finally wander over to the shadow to find the old trail-in very nice shape. It's steep (600+'vertical in 0.3 miles at one point), but fun, easy, no stress hiking. The woods have dried a bit since doing "1740" and i soon top the ridge and reach some old buildings and small communication towers-cairns abound.
One might be tempted to stop here, but i know the top is further down the ridge-a quick, easy 0.2 miles brings me to the west end of the ridge and the old tower--great views to the west. It's a typical vertical ladder ME tower and i head up too my usual "12th or 13th rung" to find a very nice 360 view of north/central ME peaks/lakes. Almost everything in Baxter is visible, smaller northern end peaks, the Traveler Loop, Brothers, Coe, Double Top and of course Katahdin. Close by me is Chandler and i can see Beetle (last week's hike) and Soper (next week?), both obvious fire tower prominences. Norway becomes my favorite hike of 2011 and one i'd gladly do again--unknown gem.
I head back to Pinkham, north to the Machias River and turn onto the Jack Mt road headed for
Round Mt-2150'-This one i knew was a fire tower
and is a more popular (all relative ) hike. The published directions to Round are pretty weak (no flames please). Take the Jack Mt road about 3.8 miles and then turn right at an angle onto the Weeks Pond Rd (sign). This is after and not to be confused with the 2 Weeks Brook roads. Weeks Pond Rd is also usually referred to as the Round Mt Rd (not on any sign). There was beaver flooding (the really are stalking me this Spring) part way in, but after scoping it a bit, i bulled the Subaru through saving an extra 3 miles of walking. Parked near the "gravel" parking area--it's now all grass -- could have drive 0.4 miles further. Rather than depend on the "accepted" direction, just use a topo map. (happy to provide detail if you ever want it for this or any other hike)I followed roads around the north side of Round and to the west of it and the starting point for the old fire tower trail. It now 'starts" behind a large newish $ camp which seems to have supplanted the old fire warden's cabin. The balckflies have appeared up here (no sign of them 3 days ago), but are not yet biting. You can easily find the trail behind the house and follow it all the way to the tower. It's steep (about 850' vertical in 0.45 miles), but unlike the Norway "trail" this one is ugly; growing in, many blowdowns, wet, slippery mess-no fun at all. I found the top and the tower equally uninspiring. Skeleton only, no cab-view form 15-16 rungs up the latter (yes, the trees are higher here than most other tower peaks) is 360, but mediocre. I gather you guessed i'll not return to Round. Hung on to anything i could grab to keep from crashing and burning on slippery descent.
Then the long journey out to Ashland and south to home.
Excellent day- 3 peaks. no serious dirt road issues, the first good leg workout of the year and an unheralded keeper in Norway
jim
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