TDawg
Well-known member
Speckled Mtn./Red Rock Ridge from Kezar Lake
For the past 5 years my parents have rented a place on Kezar Lake for a 2 week period. This year I was fortunate enough to spend the entire time there on the lake. It's a cool little camp on the less populated and quiet northwest side of the lake on North Bay. Basically it is a small piece of heaven on a clean, relatively quiet, beautiful lake in small town Lovell, Maine.
The lake itself is absolutely gorgeous with mountain views of Kearsarge North/Twins/DoubleHead, The Baldface/Royce range, and the Speckled/Red Rock Ridge. So, it is hard to tear away and go hiking but I managed to do so for 6 hikes, one being an overnight. As for the area, it is loaded with cool options of all sizes for hiking. This year I kind of focused on stuff I hadn't done in Evan's Notch and smaller peaks surrounding the lake. As it turns out, everything I hiked had some sort of view of Kezar.
So without further adieu....
Caribou Mountain 7/17/11
This was the only one of my hikes this year I had done before. I hiked it with my sister a few years back, but it stuck out in my mind and it was nice to return. On the hike was my girlfriend Becky, my Long Trail hiking partner/ good buddy Ryan, and his gf Jen. It was a hot day with clear views and a good breeze. We went up Mud Brook and down Caribou trail because in the back of my mind I wanted to swim at Kees Falls. We had great views of Evans Notch, Mahoosuc Range, Presidentials, etc. Highlight of the trip, I'd say, was jumping into Kees Falls on the way down.
Mt. Caribou
Mount Sabattus 7/18/11
From the dock on Kezar we get a good look at this small peak, which lies east of the lake, straight out of "our" cove. The trail up the mountain is easy by peakbagging standards and you can loop back to the cars. Views were restricted by clouds and rain showers but it cleared a bit and we god some good looks at the surrounding mountains from the cliffs near the summit. Views of Kezar Lake were restricted to it's "South Bay." All and all a fun little afternoon jaunt.
Mt. Sabattus
Evergreen Valley (Adams Mountain) 7/19/11
First a bit of history on this one...
Evergreen Valley has an interesting past. Sadly (or not,) ending up as one of the colossal failures in New England ski history. The fact that the investors thought they could turn this puny little mountain into a world class year-round resort is beyond me.
From parts of Kezar Lake you can look up and see the remnants of the trails and I pass the old base area and defunct golf course on the way to Evan's Notch from the lake via Deer Hill Rd. NELSAP has a good write up if you're interested further. Also here's an aerial view of the area. (Point A = Old lodge, B = Summit ledges, C = Defunct golf course, and D = proposed resort marina site.)
So I drove up to the old lodge and started up. From the old summit lift base I followed a jeep trail, passing an old cemetary, which petered out into an amazing grove of sumac trees where I saw my first of many former lift foundations, which ended up being part of the mid mountain lift. From there I was able to follow faint herd paths and remnants of the ski trails until thins opened up onto the ledges near the summit. At one point I saw something move in an open meadow, ended up being a turkey. But then I looked to the left and saw bear looking at me from 40 yards, then another one!
We sat in a stalemate for a few minutes until they took off into the forest. Turns out they were feasting on many a blueberry on and near the summit. From the ledges I found fantastic views of Kezar Lake, Evans Notch area, and the Speckled Mountain/ Red Rock Ridge. A really fun trip uncovering bits of this areas past. And probably the best view of the entire lake that I've found.
Evergreen Valley
Mount Meader/Eagle Crag 7/20-7/21/11
I had my Dad drop me off at the Mt. Meader Trail in the late afternoon planning on an overnight somewhere around the Mt. Meader area. It was a hot afternoon and I really sweat it out working up the switchbacks to the ridge line. I ended up finding a suitable spot (after passing a few) at the end of the side trail to the viewpoint on the open ledge. I enjoyed a beautiful afternoon and sunset over the Carter Range. Next day awoke early and continued on to Eagle Crag via Meader Ridge Tr. Eagle Crag is a magnificent viewpoint and I hung out here for a long time. I had a ton of time to kill before meeting my Dad for pickup at the Baldface Circle TH.
I motored down the BFC to my next hang out, Emerald Pool. It was still early in the day so I had it to myself for about 45 minutes. Jumped in 3 times and had a good time messing around taking pictures and a video of myself jumping in. Still ended up at the TH early and killed time by reading before the old man showed up for the ride back to the lake.
Meader/Eagle Crag
Pleasant Mountain 7/24/11
I'd heard some good things about this peak and it really is quite nice. Our route was up Ledges, over and down Bald Peak Trail with a road walk back to the car. Many people were out on the Ledges Tr., which by the way, was a pleasure to hike on. Nice viewpoint before the summit looking at Moose Pond then the fantastic view at the summit tower looking at the Whites. Blueberries were in an unbelievable abundance from the summit over to Bald Peak. The trail down from Bald Peak is rough and eroded, road walk was tedious but not bad. Nice hike.
Pleasant Mountain
West Royce Mountain 7/27/11
Last but not least on my summer vacay circuit was West Royce, it is also the highest in elevation of all 6. From the lake, East and West Royce are easily viewed from many locations. The sun usually sets behind the range and often they are beautiful silhouettes against a brilliant, fiery sky. For my ascent I drove a little further past the usual trails for a try at a lesser used route. Burnt Mill Brook trail turned out to be a real pleasure, as I didn't see a soul. I went up over the summit to the next knob where I found better views toward the Baldfaces and the Cold River valley and had my lunch. Upon returning to the summit I spotted the former fire tower footings off in the trees and checked those out. Smooth grades made for a nice trail run back to the car.
West Royce
Wow, what a great two weeks. Just looking through all these photos makes me want to go back, like....tomorrow. Nothing beats hanging out with the fam and friends. And after completing a hike, getting back to the lake and swimming, kayaking, canoeing, or going out on the boat and looking back up at where you just were a few hours prior.
So, if you take anything from this report just remember to stick the 4000 footers because they're the best. Definitely never visit Evan's Notch or look to any smaller peaks for fulfillment, you won't find any. And if vacationing on a lake, you should definitely go to Sebago of Winnipesaukee.
Hope you enjoyed my write up, and if you made it this far, THANKS FOR READING!!
Kezar Lake
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