Bull Rock, Dixfield (912') 11/7/2023

This afternoon, we went for a short hike up Bull Rock in Dixfield. We decided to make a loop, ascending via the trail described in the newest edition of the Maine Mountain Guide from 142, and descending via the traditional route from Moxie Heights Road. I hadn't taken the trail from 142 before today, and we discovered that it is an extremely steep trail with lots of erosion and poor footing. While steep, it does provide direct access in 0.3 mile to Bull Rock, compared to the longer, albeit far less steep, 1 mile long route from Moxie Heights Road. It also has about double the elevation gain, (400' vs. 200') compared to the route from Moxie Heights. We found that it was excellent to do as a loop in a clockwise direction, as the descent down to 142 could have been downright hazardous today with the wet leaves and rocks on the steep trail. Bull Rock is always a great spot to visit, and is also a nice side trip on the hike up Sugarloaf. It provided a very nice view out over the village of Dixfield and up the Androscoggin River Valley.

The trailhead on Route 142

A bridge on the trail just before it gets very steep

Dixfield from Bull Rock

Sierra enjoying the view

The view northwest from Bull Rock

The Sugarloafs from Bull Rock

Heading down the other side

Jewell Hill, Canaan (655') 10/22/2023

One of the new hikes added to the new edition of the Maine Mountain Guide is Jewell Hill in Canaan, also known as The Pinnacle. On this rainy Sunday, I headed over to Lake George Regional Park, where this small summit is located. I hiked a loop of just under 4 miles utilizing the Pinnacle Trail and Townsend Family Trail. The trails were well marked and maintained, although parts of the Townsend Family Trail were quite wet today. There isn't all that much to see at the summit of Jewell Hill, besides a small clearing where there may have been a bit of a view in the past, but it's still a nice network of trails to hike. It was a good choice for a rainy day, as I had the trails all to myself and I wasn't missing out on any views.

Lake George

The trail to the top was marked with signs like this one

Junction of the Pinnacle Trail and the Townsend Family Trail

The clearing near the summit of Jewell Hill

Townsend Family Trail

A very wet section of trail

Peary Mountain, Brownfield (956') 10/12/2023

On our way over to New Hampshire today, we stopped for a hike up Peary Mountain in Brownfield. It's a relatively easy hike which is only steep in one very short section. The lower part of the hike follows old woods roads before reaching a footpath soon before the western peak.

One of the woods roads that the lower part of the trail follows

The western peak has open ledges with excellent views north and west.

View from the western peak

Even though it's slightly lower than the main peak, it has the better views. We ate lunch at the western peak, before continuing along the ridge to the main peak.

Sierra enjoying the view at the western peak

At the summit there is a view east towards Pleasant Mountain, which we enjoyed for a bit, before descending via a slightly different route which avoided the western peak.

View from the summit

Bethel Community Forest West & Buck's Ledge Community Forest, Woodstock 10/11/2023

View from Buck's Ledge

Today I revisited two community forests in Bethel and Woodstock to complete some of the trails there that I had yet to hike.

Bethel Community Forest West Trailhead

This bridge was functioning as more of a dam than a bridge

First up was the Parks-Bennett Trail in the western part of the Bethel Community Forest. This trail makes a loop on the southern slope of Ellingwood Mountain, passing along a pretty brook and past an excellent viewpoint, known as "The Prow" along the way.

A cascade along the trail

Last time I hiked here, I hiked the Red Pine Ridge Trail, instead of completing the Parks-Bennett Loop.

The loop junction

This time, I hiked the entire loop clockwise, and paused for a while to enjoy the view from The Prow.

View from The Prow

View from The Prow

This cleared area with a view up the mountain is called "Porcupine Panorama"

I then drove over to Buck's Ledge Community Forest in Woodstock.

Start of the Lapham Loop

This property was recently conserved by the town, and encompasses three peaks: Lapham Ledge, Buck's Ledge, and Moody Mountain. I started up the Lapham Loop, and soon made it to the top of the ledge, where I enjoyed my lunch and the view.

View from Lapham Ledge

After lunch, I headed down the other side of the Lapham Loop to Mann Road. I then followed Mann Road to the west end of the Buck's Ledge Trail.

The start of the Buck's Ledge Trail on Mann Road

This trail steadily climbed to the top of Buck's Ledge, which had the best views of the day.

Summit sign on Buck's Ledge

View from Buck's Ledge towards Mount Abram

After taking in the view, I headed up the JnJ Backcountry Trail to the top of Moody Mountain.

Logbook at the top of Moody Mountain

The top of Moody Mountain

Although this is the highest peak in the forest, the views here are rather limited. I descended steeply to the old logging road, and followed the road back to the parking area, with a short bushwhack detour around where they were doing construction.

The old logging road

The lower part of the old road is being improved to provide a way for disabled people to enjoy views without having to hike.

View from the lower part of the old logging road

Bald Ledge, Porter (1,187') & Douglas Mountain, Sebago (1,382') 5/6/2023

View east from the summit of Bald Ledge

Yesterday, we did two hikes in Southern Maine before heading to an event in Sebago that evening. We hiked Bald Ledge in Porter before hiking Douglas Mountain later in the day.

Bald Ledge is a small peak with a 0.7 mile long trail up it, maintained by the Francis Small Heritage Trust. The most challenging part of this hike was getting to the trailhead.

The parking area for Bald Ledge (note the road surface on the left)

The parking lot is up a narrow road, and parking is discouraged on the more major roads before it. This narrow road recently had a bunch of dirt mixed with large sharp rocks dumped on it, which was never compacted. Good clearance was a must for getting to the parking area, which was half mud itself. I imagine this situation will get better as more people drive on it to compact it.

The trail itself was well marked and relatively straightforward.

On the way up

At the summit, a clifftop viewpoint provides a beautiful view east over Colcord Pond to the surrounding hills. This hike is now included in the Maine Mountain Guide, and it's a great hidden gem.

After lunch, we headed to Douglas Mountain, and hiked a loop over it, utilizing the Ledge & Eagle Scout Trails.

The Ledge Trail trailhead on Douglas Mountain 

The mountain wasn't particularly busy, which was unusual for Douglas Mountain, and we had the summit to ourselves for quite a while.

The summit tower on Douglas

Although there were lower clouds in the distance, we were treated to good views over Sebago Lake to the east and of the mountains to the north. This hike completed the last few sections of trail on Douglas that I had not yet done.

Moxie Bald Mountain (2,629') & Moxie Bald North Peak (2,350'), Bald Mountain Twp. 10/5/2023

Moxie Bald's North Peak

 

Today I made my way up to the Moxie Pond area to return to Moxie Bald Mountain, this time starting at the Troutdale Road, instead of the AT Road. The bridge across Austin Stream on the Troutdale Road is still closed, and looks like it will be for some time, but the trailhead is easily approached from the south via the Stream Road from Moscow.

Signage at the trailhead

I chose to do this hike today because we haven't had much rain in a while, and the crossing of Baker Stream just after the trailhead is rather notorious for being a difficult one. It turned out this was a good choice, as the wide crossing of the stream was rock-hoppable without much issue today.

The crossing of Baker Stream

The first few miles on the AT were quite easy, and it wasn't too long before I reached the Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To.

Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To

 

 

A waterfall near the lean-to

After the lean-to, the trail crosses AT Road, and soon starts to climb steeper. I first visited the main summit, where the view south was blocked by a fog bank, but there were some views north and west.

The summit with footings from the former fire tower

View across the undercast to the west from the summit

I then continued on to my favorite part of the mountain, North Peak. The exposed alpine ridge and windswept summit are spectacular and rare for a mountain with this elevation.

The northern ridge of Moxie Bald

As expected, it was extremely windy on the ridge, but there were excellent views all around, including some undercast views to the south.

At North Peak

Looking back towards the main peak

The view west from North Peak

The view north from North Peak

After spending a while on North Peak, I descended via the AT and the Summit Bypass Trail.

Remains from the fire watchman's camp at the junction of the AT and the Summit Bypass Trail

Moxie Bald never fails to impress, and I only saw 2 other people during the entire 12+ mile hike.