Also on this trip

Trails Used

South Side Trail, Mt. Abraham Side Trail, AT, Spaulding Mountain summit spur

Trail Conditions

Notes

A grand adventure today with James (5 years, 4 months), Margaret, and their dad completing the NE67! Thanks Mom for accompanying us as well!!! Most exciting part of the day was driving into the trailhead. Real rugged and exciting! Climb up is rather easy to the ridge, then it is very rocky. Great views. Ominous clouds but we continued on the 3.5 miles to Spaulding. Passed the 91-year old through hiker “Greybeard”. Amazing stuff. Tagged Spaulding for 67/67 and booked it hoping to make it over Abe again before rain. No such luck! Got real cold getting off the summit but we all survived and it was a real good adventure to cap off a crazy month of camping and hiking with the fam.

Parking

Barnjum Road is a real rough ride to the trailhead. Altogether it is similar to Caribou Valley Road. 4x4 pickup recommended but SUV can pass carefully. Some pretty tall rocks though! There is a cairn in side of road where an old logging road splits and heads up to your left towards the peak. This is the trailhead. Can park on side of grassy clearing/.road here easily.

Water Crossings

None

Wildlife

None today!

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Ski trails, Sugarloaf side trail, AT, bushwack, herd path

Trail Conditions

Notes

After work overnight trip. Night of the 24th. Started up ski slopes around 645 pm after doing evening chores. Somewhat followed tote rd, but took some steep, more direct lines. Windy on the summit. Pre sunset glow was glorious. Got to Spaulding summit at the end on sunset, red glow through clouds with growing moon. A new view point has been cut at the summit sign looking ssw towards saddleback ridge. Very cool. Headlamp on to Spaulding tentsite arriving at 930 to a full shelter and several tents around. Hopefully I didn't wake anyone setting up my tent, but it sounded quiet. Maybe halfway down the climb from Spaulding, I crossed paths with a moose. It stood up as I passed, maybe 15-20 yards away. I saw the eyes and turned up my light. We looked at each other a few seconds then it took off into the woods. Very cool Thursday morning, up and out at 6. Whacked west to caribou pond snomo trail and headed to Redington. Moose moss morning = wet feet. Whee! The trail to south crocker was decent, usual overgrowth. Skipped the trip to NC because of time restrictions. Saw one NOBO at SC summit, and met a NOBO woman who had stayed at the Spaulding shelter also and I met again on SC as I descended. Walked down CVR then whacked/ road walk back to the loaf parking and back to work by 2. Fun trip, a lot more hikers at the shelter than I expected. I didn't stay long enough to ask if they were thru hiking. Figured I should use the old privy before the new one goes up this summer.

Parking

Parked at Sugarloaf resort

Water Crossings

I didn't cross the Carrabassett, but the thru hikers were making it over. No major crossings on my route

Wildlife

Some, breeze kept them away mostly

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Mt Abraham trail, Mt Abraham spur trail, Appalachian trail, Sugarloaf side trail, bushwhack

Trail Conditions

Notes

Spring wildflowers are blooming :) Trail was pretty dry, only a couple little muddy bits. Overall in very good shape after the winter. Water source at Spaulding is lovely, and the seep box halfway up sugarloaf was full. The unmaintained heard path over to Redington was, as promised, very unmaintained, but not terrible. Would have been more pleasant on a dry day I imagine. Met a young moose on the way down from Crocker.

Parking

Rapid Stream Rd is ROUGH. I took my low clearance sedan and that was a solid mistake. Don't do it unless you've got something high clearance. Park at the bottom and do the road walk. Oh also, the location of the trail head on Google maps is a lie. Gaia/Cal topo have the correct location.

Water Crossings

Plank bridge at South Branch carrabassett River is still there and sturdy enough

Wildlife

Mosquitos were out in force

Also on this trip

Trails Used

AT, Sugarloaf side trail, Spaulding side trail, Abraham side trail, bushwack, logging roads, herd path, AT

Trail Conditions

Notes

What a day! 0430 start from rt27. First car in the lot. Nice and cool climb over the crockers with great sunrise/ early morning views through the trees. Met a NOBO thru hiker just before N crocker summit. I'd say he is ahead of the bubble... A few down trees below cirque tent site but otherwise clear. Hopped over Carrabassett, de-layered, and hit the gorgeous climb up the loaf (trying to not trip over the "sugar lumps"(rocks) that cover the trail). Took a break at the loaf summit to take in the stunning scenery before cruising the ridge to Spaulding. Stopped quick at Spaulding shelter to check the log book. A few thru hikers had checked in, one in early May saying he post holed all the way off saddleback down to saddleback jr... The ridge to Abraham had a few small trees down but nothing bad. Slight breeze up high kept the heat at bay for the exposed climb. Such a great spot. From there I backtracked towards Spaulding shelter, meeting two separate hikers, and took the bushwack west to the old snomo trail and down to caribou pond. Some areas of marshy moose moss but not bad if you don't mind damp feet. ;) Then back up toward Redington. The path was in ok shape, with just a normal amount of small leaners and overgrowth. Met an older gentleman taking a break on the climb back to S crocker, nice to talk to him for a minute. Double tapped south and north crocker, then I cruised down the AT back to rt 27 and my beautiful steed. No snow on the route and mud wasn't bad. Around 31 miles with 10k vert. This puts me at 113/132 western ME 4k grid

Parking

Big lot on rt 27 at the AT crossing was still half full when I finished at 6pm

Water Crossings

The board bridge over the Carrabassett is up, but slightly beaten up. Easy to cross

Wildlife

Not much today

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Firewarden, Abraham side trail, AT, Sugarloaf side trail, bushwack, logging roads

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Expecting all the conditions, I set out slightly later than anticipated to dry ground and clear skies. Patches of snow started to appear near the firewarden tent site, become pretty constant above that. Rock spikes were the winner for the climb. The summit had remnants of fresh snow, but pretty clear of ice. Heading north on the side trail, snow is still deep (2-3+ft) in the trees, though it was surprisingly supportive, despite having zero sign of traffic. When I got to the AT, I switched to snowshoes for a little more support. Trail was easy to follow, with very old tracks making a slight base. Spaulding to the Loaf had a more solid base but no really recent activity. I stashed the snowshoes on the climb up SL, got real bony and less snow so unnecessary. On the way back, I decided to bareboot until I was punching through, which I was able do back to Spaulding shelter. 48F in the shade of the shelter. Only one person logged in the book since the fall. Picked up some minor trash. By then the snow was very punchy, so back with the show shoes. I followed the AT south for maybe quarter mile, then cut into the Rapid Stream Valley and linked with the old snowmobile trail that heads up that way. Someone had sledded up pretty much to the top of that trail, so there was a nice base to follow down. Snow was gone around 25-2600 ft. There were a few sections of moose moss bog the trail crosses, my pole sunk 3+ft into one. Mostly dry logging roads back to the trailhead. Fantastic day to be out, with barely any wind and lots of sun. Fresh snow was still on a lot of the evergreen braches up high, so as everything warmed up it led to literal carwash in the overgrown areas. Needed a spring wash anyways :)

Parking

Rapid stream road is quite rutted/ rocky, but I made it all the way in my Danger Ranger

Water Crossings

All hoppable

Wildlife

Starting to appear