• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

Old Speck Mtn, Maine -- 4/22/2005

MtnMagic

New member
Joined
Oct 7, 2002
Messages
892
Points
0
Location
Lancaster, NH
Date Hiked: April 22, 2005

Trails Hiked: Old Speck, Mahoosuc!

Total Distance: 7.6 miles with a 2600' gain in elevation.

Difficulty: moderate

Conditions: clear skies, a sunny, warm day with temps at 62*, and very little wind!

Special Required Equipment: Brought snowshoes and crampons, did not need them today.

Trip Report:
The internet weather reports predicted rain for Saturday, tomorrow on the 23rd of April. How much fun can that be?! Our regular weekly hiking group decided to play work hooky and do a Maine 4000'er, this Friday and stay dry on Saturday. We choose Old Speck, one I just climbed October 3rd 2004 from the West on the more difficult Mahoosuc Notch and Mahoosuc Arm Trails reached via the Success Pond Road in Berlin, NH.

This road currently has a locked gate preventing vehicles from driving on until sometime mid-May. We met at Bethal, Maine at the intersection of Rte 2 & 26 where we car pooled to Grafton Notch to the Old Speck parking lot. We were the only ones in the large lot at 9:30 where we geared up and hit the trail.

As expected we experienced spring to winter conditions as the snow increased as the elevation increased. The Old Speck Trail has features that is absolutely beautiful in late April with 4 marvelous cascading waterfalls that is such a delight to hike by.

We hit the summit in 3 and a half hours, had lunch, feed a very small (new born?) Canada Jay, met a hiking couple, climbed up the tower and left the summit with hopes to cross the highway to bag Baldpate. This was not to be as we decided it was too late in the day with too little water and food to comfortably summit Baldpate.

We'll be back to complete our quests, visit the grand waterfalls like Screw Auger Falls and the ones in the immediate area, and hike with friends once again each and every spring that makes each winter so livable. Life is good -- and it gets so very much better!
 
Top