askus3
New member
Date of Hike: Sunday, September 7, 2003.
Route: Appalachian Trail - North Pond tote road to ME 15 (4 miles north of Monson).
Pictures: link to Gallery - Maine Appalachian Trail - Album III - (Katahdin Ironworks Road to Cloud Pond Lean-to) - Pictures 120-132
Total Distance: 5.3 miles. (4.2 on AT)
Difficulty: Due to the hike's brevity, this was a walk in the woods. However, all them little ups add up and the way my knee felt, I'm glad I didn't have much more. Still recovering from the two day backpack and minor knee injury. Total elevation gain for the hike was 1280 feet.
Conditions: excellent
Weather: Cloudy, 60s. Forecast called for showers late in the day. Started out sunny, clouded up and passed thru the showers homeward bound.
Participants: Aaron Schoenberg (leader), Dean Gletsos & Chris Connolly.
Drive statistics:
0 8:11 AM Shaw's in Monson (Chris & Aaron driving)
4 8:18 AT crossing of ME 15 (dropped off Chris car)
8 8:24 Monson
13 8:35-8:40 Start of hike
After hike drive:
0 12:00 Noon AT crossing of ME 15
4 12:05 Monson - turn left on Elliottsville Road
9 12:12-12:26 back at start of hike to retrieve Aaron's car
Then drove back to New York. With some Sunday traffic and a stop for dinner out. Arrived home at Warwick, NY at 10:46 PM for this 468 mile trip.
Hike Statistics:
0.0 820 8:40 AM Start of hike
1.1 1060 9:05 AT crossing of North Pond tote road - make left
1.5 1020 9:25-9:30 North Pond
2.3 1060 9:55-10:00 Leeman Brook lean-to - on right
3.4 1110 10:35-10:45 Lily Pond
3.7 1410 11:00 open ledges
4.1 1278 11:10-11:20 Bell Pond
4.4 1270 11:25 cross Old Stage Road
5.3 1190 11:50 AM ME 15 - end of hike
Hike report:
This was a short dayhike completing our traverse of "The Hundred Mile Wilderness". This hike was uneventful, passing several picturesque ponds. Also, met all the northbound hikers that we spent the night with at Shaw's plus a good number of other short-term and northbound thru-hikers in this mornings walk. My knee gave me some pain, but I toughed it out. Actually it gave me much more pain on my drive home as I was very stiff driving all that distance.
Only Chris & Dean joined me as we needed Chris car for the car shuttle, Dean because he was Chris passenger back to NY and was determined to complete this section of the AT. Alex did this section yesterday. He got a ride to Bigelow and was going to take a few days and hike the trail north to Monson.
I of course need to go back to complete the first four days of this trip. If you have been reading this odyssey, I hope you will get in contact with me if you have any intention of doing the section I missed. (preferrably southbound, in the autumn 2004 & at a moderate pace using lodging facilities).
I don't think Chris has any intention of section hiking the AT, so he will live without the 7 miles he missed on Saturday. Overall, the trip was a complete success and we all were happy with our stamina, what we accomplished and saw. Thanks to Stelios & Maria who helped make it happen. I am glad this trip was everything they hoped it would be. I also am glad that my wife recovered enough to let me join the group for the seven days and four+ days of hiking.
If you have been reading this journal, what makes this trip unique is it shows how the Hundred Mile Wilderness can be broken into parts and by using lumber roads, lodges and campgrounds only a reduced amount of backpacking is necessary. With significant advanced planning in place, especially transportation arrangements, you can slackpack this section of the AT, making it possible for a beginning backpacker to traverse this section of the AT.
Looking ahead: Late September 2004. Section hike AT from ME 15 (north of Monson) to Long Falls Dam Road. 56.6 miles on AT. No backpacking involved, I hope. (some research for this to be done - forthcoming)
Route: Appalachian Trail - North Pond tote road to ME 15 (4 miles north of Monson).
Pictures: link to Gallery - Maine Appalachian Trail - Album III - (Katahdin Ironworks Road to Cloud Pond Lean-to) - Pictures 120-132
Total Distance: 5.3 miles. (4.2 on AT)
Difficulty: Due to the hike's brevity, this was a walk in the woods. However, all them little ups add up and the way my knee felt, I'm glad I didn't have much more. Still recovering from the two day backpack and minor knee injury. Total elevation gain for the hike was 1280 feet.
Conditions: excellent
Weather: Cloudy, 60s. Forecast called for showers late in the day. Started out sunny, clouded up and passed thru the showers homeward bound.
Participants: Aaron Schoenberg (leader), Dean Gletsos & Chris Connolly.
Drive statistics:
0 8:11 AM Shaw's in Monson (Chris & Aaron driving)
4 8:18 AT crossing of ME 15 (dropped off Chris car)
8 8:24 Monson
13 8:35-8:40 Start of hike
After hike drive:
0 12:00 Noon AT crossing of ME 15
4 12:05 Monson - turn left on Elliottsville Road
9 12:12-12:26 back at start of hike to retrieve Aaron's car
Then drove back to New York. With some Sunday traffic and a stop for dinner out. Arrived home at Warwick, NY at 10:46 PM for this 468 mile trip.
Hike Statistics:
0.0 820 8:40 AM Start of hike
1.1 1060 9:05 AT crossing of North Pond tote road - make left
1.5 1020 9:25-9:30 North Pond
2.3 1060 9:55-10:00 Leeman Brook lean-to - on right
3.4 1110 10:35-10:45 Lily Pond
3.7 1410 11:00 open ledges
4.1 1278 11:10-11:20 Bell Pond
4.4 1270 11:25 cross Old Stage Road
5.3 1190 11:50 AM ME 15 - end of hike
Hike report:
This was a short dayhike completing our traverse of "The Hundred Mile Wilderness". This hike was uneventful, passing several picturesque ponds. Also, met all the northbound hikers that we spent the night with at Shaw's plus a good number of other short-term and northbound thru-hikers in this mornings walk. My knee gave me some pain, but I toughed it out. Actually it gave me much more pain on my drive home as I was very stiff driving all that distance.
Only Chris & Dean joined me as we needed Chris car for the car shuttle, Dean because he was Chris passenger back to NY and was determined to complete this section of the AT. Alex did this section yesterday. He got a ride to Bigelow and was going to take a few days and hike the trail north to Monson.
I of course need to go back to complete the first four days of this trip. If you have been reading this odyssey, I hope you will get in contact with me if you have any intention of doing the section I missed. (preferrably southbound, in the autumn 2004 & at a moderate pace using lodging facilities).
I don't think Chris has any intention of section hiking the AT, so he will live without the 7 miles he missed on Saturday. Overall, the trip was a complete success and we all were happy with our stamina, what we accomplished and saw. Thanks to Stelios & Maria who helped make it happen. I am glad this trip was everything they hoped it would be. I also am glad that my wife recovered enough to let me join the group for the seven days and four+ days of hiking.
If you have been reading this journal, what makes this trip unique is it shows how the Hundred Mile Wilderness can be broken into parts and by using lumber roads, lodges and campgrounds only a reduced amount of backpacking is necessary. With significant advanced planning in place, especially transportation arrangements, you can slackpack this section of the AT, making it possible for a beginning backpacker to traverse this section of the AT.
Looking ahead: Late September 2004. Section hike AT from ME 15 (north of Monson) to Long Falls Dam Road. 56.6 miles on AT. No backpacking involved, I hope. (some research for this to be done - forthcoming)
