1/11/11 Breakneck and Carriage Roads

Cold and mostly cloudy with some peaks of blue. We started the Breakneck at the Hulls Cove end. The first part of the trail had been well used ( I think by locals walking their dogs). Crossing the brook was a bit challenging as the stepping stones were all coated with nice shiny ice. Most had apparently turned back at this point as there were not any recent tracks. At the ponds we switched to the carriage roads. Kelley was happy that we met friendly people and people with friendly dogs. She was happy with this hike ,doing a lot of exploring and a lot of running for the, apparent, pure joy of running in the snow.


Lichens of the day




Birches on the Breakneck


Upper Breakneck Pond


Kelley remembers the places she can get into the water and this being one of them, she seemed puzzled to find the pond frozen


A closer look confirmed that there was no open water.


We finished the hike by taking the trail to the visitor center parking lot and then walking to the road and back to the Breakneck. A nice loop 2-3/4 hours

1/10/11 More Snowmobile Trails

Cold and windy but sunny. Couldn't find an adequate map. We started from the end of Fox Hollow off of Essex St. walking along the Penjajawok Marsh to a trail that goes through some nice woods to the utility easement that runs beside Walden Park and is used by snowmobilers. When we came out of the woods to this open area we got the full brunt of the wind in our faces but knew it would be at our back on the way home. We walked to the other side of Essex Street to where the Glenburn trails start and then turned back. Kelley was very happy with this hike as she was off leash, except when we neared the two roads we had to cross, and there were lots of new scents for her to explore and some fresh powdery snow. Once I warmed up I enjoyed it too and it gave me pleasure to see Kelley so freely enjoying herself. 3 hours

1/8/11 Little River Trail - Belfast

Gray day with light snow at home but none in Belfast. We drove to Belfast to do this trail which we had not done in winter. We started at the Walsh Field end and walked to the water district office and then back. The trail starts out fairly flat but then becomes more rolling but with nothing strenuous or difficult. Today the section past Perkins Road was ,for some reason, much more icy and we had to pick our way around some trail sections. We met several people with dogs and Kelley was happy to meet them all except for one unfriendly dog. Her owner said the poor thing had been abused and did not trust people.

Upper Reservoir


On a farm next to the Perkins Road crossing


Lower Reservoir at the water district where we had lunch.


4 hours

1/7/11 Snowmobile Trail

Very cold and snow was predicted so we decided to walk from home. We went north on the trail for an hour and then turned and retraced our steps. The footing was very good and we moved right along, except for my picture taking and Kelley's sniffing, and were quite comfortable.

These ice crystals looked like someone had been having a pillow fight


Lichen of the day

1/6/11 Bald Mountain Attempt

The plan was to go up Bald and then ,if that worked out, to Parkman and Gilmore to do a loop. The Hadlock Brook Trail was not bad but as we started up Bald it became more and more icy until we decided it wasn't worth the risk. We came back down to the carriage road and were going to do a couple of loops but I made a wrong turn a 19 and when I realized it, decided to just return. Since we had time left we drove over to Ship Harbor- a short trail in the western part of the park that leads to the ocean. We had not been there in winter.

1/4/11 Dorr Mountain

Cold but sunny. This would be our first time on Dorr since I broke my ankle ( different trail).We started at the trail head for Dorr Mtn.Ladder trail but turned onto the Kane Path. The walking was easier today as the rain of a couple of days ago and cooler temperatures had made a crust that supported us. We found some interesting ice formations along this trail.












The start of the Dorr S. Ridge Trail was easy going


but as we ascended it became more icy and several times we had to work around large ice patches ( Kelley doesn't like ice either). When we reached the summit it was quite windy and cold and we had to find a sheltered spot to have our apple before turning back and returning the way we had come.

Lichens of the day were on the Canon Brook Trail




An enjoyable hike in spite of the ice which was a bit nervous making. 3-1/2 hours

1/1/11 Cedar Swamp Mountain

Warmer weather with varied light--dark and cloudy to bright sun. We started from the Brown Mountain parking area and took the carriage roads to Sargent Mountain South Ridge Trail and that to Cedar Swamp Mountain. One person had preceded us on snowshoes but didn't pack the snow much and it was a bit of a slog. As we ascended the snow became deeper and, at times, I sank in to above my knees as did Kelley. This became a fairly strenuous hike . We had planned to take Birch Spring and Hadlock Brook over to the carriage road for a loop hike back but when we found that no one had been on those trails yet we returned the way we had come.

For my friend JW - Kelley again outpacing me.




Lichen of the day








Kelley exploring the summit


A couple of views from Cedar Swamp Mountain





A somewhat arduous but satisfying hike. 3 hours