4/6/12 Bangor

Cold gray dreary day. I couldn't get motivated to come up with a hike so we went downtown for an hour and then came home and did a little work cleaning up the neglected gardens- Kelley watching to make sure I did it correctly. She likes downtown because there are so many interesting smells and also lots of people to meet.



There were several of these large trees with odd bark at the edge of a playground. I don't think I have seen this variety before. They looked dead but I will return to see if that is true.



Fixer Upper



Part of the old police station

4/5/12 Fitts Pond and Blackcap Mountain

Mix of sun and clouds, breezy, and cool. Blackcap is only 20 some miles away. We had done it this winter on a day that the trails were dangerously icy ( I still have sore shoulder from one of my falls) and wanted to do it under better conditions.

The hike starts near the Roosevelt Scout Camp's Fitts pond boat ramp.


This trail follows the pond quite closely



At an intersection you can continue around the pond or climb Blackcap. I could not find a map of the Blackcap Trail so have drawn in an approximation. It climbs fairly steeply in sections and is mostly wooded.


One of the first ledges that offers a view. After this the trail goes back into woods for a ways



Until you reach the open summit with it's many towers. This is something you encounter on many peaks in Maine.


If you continue south there is an old woods road that soon turns into a pleasant wooded trail that runs along the ridge for awhile


before you again encounter open ridges with views.




We stopped to share an apple and Kelley is being antisocial .

The trail the starts down and seems to double back, running along the side of the ridge and parallel to the trail above.

Eventually it brings you down to Fitts Pond again and we continued the loop around the pond and back to the main part of the scout camp.

Not a very pretty day except for brief periods but an interesting hike. Kelley did especially well. I had been a little bit concerned when she wasn't anxious to play with another dog yesterday but she did more leaping up and down obstacles ( rather than going around) than usual and seemed enthusiastic. 2 3/4 hours

4/4/12 Walden and City Forest

A little drizzle and then a few flakes of snow when we got up with a chance of rain predicted. When it looked like it was clearing we headed for Walden.

No snow or ice on the trails!


Lots of water for Kelley to get into.



We met one of Kelley's friends and her owner on the old rail bed and walked along with them for a good part of our hike. Kelley was not into playing today ( very unusual) but was content to just walk along. We turned off to go to the beaver pond so Kelley could have a real swim.



And then headed back to where we started. No rain and a fair amount of sun.


Turned out to be a nice outing. 2 1/2 hours

4/3/12 Little Long Pond Area

Couldn't decide where to go today so picked one of Kelley's favorite hikes. Sunny but a bit nippy at the start as it was windy and only mid 30s. We did our usual route except checked out two trails I wasn't familiar with ( the two short trails upper right near the Jordan Pond House). The first ( on the left) we had not been on before and it was not maintained with many downed trees to work around. The second I thought might be the Seaside Path which we had taken before from Jordan Pond to Seal Harbor and this turned out to be so. On the map it appears to end at the carriage road but it continues to Seal Harbor on private property. We took the carriage road back to the first trail which also continued south and took it back to the carriage road that runs down to the pond. This section ( on private property) was maintained. We had our lunch at the pond and then took a little longer route back to the car.

A very pretty day but a disappointment for Kelley in that we met no other dogs ( very unusual) and only one other person. 3 hours

4/2/12 U. Maine Forest

Snowing ( lightly) when we got up with rain predicted so when it started to clear we headed to the university in Orono to see , once again, if we could follow their trail map. This time we started out in the opposite direction to that we usually take. We did well until we crossed the bike path and were in a large field with no detectable path so we just headed across it to the road ( indicated by broken pink line) . We again found the trail but lost it by the athletic field. Back to the bike path and we found the trail we were looking for and followed it to the area near the corn field loop. Then , as usual, it became more confused. There are several trails and old wood roads in this area not on the map so I can't say which route got us back to the start.

Kelley didn't care which path or trail we were on and found lots of water to get into. She thought it was pretty good. 2 1/4 hours

4/1/12 Sheepscot Headwaters

Forecast was for cloudy with a chance or rain. We got sun and no rain. We started from the new parking lot on Halldale Road, taking the Whitten Hill and Bruun to the Bog Brook. The plan was to take the Hogback Connector up , do the Overlook loop and then see how far we could get on the path toward the Walker Ridge access , when we tried from the other end we had a problem with water and a closed section.

Instead of getting on the connector I realized we were on an old woods road. Instead of turning back we continued on to see where it lead. It was headed up so we thought we might get to the place we wanted anyway. After several turns and some dead ends we did not come across the connector and ended in a yard in the woods with a lot of old farm machinery mouldering away.


We stopped beside a pile of old logs to share an apple and decide what next.


We turned back and returned to the Bog Brook loop and did that back to the Whitten Hill which we took up to the hill and found a sunny spot for lunch.



After all the old things, some new buds. It was breezy so they are a bit soft but a welcome promise of spring coming.




A nice hike. 2 3/4 hours.

3/31/12 Sunhaze Meadows NWR

Weather forecast was vague and I didn't feel like driving far anyway so we went to Sunkhaze. Turned out to be a nice day with mild temps and mostly sunny.

We did the Carter Meadow Road first ( the map does not show the loop trail that goes to the observation deck so it's location on the above map is very approximate). Shortly after starting Kelley saw a man ahead of us and sprinted forward to walk with him for awhile. This went on until the man stopped to let me catch up and then we all walked together to the loop trail where he turned back. He is a member of Friends of Sunkhaze - a volunteer group that works to protect the refuge - and a nice man. We both thought it was rare to meet anyone on the trails there.


View of the meadows from the observation deck.



After completing the loop we drove to the Johnson Brook Trail. Of course Kelley found water to get into.

The trail starts as more of a woods road than regular trail. We walked to the beaver pond first ( still mostly frozen) and then met three people with three dogs - funny after talking about seldom seeing anyone on the trails. That was a chance for Kelley to play with other dogs which she always loves.

We then turned back and did the loop trail back to the main trail and to our car.



Not a bad outing- some patches of snow in shadier spots but no ice on the trails and not too wet- some of these trail can be pretty mushy. 2 1/2 hours