12/20/12 City Forest

We woke  up to about two inches of nice white snow ( rather than the usual slush) and I quickly shoveled the drive so we could get over to the forest while it was still fresh. A mix of sun and clouds but mostly sun to start.
We parked at the end of Kittredge Rd. and walked down the hill toward the beaver pond

Kelley gets very excited by the snow and continually ran ahead and then back to me then out again.

There was no wind so the snow stayed on the trees.

The bright sun and dark clouds along with the snow gave us some interesting light and a beautiful hike.

Later in our two hour hike it was all clouds but it was abeautiful hike and a welcome change from all the dreary rain we have had of late.

12/19/12 Walden

We have had several days of unsettled weather- light snow, light rain, gray skies, and slush. . That continues but we went to Walden for an hour and a half anyway . When we started we saw the tracks of one person and a dog and guessed it might be Kelley's friend Sophie. Kelley was on the trail and kept on straight where we usually turn, and then started running ahead . Sure enough here came Sophie running down the trail towards us. While her owner and I chatted the dogs played tug of war with sticks. Very hard to get a descent picture of them as neither is into posing.

When we head down the old rail bed no one had preceded us

Some of the other things we saw

 Waiting patiently

12/17/12 Neighborhood

Various forms of precipitation forecast so we stayed home and just did a couple of long walks around the neighborhood- finally got a little snow late in the day but today it has rained all day and that's gone. Next several days forecast is for more rain, snow, sleet, etc.

12/16/12 Boyd Road/Path

This is another of the abandoned trails. It was an early cart road. To find it you start from Rte. 3 on the gated forest service road which leads to their firing range. Continue a short distance past the range to a small clearing. In the upper left corner if you look among the trees you will find the narrow trail - which sometimes gets a little wider indicating that it was once more than a narrow trail . It is easy to follow to the intersection with the Pond Trail and a bit beyond that but then swings up to the carriage road. We have not been able to find that last piece to Bubble Pond. This is part of a map from the book "Pathmakers" and I have added names and colored roads to make it easier to follow.

A very cold day with sun to start and a clouded finish. I had cold hands the whole hike. Kelley did not seem to mind and even walked into water to drink.

This lock was on a building at the range and it reminded me of winter being described as 'the locking' in a book read long ago.

When we got to the carriage road , we followed it to Bubble Pond

and then followed the road beside the pond to the northern end of it and found lots of interesting things along the shore.

This is a small frozen stream that had been flowing down the hill toward the carriage road

At the northern end of the pond is a picnic table which, in the past we have used for snacks or lunch, and Kelley immediately recognized it and got excited as she does when food is coming. We had our apple snack and then headed back down the carriage road toward the Hunters Brook Trail which we planned to take back.

Across the pond - some thin ice

From the rocks along the road

The Hunters Brook Trail  crosses and recrosses the stream and this was a challenge today as  many of the rocks used as stepping stones were ice covered.  Kelly does not like to walk on ice because of the lack of traction and she also does not like the ice  that breaks beneath her feet- so a bit challenging for her too.  Still a very pleasant trail

And more ice

When the Hunters Brook Trail reaches Rte. 3, it was a short walk to our car parked by the service road.  An interesting hike with more to see than I had anticipated. We met no one the whole hike.  3 hours

12/15/12 Bangor

Very cold and also windy. We went downtown for a short walk and then in the afternoon for a walk around the neighborhood. Kelley does not mind the cold and did her usual exploration of  the available smells ( there are lots downtown)  but I was not inspired , perhaps unzipping my coat or taking off gloves influenced this. So, a couple of reflections.

12/14/14 Sargent Mountain

Mix of sun and clouds with more clouds as the day progressed. At lower elevations ( along the streams) there was no wind- even the tops of the trees were still. But when we got up onto the S. Ridge Trail and the open ledges the wind was quite strong and very cold. Odd. This is a somewhat strenuous hike as Sargent is the second highest peak in the park and the trails we chose have lots of footing issues ( roots, rocks, stream crossings) . We started from Rte. 3 on the Hadlock Brook Trail and found this gnarly fungus

At the next junction we took the Maple Spring Trail which is more challenging but Kelley managed all the work arounds on her own. After the second carriage road the trail becomes more difficult and when we
 reached the bridge at that road we climbed up  and walked the short distance to the next bridge and the Hadlock Brook Trail which is easier for Kelley.

The falls are visible from this second  bridge and the the trail runs along side.

There were more challenges for me on this trail with lots of exposed roots

Looking back down as we near the Sargent S. Ridge Trail. The top section of the trail had been  really treacherous with large sheets of ice covered granite to work around as well as smaller patches of ice on parts of the trail.

Once on the S. Ridge Trail, the rest of the way to the summit is mostly open rock and easy walking but , today, windy and cold.

Some views from the summit

And a panoramic shot- please click and then again for the large version

After a quick apple break ( huddled behind boulders for protection from the wind ) we headed back down.

Kelley waiting patiently for me to take a picture

On the return we stayed with the Hadlock Brook Trail . Still some work arounds for Kelley but she seemed happy to be on the trail and excited when she solved a problem spot.

The bridge over the Hadlock Brook Trail

And finally a tiny seedling growing out of a rotting log

A bit challenging  but a satisfying hike with lots of variety. 3 hours

12/13/12 City Forest

Cold but sunny with little wind. After yesterday's somewhat strenuous hike I thought Kelley might like an easy one so we went to City Forest. I don't think she needed an  easy one as she showed no signs of lameness and was eager and enthusiastic on the trails. We had a nice hike of an hour and three quarters.