4/20/14 Sheepscot Headwaters

A hike with our friends Faith, Roxie, and Gus. They had not done this hike before and we did not know what kind of trail conditions we would find. Turned out they were pretty good- some small patches of ice and snow but more wet spots. We went up Whitten Hill and took the Northern Headwaters to the Hemlock Hollow to Hogback Connector and up to the overlook.

A beautiful day on the Northern Headwaters Trail

View from Hogback Overlook

We had lunch and then took pictures of each other and the dogs

Roxie

 Faith, Roxie, Gus, and Kelley

 Me, Gus, and Kelley

Kelley taking a break

We started back the way we had come but took the Bog Brook and Whitten Hill Trails rather than Hemlock Hollow. A really nice hike though a bit longer than planned- 4  3/4 hours including lunch.

4/19/14 City Forest

A dreary morning with more clouds than sun and some sprinkles and I spent the morning planting seeds indoors. In the afternoon we just went over to the forest for an hours exercise. There was plenty of water for Kelley.

Surprisingly, a fair number of icy patches left

and even some snow

Kelley took most opportunities to get into the water

When we got back to the car Kelley was not very pleased with the shortness of the hike and didn't want to leave. We will do better tomorrow.

4/18/14 Old Pond Railway

A new one - rail trail  in Hancock - found by our friend Faith.  A nice sunny day. We started from the east entrance.

Near the start are some of the old rails

Many of the old ties are still present

A little further along we crossed a small bridge and causeway that gave views toward the Skillings River

and of Old Pond

Near the west end the trail leaves the rail bed and goes through a wet area up to the parking lot where we turned back to return the way we came.

There was lots of interesting stone along the way

Gus running back to us

A picture by Faith- no more  treats

Roxie and Gus

Not a lot of people- we met a couple coming out as we started, a man with two dogs at the west end, and two women with a dog near the end. The walking had been easy and the day very pleasant. 3 hours 

4/17/14 Walker Ridge Area

Brisk morning- 32 with a bit of wind when we started. Looking for a less wet place to walk we decided to further explore these roads. The roads were wet and a bit spongy and still had patches of snow in some places ( they had got 3 inches to our inch  2 nights ago)

Both of us preferred to walk on the snow which still had a firmer ice crust beneath it, but none of the walking was bad.
I was surprised that the Bartlett Stream was not higher.

We followed the same path as last time we looked for the other Frye Mtn. Trail and though this trail was in the wrong position, we decided to follow it anyway

It soon turned from a path into an old woods road and that became less and less clear and was not heading up the mountain. We gave up on it and bushwhacked back out to the road. We followed the road to the gate we had reached last time and turned back. This walk is a pretty good work out because little of it is flat with long sections of hill.

We took a different road back to Walker Ridge Rd. and met a man with a camera who was hoping to see coyote. He walked back with us and talked about hiking areas. He thought we had gone far enough on the road to find the trail we were looking for but had just missed it. He also has a blog and we exchanged cards.
Back at the parking area we met a couple on vacation. They had not hiked the area before and were just starting their hike so we gave them a map.  A pretty good outing- pretty day and easy walking. 3 hours

4/16/14 City Forest

Weird weather continues. Yesterday it rained much of the day and  this morning we woke to an inch of new snow and a gray day. I stalled 'till the sun came out and it was up to 30 ( but windy, making it feel colder)  before we headed to the forest. No idea what the trails would be like after the rain and snow. The West trail was in pretty good shape- you could feel leftover snow and ice under the new snow but it was not slippery.

I had been discussing these rectangular woodpecker holes with someone who was also curious about them. I found they were unique to Pileated Woodpeckers and they proved shelter for other birds. The hole is several inches high.

Rabbit Trail runs off the West

When we got to the rail bed we went north a short distance until water stopped us. Going south the trail was very good with only the light new snow until we passed the second intersection with the Walden loop Trail  - we then started to encounter water.

  and then lumpy snow- I think more old snow because it is more shaded in this section

 After the intersection with the snowmobile trail we ran into water running across the trail. We had never seen it out of the pond  at this place before and could see more ahead. Kelley was game but I was ready to turn back.

We went back to the side trail we usually take to get across to West but ran into more water I could not cross. Back to a side trail I thought would get us around the water but no one had been on it and it was hard to follow. We eventually lost the trail and bushwhacked for awhile, running into more water,

 until we picked up another trail that took us back to the rail bed. From there to another side trail I knew would take us back to West without water problems and it did. Back to the car. I had not expected so much water in places it has never been a problem, but it was still a pretty day. And Kelley really seemed to enjoy the hike after missing one yesterday and getting all that water was a nice bonus. 2  1/4 hours

4/14/14 Eliot Mtn. and Harbor Brook

A little warmer ( 50's) but cloudy and foggy- supposed to clear but it did not until the end of the hike.

The start of the Eliot Mtn. Trail looked promising- no snow or ice.

It did get pretty wet though, with parts of the trail like small streams

The summit of Eliot does not offer views but fog would have obscured them anyway

The trail down the other side of Eliot and the Asticou were also in good shape. When we reached Harbor Brook, Kelley was into the water which is shallow where it is crossed by a bridge.

The Harbor Brook Trail was a big change - still a fair amount of snow in places and quite a bit of ice.

Mostly I could maneuver around the ice - it was a problem for Kelley as there were not as many places she was willing to enter the stream. Still it's a pretty trail and worth the extra care needed to maneuver.

Another interesting hike with a variety of trails and scenery.  2  3/4 hours 

4/13/14 Northern Headwaters

Gray day with various kinds of precipitation forecast. Much cooler - 38 when we started and 34 when we finished. Not doing anything when we left home but ice pellets when we started the hike from Whitten Hill Trailhead.

When went up Whitten Hill to do the loop. The trails were pretty good - a mix of bare ground, snow, ice, and  water. The ice was not very slippery because of all the debris from the trees.

Not sure why, but the higher trails were the clearest.

We took a detour on the Goose Ridge Trail ( # 7 on the map) to visit a couple of small streams Kelley likes.

We continued to a small dam on the trail

There is a break in the dam that Kelley can't negotiate so, at this point, we turned back

In summer, she would swim the pond behind the dam to get around it but the ice kept her back today

Back on the loop the trail along the Sheepscot  there was  more snow and ice . The water was flowing swiftly and Kelley  looked it over but opted out

After the trail turned away from the river it became quite wet with lots of standing water until we were on the hill again.

An interesting but soggy hike. The ice pellets just bounced off and the snow that followed was light but then we got regular rain for the last hour. All in all the footing had been better than expected and Kelley enjoyed all the water.  2  3/4 hours