Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
North Brother, South Brother, Mt. Coe, ME |
|
| Trails: |
Marston Trail, Mt. Coe Trail, South Brother Spur |
|
| Date of Hike: |
Thursday, September 22, 2016 |
|
| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We stayed at Daicey Pond so had no issues with parking. Campers do not need a separate trailhead parking pass. Plenty of parking at trailhead mid week in late September. |
|
| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
|
| Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
| Water Crossing Notes: |
Low & easy |
|
| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Newer section of Marston Trail is switchbacked and really, really nice. No longer is it a steep grind above the pond. Final ~0.3 mile to North Brother is severely eroded and grown in. A ranger I spoke with said he thought there were plans to relocate that section of trail at some point in the future. One or two small blowdowns on way to Coe. Coe Slide well marked with blue blazes. |
|
| Dog-Related Notes: |
Not allowed in BSP |
|
| Bugs: |
|
|
| Lost and Found: |
FP lost his groovy sunglasses, but we backtracked 1/4 mile and found 'em. |
|
|
|
|
| Comments: |
Goal was North Brother, FP's final NE 4k'er (67 at 67! Yay, congrats FP!!!!!!). Had the entire approach and summit to ourselves. Views were far reaching and spectacular! Fancy-"I'm never doing the NE 100 highest"-pants could not be talked into schlepping over to Fort Mtn. but expressed interest in South Bro and Coe, so off we went.
Final ~0.2 mile to South required a bit of upper body strength/boulder scrambling. Met 6 hikers in this section, only hikers we met this day. Views were just... *WOW* across the Klondike, to Katahdin, Lake Cowles (or was it Davis Pond?), The Traveller... everywhere. (Have to get back to BSP more often than every 12 years!) Mt. Coe was even better, especially the final narrow approach to the summit.
After speaking to some of the 6 hikers on SB, we were a bit anxious about descending Coe Slide but decided to give it a go, and it was fine--and dry--this day. (Figured it couldn't be any scarier than climbing it in winter 1993!!) Would not descend this trail if wet, however. Enjoyed the lower part of Mt. Coe Trail which had a bit of a western trail feel about it.
Celebrated FP's NE67 finish with a bottle of Prosecco and the serenading of the resident loon on our Daicey Pond cabin porch. :) |
|
| Name: |
Snowflea & Fancypants |
|
| E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2016-09-24 |
|
| Link: |
https:// |
|
|
Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
|