| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Brother, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Marston Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, August 9, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Slide Dam parking area has room for at least 12-15 cars. There's no sign for it, so keep an eye on your car's odometer - it's between 5 and 6 miles past Katahdin Stream Campground. Make sure to leave your park pass visible in your car - the rangers are checking for them. The first two miles of Park Tote Road (past Togue Pond Gate) are extremely rutted - I was going only about 10 mph in that section. Past the turnoff for Abol Beach, the road gets better. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Except for the final climb up to the summit, the trail was in very good condition. There's clearly been lots of trail work done on the steep section just above Teardrop Pond, and the gentler sections of the trail had much better footing than similar trails on Katahdin (I'm looking at you, Chimney Pond Trail). As others have noted, much of the final climb up to the summit is extremely and deeply eroded, with wet, slippery rocks and running water going down the steep trail. There are herd paths around the worst areas. The ranger at Katahdin Stream Campground (whose name I didn't catch, but who was very nice and extremely knowledgeable) said that there's trail work planned for that section in the next year or two. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Not allowed in Baxter State Park. |
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 | Bugs: |
Not too bad. We put on bug spray at the beginning of the hike, and we weren't bothered much. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
My hiking partner's backpack opened up somewhere on the lower part of the trail, and his lunch fell out. We didn't notice until a couple tenths above Teardrop Pond, so it must have happened somewhere below there. We looked for it on the way back, but didn't see it. It could've fallen off the trail, or maybe some local wildlife came and took it. |
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 | Comments: |
This is a very nice hike. The Marston Trail has essentially five sections - a steeper section at the beginning, then gradual to Teardrop Pond, then steep climbing above the pond, then gradual on the high plateau, and then the final steep climb to the summit. The gradual sections had very good footing that allowed us to just cruise along, while the steep sections were rougher but not too bad. The summit is above treeline and has unobstructed views in all directions - literally dozens of peaks were visible. It was nice talking to "Bucky" at the summit.
I highly recommend this hike for people who want beautiful views without the extreme steepness/difficulty and crowds of Katahdin. Thanks Bill for joining me! #66/67. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-08-12 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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. |
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