| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Tumbledown Mountain (West Peak), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Loop Trail, Tumbledown Mountain Trail, Chimney Trail (abandoned) |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, September 1, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking today |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All easy to hop |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails are well marked and mostly clear. Loop Trail suffers from severe overuse |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a few |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
Today I did some hiking on some of Tumbledown's more difficult trails. I went up the Loop Trail, which I had all to myself. I climbed all the way out through Fat Man's Misery for the first time today, and wow, the viewpoint it leads to is pretty impressive. It's a fairly difficult scramble through the crack in the rocks, but it brings you out halfway up the cliffs in a spot inaccessible any other way. It's on the right soon before you reach The Cave, and it is really neat to check out if you're agile.
I continued up through The Cave and a long Tumbledown Ridge Trail to South Peak and Tumbledown Pond. This was the only area where I saw many people, and I had a nice chat with Michelle, the ranger.
On the way down, I took the old Chimney Trail, which has been abandoned since the 90s due to a rock slide which damaged the iron rungs leading through The Chimney. However, the trail still sees use, and is mostly clear. In The Chimney itself, the ladder through the cave has fallen out of place, but the knotted rope is still solid. It's a very challenging and potentially dangerous descent, so I can't recommend it, and won't be sharing how to get there, but it's there and is passable by the very adventurous. Below the rope, it's a challenging scramble down the rest of The Chimney with lots of loose rock. Below this, the trail passes across talus slopes and a small cave before entering the trees. |
|
 | Name: |
Sam Shirley |
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 | E-Mail: |
newenglandskier13@aol.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-09-01 |
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 | Link: |
 https://https://m.facebook.com/groups/MaineHiking/permalink/2654706751338369/ |
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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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