Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
North Traveler Mountain, Traveller Mountain, Peak of the Ridges, ME |
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| Trails: |
Pogy Notch Trail, North Traveler Trail, Traveler Moutain Trail, Center Ridge Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Thursday, July 6, 2023 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
You do not need a reservation to hike the Travelers. It’s something like a $17/day pass for non-ME residents or $45 or so for a season pass. I arrived at the South Branch Campground Lot for day users around 8:45am to just a couple spots left. Not quite as full when I returned shortly past 5pm. Park Tote Rd is kept in good shape for low clearance cars. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossings on Pogy Notch Trail were still rock hopable despite the very high water. Right now, they may not be. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Pogy Notch Trail is blazed in blue. North Traveler, Traveler Mountain, and Center Ridge trails were all blazed in blue except North Traveler Trail which had some orange blazes overtop the blue as well. Cairns mark the trails at times above tree line as well. The trail was difficult to follow at times so more markings could be used. There were a handful of blowdowns along the trails, though I don’t recall where. Nothing major but hopefully they’ll get taken care of this year. |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
No dogs allowed in BSP. |
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| Bugs: |
Not bad in the morning and not many above tree line until later in the day. Below tree line and later in the day they could be bad. Ticks are very rare this far north. |
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| Lost and Found: |
I found a hat that said “Milwaukee” on it that was on either the lower section of Center Ridge Trail or at its jct with Pogy Notch Trail. I carried it out and gave it to the ranger at the campground who said that he’d put it in their lost & found. |
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| Comments: |
Big hike on my second full day staying in Houlton. This was a pretty brutal hike on such a hot and sunny day but it was also my best chance to get something big done on a day where the chance of thunderstorms was low. Heart rate was very elevated due to the sun and heat and I was careful to go much slower than I normally do.
This is a good hike to do when water is high as there’s only one water crossing (which was still, somewhat to my surprise, rock hopable), and the trails, even below treeline, usually follow ridges so tend to dry out pretty quickly. The most significant mud I saw (and it was quite bad) was on Pogy Notch Trail. I hiked the loop clockwise so as to presumably wade through the crossing at the end of day. This is not what they normally recommend but hiking it in this direction is totally doable, just a rougher and steeper decent. Hiking up North Traveler first was usually not crazy steep or very scrambly but plenty of ledge. Some nice sections of trail through varied terrain on the ascent to North Peak. A long way and a deep col between north and main peaks. A bit shorter and not quite as much gain between the main peak and Peak of the Ridges/Center Ridge but the trail is also quite rough coming off of main peak as it descends through multiple boulder fields. The descent off of North Peak is also quite rough at times and also is very steep and scrambly at times below treeline as it descends to Upper South Branch Pond. The most difficult scramble of the day I’d actually argue was here.
Not too many others hiking this loop on such a brutally hot day. This is a very fun and rewarding hike but also more difficult than some may realize. Lots of varied terrain too which made it cool. I did not note a side trail leading to a spring on North Traveler Trail but luckily it’s not needed for redlining. Gaia had me at 10mi, 3500ft of gain, 8hr15min. |
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| Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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| E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-07-11 |
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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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