| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
White Cap Mountain, North Kennebago Divide, Boundary Peak, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Porter Brook Road, herd paths, bushwhacks, Bear Brook Road, boundary swath |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, September 14, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked along Porter Brook Road with about 1.5mi of road walk remaining before entering the bushwhack toward White Cap. No traffic that I saw on a Thursday. Road was in good condition for a Subaru sedan, rocky but we made it. Bridges all in good condition. There is some active logging going on, loading of big equipment/log loading into trailers so expect delays on most of the dirt/gravel access roads. I waited 10-15 minutes for one heavily loaded truck to begin moving out of the road, the crew was super nice but really the only option was to wait my turn. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Feet got wet upon entering the woods from Porter Brook from morning dew on the understory leaves. Standing water/crossings were not significant until in the Monument 450 Peak/Boundary Peak col where the path basically treks through the western edge of Dennison Bog, here I sunk a couple of steps nearly knee-deep in muck. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
This really wasn't on trail much so this really does not apply. Sailing between White Cap - Kennebago Divide was nice and smooth, easy to follow, some running water down the trail but there were enough rocks to step on to avoid plunging every step. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Did not see any, would not bring any - especially on the US/Canada border cut. With all the hunting blinds and hunting activity up along that stretch, I would never bring a dog through there. |
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 | Bugs: |
Few lazily flying mosquitoes later in the day but nothing annoying during the hiking. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
Great day in the woods climbing to the wooded summits of 6 more Maine peaks. Parking at a pull off along Porter Brook Road (could have driven further in my Subaru), road walked the final 1.5 miles to the brushy terminus of the old logging road, at which point I entered the woods trekking east/northeast along the ridge, heading directly at the White Cap summit. Trekked alongside an old logging cut for the final ascent, I'd recommend not entering this cut as I mistakenly meandered into the open patch on the descent, the footing is atrocious and well-hidden by a blanket of hobblebush and vegetation, footing is moss-covered rotten logs, stay in the forest, footing is much better there!
Followed a super faint path which is forming in the forest and leads up to the summit of White Cap, from there an unmistakable old road/path leads toward N Kennebago (Kennebago Divide). Bushwhacked from trail to trail as they veered more easterly than I wanted to go, woods are easy trekking and very mossy - beautiful! Unmistakable and easy to follow narrow path up to N Kennebago, stunningly moss-lined and very gorgeous forest through this stretch, take the time and enjoy!
Followed steps back to White Cap where I descended along my ascending path for a bit before branching off and heading more W/NW to head toward Monument 450 Peak, where I knew I could pick up the border cut. The summit area for 100-150' or so is guarded by an entangled mess of raspberry bushes, bare knees paid for that endeavor. Beyond the summit register, the US/Canada border cut can be found. Footing along this cut is much more rough than photos had suggested. Very rocky and somewhat slick descending Monument 450, super wet, muddy and boggy upon reaching the lowland at the edge of Dennison Bog, just had to push through and step on sturdy dirt when the opportunity arose, otherwise there were some sucking mud and deep post holes in the bog.
Beyond the bog the trail ascends steeply over initially good footing, soon transitions to moderate-sized unstable rocks and scree. Boundary Peak appears down the cut, looking far, far away. Luckily progress is made quickly as one ascends up the sub-peaks and rolling terrain. Beautiful new PVC canister atop Boundary, just 10' or so into the woods along a narrow cut from the border. Followed my steps back to Monument 450 and bushwhacked directly toward Porter Brook Road while mostly on an old herd path - old access roads and pathways can be noticed all over this area as nature works to reclaim the land. 14.6mi with 4600' elevation gain for the trio of peaks in just under 6hr. |
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 | Name: |
Erik Hamilton |
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 | E-Mail: |
ehamilton9481@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-09-17 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.atalkinthewoods.com |
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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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