| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Old Blue Mountain, Bemis Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Appalachian Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 15, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We spotted a car on Bemis Rd (roadside parking, no one was there, room for a few cars). We then drove over to South Arm Rd and parked. Again, roadside parking and room for a few cars. Bemis Rd had some major washout that was blocked off. Low clearance vehicles would probably be okay with care. Mid clearance will be fine. My GPS said the car spot between the two was something like 35min but we did not have service to load directions at the time and driving back out to the main roads on the most obvious routes took much longer (45min-1hr??). A downed branch/debris on the trail about 15min after the Bemis lean-to. Last blowdown I think we saw was a partially delimbed stepover almost 1hr before we got down. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rather surprisingly, there really aren't any on this section of the AT. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The AT is obviously blazes in white. The spur to the lean-to is very well blazed in blue. Not much in the way of blowdowns on the way to Old Blue. About 15min north of the summit we encountered what I believe was a mid-sized straddler, climb over. 5min after that we ran into a leaner or two and a stepover immediately thereafter. A very large leaner/widowmaker was found 10min after. 15min later there was a pretty trivial stepover, then a larger but relatively easy stepover 25min after that. Two small stepovers 5min after that, then a trivial stepover 5min later. This was not far from the bench at the view. 40min after the bench we came across a large downed tree suspended above the trail that was easy enough to duck under. Tall, narrow, leaner/widowmaker 35min later. Another leaner/widowmaker 20min later. About 20min afterward, a small stepover and some small trees lying on the ground near a mudpit shortly thereafter. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I would not recommend this for most hiking dogs given some of the scrambling, iron rungs, etc. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Old Blue Mountain, Bemis Mountain (west, east, first, second, and third peaks)
Another great Maine Mtn Redlining traverse with a car spot from the lovely CCC! The climb out of Black Brook Notch was steep and scrambly at times but not as bad as I thought it would be. From there to the cone of Old Blue was relatively gentle. The summit of Old Blue was quite nice but in clouds on this day :( From there to Bemis, it is a loooong walk but not terribly steep. Lots of neat ledge between Bemis and the drop down to Bemis Rd. Again, we were pretty short of views unfortunately. Although it isn't needed for redlining purposes according to the new 12th edition of the guidebook, we nonetheless hiked the spur. It was very well blazed and the lean-to appeared to be in very good shape. The trail was, at many points, absurdly muddy; not hard to follow. Gaia had us at almost 12mi, 3300-3400ft of gain, total time was almost 8hrs but this was with many more breaks than usual ;) |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney and the CCC |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-10-22 |
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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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