| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Pleasant Pond (The Forks Plantation), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Appalachian Trail, spur trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the Route 201 lot |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Three stream crossings required care to hop. Lots of mud |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail has the typical winter blowdowns, but nothing too crazy. A pair of landslides have disrupted the trail near where it descends to Holly Brook. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sampson enjoyed the hike! |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Today we hiked a section of the AT from the Kennebec River in Caratunk to Pleasant Pond in The Forks Plantation. After parking at the AT trailhead lot on 201, we started our hike with a short out-and-back to the Kennebec River. This was a pleasant section of trail which followed the bank of the river for a bit.
After passing back through the parking lot, the trail climbed away from the highway and followed the rim of the gorge that Holly Brook flows through. This section was rather muddy, but was otherwise easy going. At the bottom of the steep descent to Holly Brook, a pair of landslides had erased the trail in three different spots. This was on a switchback, so the best way to avoid it was to scale the steep slope to the north of the slides and skip the switchback all together.
The next section of trail followed Holly Brook through a gorge, and it was my favorite part of the hike today. This section had three stream crossings which required care to hop across. A bit after crossing Hangtown Road, the trail left the brook and crossed Boose-Crossover Road before descending gradually to the junction with the side trail to Pleasant Pond.
We followed the short trail to the shore of the pond, and enjoyed lunch, before retracing our steps back to our car. There are many beautiful sections of the AT in Maine that are overlooked by most day hikers due to lacking a summit with views or other prominent features, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of these sections this summer. |
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 | Name: |
Sam Shirley |
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 | E-Mail: |
newenglandskier13@aol.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-05-01 |
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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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