| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Coe, South Brother, North Brother, Fort Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Marston Trail, Mt. Coe Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 17, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some forgettable rock hops. See below for info on spots for filtering water. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Few black flies but they weren't biting |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Ro here: A big day to finish our Maine 4Ks! Even though the wildfire haze made it hard to see very far, we still had a beautiful weather window. It was so unique to look into the Klondike from the peaks. We planned this trip kinda last minute based on the weather, so we ended up staying at Big Moose campground outside the park (honestly, great option. HOT SHOWERS 2 minutes for 25 cents!!!). From there it was a bit over an hour until we arrived at the Marston trailhead, and by the time we got fully ready to go it was 9:00am.
We started on Marston and then started our loop by taking the Mt. Coe Trail. This was unlike most other trails we have explored in the east--there were portions of fine gravel trail with gentle grades that reminded us of more western terrain. Then, the Mt. Coe slide was our first big challenge of the day. It has been pretty dry recently, and even then, there were a few slick sections of slab with slippery moss. Overall, the slide was more fun than scary (and I might compare it to N. Tripyramid slide, but shorter and easier). The rest of Mt. Coe trail was pretty chill and just lovely. I especially liked heading from Coe to S. Brother.
We stopped to admire all the views and snack, but I was really looking forward to refilling my water on the way to N. Brother. I am a thirsty girl, so I love to bring a filter and enjoy unlimited sipping. The spring that is mentioned in the trail description in the Maine Mountain Guide was not really running, and collecting water to filter there would have been very hard. That was a bit disheartening, but luckily as we were assessing the spring/puddle a hiker came down the trail from N. Brother and said the stream was flowing in the trail ahead. We did indeed find a section of trail/stream where there was a ~1 foot deep pool of running water, which still made it hard to fill up our 3L Kataydn water filter, but I was able to grab 1L at a time and we filtered while having a big snack stop. We know there was a group that hiked one week before us and had an easier time getting water, so it seems like it's been dryer lately. If you are reading this and planning to hike the loop, know that there is no place to filter between the bottom of Coe Slide and this stream section before N. Brother. (Marston trail lower down on our descent had plenty of water, but by that point, we didn't need much).
N. Brother had great views, and here we mentally prepared ourselves for the Fort bushwhack. We knew it would be tight. The path is indeed well-defined and we never once questioned where to go next. We didn't need to consult any gps tracks as we hiked. We did, however, curse up a storm and fight a good fight against young spruce and fir. No one emerged unscathed. I would recommend bringing safety glasses. I have never had so many twigs in my face before!! At the end of the day, we agreed that the gain (of exploring Fort) was worth the pain (of the bushwhack), but just this once. The views were awesome and the isolation was so peaceful. The radio remains part of the summit cairn. We didn't see any other remnants of the plane crash, and there doesn't seem to be any kind of summit canister like other NEHH peaks (we hadn't read about one but figured it was worth poking around for).
From here, we retraced our steps through the bushwhack, over N. Brother, and to our water filter spot. We filled up again, got sugared up to improve morale post-bushwhack, and began a very chill descent. That was so lovely!! Marston trail was great (with many spots to filter water at lower elevations). Not much to note, except that it was a very nice trail. No major steep spots, big boulders, etc. We finished up around 6:30pm and headed to Knife Edge brewing for a pizza dinner. Their space is really neat! |
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 | Name: |
Remi & Ro |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-08-19 |
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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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