2013 Pleasant Mountain Project

December 28, 2013: Ledges Trail

The final hike is complete! Dad, Tripper, Zoe, and I set out to complete my New Year’s resolution on a mild, overcast day with several inches of ice and snow on the ground. Last week, we received quite a bit of ice, but we’ve gotten a couple inches of snow since then, covering everything nicely. The trail was well packed, and the traveling was easy with a pair of microspikes, which are great winter grippers on almost any surface. Our hike took about the average amount of time– an hour each direction.

This year was my first time hiking Pleasant in snowy weather. Tramping a new path in snowhoes can be absolutely exhausting, but I was pleased to find the trail such easy going. I don’t plan to continue my monthly pilgrimage, but I am hoping for some more adventuring and back-country skiing this winter; they say it’s going to be a good one, and the snow is coming down as I write this! It’s nice to know I won’t be the only one out there.

It’s been a great year hiking Pleasant Mountain every month. Zoe and I have enjoyed the challenges, the milestones, the companions,and the classic familiarity of a good trail. The only trail we didn’t hit was Bald Peak, so we’ll have to head up that way next year for blueberries! Until then, happy trails!

November 30, 2013: Southwest Ridge Trail

It was the 11th hour for my November hike. As usual, I kept putting it off for the “perfect day”. As November is apt to do though, it has gotten colder and less inviting outside by the day. It was a cold and frosty morning for this trip– only 8 degrees when we started!

Zoe and I, joined by my Dad and my parents’ dog Tripper, set out early, hitting the trail at about 7:20. We hit the teepee about 8:15 and were off the mountain already by just after 9. Along the trail, many of the larger rocks and ledges had sheets of ice forming, and the ground as well as the lake below were becoming frozen. The dogs were surprised to find themselves skating around a few times!

Originally, I’d hoped to time this hike for Thanksgiving Day, but I did get it in during the long weekend. It’s been such a great year, and I have so much to be thankful for! Not least of the many things I’m thankful for is how close beautiful Pleasant Mountain is!

October 12, 2013: The Firewarden’s Trail

Lindsey, Zoe, and I enjoyed a beautiful, busy fall day on the trail. The foliage was perfect, the weather cool, and we couldn’t ask for much more. We kept a steady pace going, passing several groups on our way up. At the top, we found several more groups enjoying the day and the view. We paused only briefly, then headed back down the way we came.

September 21, 2013:  Pleasant Mountain Traverse

I’ve been looking forward to this hike since starting the blog. Chris and I signed up for the GREAT fundraiser Loon Echo puts on each year and got out our walking shoes; even though it was a busy day, Zoe got to come too. This time, the route traversed all the way across Pleasant’s 3-mile ridge-line, a route I’ve only done in its entirety once or twice and that was brand new to Chris and Zoe.

Loon Echo is a great, local land trust organization that has done a lot of important work conserving and maintaining Pleasant Mountain in the last decade. Personally, I’m incredibly thankful for their advocacy and proud to give back. Joining their annual trek– either a hike or a variety of bike rides– was a fun way to be involved. I was also so proud to call myself a Wyo girl yesterday; Wyonegonic superstars Chris and Ceidleigh provided van rides to hike starting points, allowing a great traverse hike without spotting our own vehicles.

The day itself was a nice one to ring out summer. It began cool and misty as we ascended Southwest Ridge trail. Since we began in a van-sized cluster of people, Chris and I were forced to speed along at the beginning to match Zoe’s must-be-in-front pace. By the top of the first headwall, we settled into a groove, and we were able to let Zoe off-leash most of the way. Southwest Ridge is probably my favorite trail up the mountain, so I’m glad Chris has made his first trip up this way now, even though there was nary a view to be seen.

When we reached the teepee just off the SW summit (55 minutes), it was great to see volunteers at the first checkpoint and a bunch of families enjoying their first snack break. Chris, Zoe, and I only paused for a photo before beginning across the ridge-line and toward the main summit. We reached the fire tower and the second checkpoint in about 90 minutes (cumulative), and this time graciously accepted some delicious snacks from the volunteers (who were insistent that they carry nothing back down the mountain).

The second half of Pleasant’s ridge line leads across to Bald Peak and then on to the ski area, and as we did this stretch, the weather got steadily nicer. It was sunny and beautiful by the time we reached the Bald Peak Trail cut-off, and we enjoyed some early fall foliage and glimpses down to good old Moose Pond. Finally, we popped out at the top of the ski slopes, collected a delicious whoopie pie from volunteers to share, and zipped down Jack Sprat and the Main Slope to the finish line and a yummy chicken barbecue. Total hiking time: 3 hours. What a great hike, and a great event from Loon Echo!

August 26, 2013: Southwest Ridge Trail

It’s that bluebird time of year in Maine; in late August the air is crisp, the sky is clear, and the temperature is perfect. Unfortunately, I just missed the beautiful spell of weather we’ve been having; today was muggy and warm. None the less, Zoe and I enjoyed a great afternoon hike up the Southwest Ridge Trail today, which is probably my favorite trail on the mountain. This is only the 2nd time I’ve hiked this trail this year, and darkness and ice got the better of me in January. So, this is my first trip to the teepee in 2013! Zoe and I made it up in a respectable 55 minutes today– not bad for heat.

August 4, 2013: The Ledges Trail (A make-up hike)

Of all the months to miss, July?? I didn’t quite make it up Pleasant during the month of July, but I did hike a 4,000 footer! Chris joined me a few days late for a hike up Ledges during beautiful weather and peak blueberry season. Picking blueberries is an annual tradition in my family; we look forward to blueberry pancakes all winter long, and I can never turn down a slice of peach-blueberry pie! This year was no disappointment, as the blueberries were sweet, plump, and plentiful!!

June 20, 2013: The Ledges Trail (A summer solstice summit)

What better way to celebrate the sun and the summer solstice than with a gorgeous sunset looking westward over the Whites?

Moonlight over Moose: ascent

Porcupines!

Zoe and I hiked fast (and sweaty) to reach the summit about 8:10, just in time to enjoy a sunlit summit and a vivid display of colors. We also got some great views of the rising, almost-full supermoon. Sadly, even though I carried my good camera, the batteries were dead.The iPhone photos don’t do justice to the scene, especially the two porcupines Zoe and I had to avoid in both directions.

Sunset

Summit sign

Zoe girl

We didn’t stay long on top of the rock, because dark was falling fast in the woods, and the bugs were in full buzz. Just enough time to scarf down some PB& J, and we were off down the trail. I do have to admit…. walking in the woods at night was a little bit scary, but luckily we made it down safely without any mishaps.

May 27, 2013: The Fire Warden’s Trail

Bright and beautiful, clear and crisp. In a word, perfect. Dad, Tripper, Zoe, and I hit the trail at the tail end of a washout Memorial Day weekend. Saturday it poured, Sunday was less than inspiring, but Monday it was perfect! The Fire Warden’s trail, a.k.a. the Yellow House Trail, is not a trail we hike too often, but it’s one of the oldest on the mountain, and there is a photo of me on it from a young age. It was fun to meander up a different way, and I particularly enjoyed the picturesque brook that winds along the lower half of this route.

Zoe and I

Cool mountain stream

Dad and Tripper

On this hike, wildflowers were blooming, the streams were full of cool, mountain-fresh water, and the summit had a refreshing breeze and a bluebird view. 1 hour up, about 45 minutes down. Zoe swam. And, I saw a porcupine!

 

April 26, 2013: The Ledges Trail

Last Friday afternoon, I decided to take advantage of a balmy spring day and a Friday to hike up the Ledges trail with Zoe. We cruised easily up; thanks to all the great trail work done the last few years, there’s not much erosion left, and the mud was almost all dried up. We took a quick photo and water break on the ledges, then popped onto the summit in a tidy 50 minutes. Because the fire tower is the true summit of Pleasant, this was Zoe’s first official summit, at 2006 feet!

March 10, 2013: On the Road Again

This month, I seized a beautiful, sunny, early spring day to head up the mountain, and I convinced my Dad to come along! Dad, Zoe, and I decided to ski up the road like February, and two weeks made a big difference. Warm and sunny weather meant skiing without coats on, and the views were much improved by the clear skies.

We made good time and made it to the ridgeline just below the summit. Soft snow made the last, steep stretch feel pretty brutal going up, but that meant extra satisfying turns on the way down. Soft, corny spring snow was fun to ski down, and much softer than my earlier ascent. Both Dad and I mixed some good tele turns in with our survival mode  backcountry skiing; Zoe enjoyed her sprint down the mountain.

Another great day!

 

February 27, 2013: The Cell Tower Trail

For the second month in a row, my bad planning threatened my February hike. Luckily, I was saved by a snow day! Last weekend, Dad and I finally trimmed and fitted the climbing skins I got 2 Christmases ago for my tele skis, so I was finally ready to go. My goal for the 2013 Pleasant Mt. project has always been to ascend at least once on skis.

I hit the trail with Zoe around noon, and by then we had gotten 2 inches of wet– but not too sticky– snow. I strapped my skins on (for the first time ever!) and up we went. It’s hard to get a rhythm with Zoe biting your ski pole THE WHOLE TIME, but both of us steadily plodded for about an hour, getting wetter and wetter from ambiguous precipitation, and with ever growing snowballs hanging from Zoe’s fur.

We hadn’t hit the summit when I decided to turn around, but the run down was great! I did more snowplowing than turning due to an under-layer of crusty snow  and Zoe underfoot; real tele turns were all but impossible. Yet, what took an hour to ascend flew by in just a few minutes on the way down.

January 31, 2013: Southwest Ridge Trail

I got my first hike of the year in just under the wire– January 31st. The weather this January has been crazy, freezing one day and balmy the next. The 31st brought a mix of both. In the morning, it poured rained, threatening to thunder and gusting steadily. We lost almost all of our snow the day before to 55 degree temperatures and the beginning of heavy rain.

By the time I arrived at the mountain after school, the temperature was dropping steadily, but trail conditions were pretty good. I had microspikes packed, but didn’t end up needing any more traction than my trusty boots provided. Almost unimaginable in January, there was little snow on the trail. In fact, there was a rushing stream going strong alongside the lower headwall portion of the trail. Mud and water were just starting to firm into ice, and the wind was blowing on exposed sections.

I didn’t actually make the summit on this trip. I got a late start, and I realized that the wet rocks I was ascending would likely be ice if I waited too long to turn downhill. Zoe and I made it to the ledges of the SW ridge trail, about 3/4 of the way to the teepee. It was disappointing not to make it all the way up, but as they say, and least I got to hike all the way down. Conditions weren’t what you would expect for January, but it was a beautiful trip up the mountain.