Wandering Douglas Mountain, Maine (10/15/2016)

Small hike, big payoff!

A rather un-helpful trail report but in order to chronicle the yearly foliage patterns and make a note of a great little hike that I highly recommend for a fun, easy jaunt with beautiful scenery, I am obliged!

My brother Nate came up from Rhode Island to see some foliage as we were at the very end of peak, if not a hair past in many areas, and I did not want to disappoint.

I had a lot of criteria but was mostly looking for about an hour from home, excellent foliage views, and not too tough.  A co-worker who I'm very fortunate to work with (for more than her shared loved for nature!) recommended Douglas Mountain in Sebago which sounded like a short hike from my limited knowledge of the area and only 50 minutes from home.

The drive up there was gorgeous and I was thrilled there were still plenty of vibrant colors.  We had to backtrack on Douglas Mountain Road; I wasn't expecting a large sign waving in all hikers to a designated lot.  Based on feedback from my coworker (and nothing else; I did no research other than a Google Images search!), I wanted to do the Ledges Trail but the large maps at the trailhead and donation box indicated we'd have to walk the road to get there.  Between that and a lovely-looking trail in front of us, we opted for what was right in front of us.

Quintessentially New England

So Much Orange!

As it turns out, the trail we were on was the primary Eagle Scout Trail.  It was very enjoyable: broad and easy through varied, semi-open woods.  Ty was amped but on her best behavior!

We passed a junction with a snowmobile trail, then a few turns as the trail bordered private property, and then the trail began to ascend.  After such a mellow start, and clearly my body had forgotten about Tuckerman Ravine by then, it felt steep!  If I'm being honest, it wasn't all that steep but a couple brief sections sure felt it and will be a good, short challenge for those who haven't hiked in awhile.  As the trail eased up, we passed under a very large fallen tree and came to an intersection.

Looking down the "steep" ascent (insert snicker here!)

The aforementioned big fallen tree

The trail marker suggested we could take the "Nature Trail Loop" and reach the summit.  We wandered the loop twice, baffled.  Each time took us less than 10 minutes.  It wasn't a large time investment and the brevity of the hike overall made it an easy gamble to take.  While on the second loop around, Nate said he recalled another path at the junction we'd stood at, befuddled, before.

Hopefully Nate forgives the use of his photo.  His expression summarizes
the depth of concentration required of us to find the right trail!

Back at the intersection, he pointed it out. I'd never seen it and was grateful for his keen eye.  It was immediately apparent it was the right path.  Initially rocky, the trail evened out and transitioned to dirt then smooth, exposed stone before reaching the clearing that's considered the summit.  There's an awesome stone tower with a fantastic view.  Nate did the majority of the picture-taking with his Samsung and keen eye.  With a frown, I have to say that said phone was stolen before he got the photos off of it so you'll just have to believe me!

Is it any question why the ladies love him?!

We decided to wander to the other side of the clearing to find a path down.  Afterwards, it was apparent it was the Ledges Trail.  Smooth ledges are my favorite and we enjoyed hiking down, all the while, with Nate showing off the grip on his Salomon trail runners!

The ledges didn't last long; we soon figured out why nearly everybody else that arrived at the top after us came from that direction.  The walk down was only half a mile! We oogled the gorgeous properties than lined the road on the walk down to the lot.

Quick, fun, interesting, and scenic - we will definitely be bringing more visitors to Douglas Mountain!  First, I'll probably return once on my own to get my bearings first; reviewing the map, it's quite straightforward and I'm baffled about our detour.  Not that I wouldn't mind getting lost again; it was a fun walk.  Of note for the dogs: there were a couple good streams along the beginning of the Eagle Scout Trail.  It's a nice piece of land but the trail sometimes closely borders private property so keep your wanderers in check!  Finally, we heard distant gunshots but their sound carried well.  We weren't in danger (but wore orange to be safe); however, Ty is extremely uncomfortable with the sound so "spooky" dogs might not appreciate that aspect.  We've only been once so I will offer updates if that's a usual thing there or not when we return.  I've since read it's a superb place to snowshoe.  Until then, happy trails, especially if you visit Douglas Mountain!

P.S. If you do, bring three bucks, the requested donation amount to maintain the property!
In light of the small amount of information compared to some of our other trails, here are some of links I found helpful:
Trail Map, thanks to Bridgton.com
Another post about hiking Douglas with dogs, highlight is the great descriptions of the surrounding mountains! How many have you done?
Some good wildlife recommendations and the perspective of a green hiker here.

Passaconaway on a Wet October Day

Our friends Bully & Blaze

Route: Dirt road, Dicey Mills Tr - Rollins Tr
Mileage: appx. 9 mi
Duration: 7 hours including breaks

On a gray autumn day, three women and most of their dogs met at Ferncroft parking lot to hike Whiteface.  Not a hike I thought I'd do again but the characteristics were just right.  Hannah, Amy, and I agreed on Whiteface for it's hiking appeal for Tango and Lilo, the opportunity to see the foliage, and its location away from the major leaf peeping routes (though 113 was simply gorgeous and bursting with color that day, 10/9/2016).  Amy and I met up the night before and camped in Tamworth as the forecast began to deteriorate overnight.  Nursing a cold and crinkling my nose at the drizzle that passed over us at 7:00AM, I admit to having doubts.  Thankfully, Hannah and Amy aren't babies like me and we proceeded to the trailhead.

One of the loveliest trailhead views I know of

Upon arrival, we decided to take Dicey Mills to Rollins in and out instead of the loop up Blueberry Ledge and down the former two, assuming the ledges above would be slick at best. To begin the hike, one must walk out of the parking lot and back to the road and take a right. A few fortunate souls live on the dirt road at least part of the year and it's a nice easy way to settle into a hike.  Past the gate that welcomes hikers while barring vehicles, we passed through a large meadow, then a smaller one before entering the woods, enjoying the soft dirt beneath our boots.

Audrey Dog!

Shortly after the bridge to the Tom Wiggins Trail, the ascent began, gently and with good footing.  I suppose I can say that about most of Dicey Mills Trail.  Some slightly steeper staircases here and there but a truly moderate trail in every sense, it was lovely and extra appreciated in light of my cold and the occasional gentle rain.  Even still, I increasingly found myself struggling as we neared the junction to head towards Whiteface.  I felt pretty guilty about it too since Ty was practical giddy (but well behaved!) and Tango was uncharacteristically gung-ho.  He probably felt the need to show off being the only guy and all!  He had a new chica to impress too; this was our long awaited first hike with Amy and her rescue chow mix Audrey.

four leggers... 

At the junction, Hannah referred to her map, which told us that Passaconaway was half the distance as Whiteface so again, we changed course.  Because, as experienced WMNF hikers have already realized, I forgot Dicey Mills doesn't meet up with Blueberry ledge on the southeast side of the summit but wraps around it.  A convenient mistake on my part, thankfully.

I don't recall much until next intersection at a sort-of left to reach the viewless summit of Passaconaway.  The trail became increasingly more challenging and included a few nice, brief scrambles that were doable in the rain.  One of them I recalled from when Linda and I hiked there in 2012 and had our first experience with boiler plate ice (and missing junctions!).

THIS is trouble! Ty was feeling very peppy having a
hiking partner who matches her pace.

It wasn't all rocks and boulders.

Scramble time!

Just as with the last time, the potential vista slightly before the summit was shrouded in thick clouds and we continued on.  The true summit is along one a of a couple small herd paths and is marked with a cairn... and maybe a wooden marker but I don't recall.

What a view!

3-way intersection with the herd path

We made our traditional photo attempts, celebrated another 4K, which we haven't accomplished much of lately, and decided to take the other side of the loop back down to Dicey's Mill, for no other reason than to mix things up.

It was rough but we were happy to be descending rather than ascending (like the handful of folks we passed).  Like the other side of the loop, there were a few steep sections where we held onto tree limbs or scooted down.  The day's biggest laugh came while I was squatting down to prepare to hop down a ledge.  Lilo is one of the most unique trail dogs we've met.  She's like a freight train: slow and steady and always moving forward.  So at that particular moment, I was blocking the path of said pibble train, who, without flinching stuffed her head under my armpit and continued onward. Between laughing and being forced forward, I almost tumbled down the rocks!

Above: going down a steep section,
below: looking up at the same section

The rocks I was nearly run over at!
(Just before the Walden Trail)

After that, the trail was curvy and mellow and we caught a couple of glimpses of orange hills through the wet trees.  Before long, we passed familiar intersections.  Along the last section of Dicey's Mills, the group began to spread out, as Ty, inspired in part by the buoyant and adventurous Audrey, began pushing the limits of her permitted distance from me while Lilo's steady pace lost some "oomph," as it was later discovered, from some minor pad abrasions.

By the meadows, we'd re-converged and walked down the road together, enjoying the quintessential "New England-ness" of it all.  The road walk and drive to and from the trailhead produced the most views of the foliage but there is certainly something to be said for hiking through the fall colors as well.

Waning but still mesmerizing color

 Aside from all the emotional highlights of Sunday's hike, it's a nice one to recommend for dogs.  The footing and grade are solid except for the summit loop, which offers reasonable challenges.  There is only one noted water crossing/water source; however, Hannah covered the same trails during a different hike in early July and recalled a handful of seasonal runoff streams.  The trailhead was nearly full and we saw enough people to not feel remote but it's a comparatively quiet hike.  For the humans, there aren't many opportunities for views but the hike itself is quite enjoyable and all the dogs seemed very happy with it, which, let's face it, is why we're here!