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Trip Reports:
Add your own trip Report!
Newly re-released feature. One of the most popular features on Wildernet, trip reports allow you to share your experiences with others.
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Filed By: NEWENGLANDCHARTERS
(SACO, ME)
Number of People Encountered: 50+ ppl
Recommend to a Friend: Highly
Report: NEW ENGLAND CHARTERS is the premier Fishing, Hunting, Partyboat, Charterboat Guide Operation in New England.
Based in Camp Ellis, Saco, Maine down the road from Old Orchard Beach resort area this is the hottest Tourist destination in the coastal Maine Beach area.
Great sightseeing trips with Seals & Whales. Bachelder or BACHELORETTE Party’s and Corporate Outings etc.
DEEP SEA fishing trips on our 44 ft Partyboat and Guided Saltwater & freshwater Fishing onboard our fleet of smaller 6 Passenger Charter boats
Guided Hunting trips by Licensed Maine Guide for and Moose, Deer Ducks & Sea Ducks.
Equipment & Service Sponsors: We are always looking for companies that want to get involved with our business and help provide the best quality to our customers. Be it Hunting, Fishing, Boating, Scuba, Lodging or restaurants, Advertising or any product or service that you may have that could enhance our operation we would like to speak with you regarding co-operative promotional opportunities
We also need good reliable people to work as Captains & Crew on all of our boats.
Check our new web site and contact us about reciprocal web links.
For Reservations, Free Brochures for your customers or more info call
Capt Walt at (207) 831-6311
NEWENGLANDCHARTERS@hotmail.com
NEWENGLANDGUIDE@hotmail.com
http://www.newenglandguideservice.com/
Filed By: Jeffrey Cotnoir
(Augusta, ME)
Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl
Recommend to a Friend: Highly
Report: West Kennebego Mt., Upper Cupsuptic Twnsp, northwestern, Maine.
Access: U.S. Rte. 4 through Farmington to Rangely, then Rte. 16 through Letter D and Letter E townships, to Lower Cupsuptic to Morton Cutoff Rd. Right at the end of Morton Cutoff to trailhead. The last 10 to fifteen miles of driving is dirt road (unimproved) and can be accessed without a 4WD, but at a very slow rate of speed. Some washouts have been temporarily repaired.
The trailhead is well marked and paring is ample.
My brother, Chris and I took this trip last year in the driving rain. Again, this year, on June 9th, we climbed in rain. Even with the poor weather, the scenery was beautiful and the wildlife plentiful.
The climb starts rather easily, but turns steep after several hundred yards. The trail is marked in red blazes, with some points marked with cairns. At about mid-climb, there is an open warden's cabin (the oldest continuously used one in the country) and is maintained quite well, with a separate bunk room, kitchen and outhouse. Wood stoves in both the kitchen and bunk room (bunk room sleeps 5 comfortably). Moose are plentiful in this area and frequently use the trail. On our first trip, we encountered a moose at the base of the trail head and followed it up, nearly to the cabin. On our most recent trip, we encountered moose on the access road.
The summit (approx 3,700 ft.) has a fire tower (which is padlocked) and a storage shed. Because we climbed in the rain, there was no real view. However, the area of Upper Cupsuptic is a beautiful one, with East Kennebego to the east, Kennebego lake in between peaks. Cupsuptic lake to the south and even further south, Mooslookmeguntic Lake is a beautiful recreational and fishing area. Views into rangely Lakes region and as far southwest as Mt. Washington are gorgeous on a clear day, while Bigelow, Saddleback, Sugarloaf and many more are visible to the south and southeast.
The climb is not too vigorous, but is misleading, as the down seems much steeper and harder on the legs and lower back. The summit seems small when you reach it, with only an open area for the tower and shed. However, through a hard-to-find trail off the north side of the summit, one can hike a ridge to a second summit, overlooking some of Maine's most beautiful wilderness, with a view into Canada, which is a mere 8 or 10 miles away, as the crow flies.
All in all, I would highly recommend this climb. It is a wonderful day-trip, with overnight possibilities and some of the best vistas around.
Take plenty of water, as there is no potable water on the trail, and the climb, though not exhausting, is moderately difficult.
On both of our trips, we encountered NO OTHER HIKERS.
Filed By: Jeffrey Cotnoir
(Augusta, ME)
Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl
Recommend to a Friend: Highly
Report: October 12, 2002, foliage watching trip to Boundary Bald Mountain in Jackman, Maine. Boundary Bald Mountain is exactly what it says, it is a blad-top mountain on the boundary of Maine and Canada in the Northwestern section of Maine. Access is easy to find by traveling U.S. Route 201 straight up through the state. The road is newly renovated and travel is easy, quick and beautiful. The drive basically parallels the Kennebec River all the way to The Forks. As I said in my last trip report, The Forks is an awesome recreational area in Maine, where hiking, climbing, whitewater rafting and many other outdoor sports are plentiful. Vacationing in this section of Maine is a most rewarding, exciting and incredibly beautiful experience. Our family's camp is located on Pleasant Pond in Caratunk, just 10 miles south of The Forks. From here, we can base and plan trips all over central and north-central Maine. This particular trip to Boundary Bald was incredibly beautiful, as we hit the absolute peak of foliage season. The colors this year were unbelieveable. But bring plenty of water, as the climb is strebuous and there are no real places with potable water along the trail. From The Forks, the trail head is about 30 miles north, towards the Canadian border. Once you reach the town of jackman (a great place to stop and get fuel, food, water and other supplies), the road to the trailhead is very clearly marked with signs. You travel 7 miles from the center of Jackman and the access road is on the right. The access road is fairly well maintained, but it is an operating logging road, so be careful of logging trucks. Give them a wide berth, for they have the right-of-way, and follow the signs to the hiking trails. The drive up from Caratunk was beautiful. A nice straight, well-maintained road in the middle of nowhere! We saw 7 moose, a few deer and some of the most brilliant leaf colors I have ever seen. Once at the trailhead, we found ample space for parking, well off the tote road, to remain clear of the logging trucks. The hike starts out with about a mile on an old dirt road, and takes a sharp left onto the mountain's base. It is also well-marked. From here, the trail begins to steadily rise. There will be no respite from the elevation change from here to the summit. Some of the climbing is hand-over-hand, but there is plenty of safe footholds, so no equipment is required. We took our dogs and they made it up, only having to be hoisted three times, at rather steep sections. The summit is just shy of 3700 feet, but ALL of it is steep, uphill climbing on rock and root. Several vista-points along the trail are offered, so stop and enjoy the views, as they are literally breathtaking. ABout half-way to the summit, the trees begin to thin and get shorter. Mostly spruce, pine and birch. An old telephone line, strung on the ground nearly 100 years ago, is all that remains of the old fire wardens cabin. In past years, they strung those lines directly on the ground, half buried, to avoid shorting out from wind storms. About 1/2 mile from the summit, is where you will exit the tree line. There is no offer of cover from the elements after this, so be prepared for a significant change in temperature and be careful of any inclement weather warnings for the day, as you are totally exposed on three sides. This portion of the climb is ridgewalk, and is so breathtakingly beautiful, you can easily chew up a couple of hours on this portion of the hike, just stopping to take in the views. When we were there, it was like looking over a sea of bright and brilliant reds and oranges and yellows. We encountered only two other hikers that day and they were from Quebec (only 8 miles away). Rabbit, grouse, moose and deer are plentiful on and around this mountain, so keep your eyes open and you will be greatly rewarded. The rock is mostly granite and white quartz. Some of the quartz deposits are so large and so white, it almost looks like patches of snow. Once you reach the summit, you will find a brand new storage building and/or club house. The old fire tower is nothing more than a heap of scrap metal on the north side of the new building. The true summit is about 200 yards past the building. Once there, you have 360-degrees of views beyond belief. One can clearly make out Katahdin (Maine's mile-high terminus of the AT) and the pointy, steep peak of Squaw Mountain to the northeast, most of the Rangely Lakes region to the west, including Saddleback, Bigelow, Sugarloaf and, on a very clear day, like we had, you can even see Old Speck on the western Maine border of New Hampshire. Due north, you are looking into Canada, over an expanse of many miles. To the south you can see Coburn Mountain (my previous trip report), as well as Moxie Bald and Pleasant Pond Mountains. Plenty of room for a lunchtime break at the summit. You are literally sitting on a pointed peak and can see forever in all directions. The return hike (the down) is also strenuous, so save some water for that part of the hike. All in all, it was an extremely rewarding climb with better views that one can find in most southern areas and New Hampshire. I highly recommend this hike. It is, what my hiking buddies and I call a DO-OVER, as we will undoubtedly do this one again and again.
Filed By: Jeffrey Cotnoir
(Augusta, ME)
Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl
Recommend to a Friend: Highly
Report: Coburn Mt. between Jackman and The Forks, northwestern Maine. Rte. 95 to Skowhegan exit, north on 201 to site. Scenery is exceptional. Lots of moose, deer, bear, all kinds of fowl. The drive is incredible (I have a camp in Caratunk, 10 miles south of The Forks, where whitewater rafting is big business) Coburn Mt. is an old ski resort for the wealthy, from back at the turn of the 20th century. No equipment, buildings, nor ski trails remain and the foot path is difficult to find. The climb is long and very steep right from the start. Coburn is the tallest mountain in the Kennebec River Valley at just shy of 4,000 ft. Once on the trail, you are offered vistas of unequaled beauty. The mountain sits in a total wilderness area, surrounded by the upper and lower Enchanted Ponds to the southeast and hundreds of miles of rugged wilderness to the north and west. From the summit, one can make out clearly the Rangely Lakes region, with Bigelow Mt. clearly visable. Sugarloaf and Saddleback are also readily seen to the west. To the north, one can make out all of the rugged 4,000-footers that make up Baxter State Park, including the ominous Mt. Katahdin....the northernmost terminous of the AT. There are no places for potable water on the mountain, so bring plenty, as the climb is strenuous. The closest store is the General Store at The Forks, about 10 miles south of the mountain on Rte. 201. They have all the gear, supplies and fuel that you may need. The trailhead is not well marked, nor is the access road passable (unless you have high-clearance, 4-wheel drive). You must park on the access road and walk nearly 1 1/2 miles before coming to the mountain base and trailhead. It is best to ask at the General Store for exact mileage to the access road, but we measured it at just over 7 miles on the left. There are no signs posted. While there in 2000, we started our climb in 78-degree weather at the base and summited in a white-out blizzard at 30 degrees. This was October 8. On our next trip to the summit exactly one year later, we were in clear and warm conditions from bottom to top, with about a 30-degree difference from base to summit. The views from the summit are incredible! The upper and lower Enchanteds are gorgeous and full of life and color, unspoiled by man. Like I said, the climb was strenuous and climbs consistently at about a 38-degree rise with some portions even steeper. Several spots on the trail are wide-open, shallow-grade rock faces, where the ski trails used to be, and offer an unbelievable spot for a picnic lunch or a snack break while on the trail. I challenge anyone to try to see any form of civilization from there, with the exception of logging roads. The only remnants of the 100-year-old ski resort are a couple of concrete slabs where the lodge used to be and a couple more (which you really have to explore to find) on the mountain side, which held the ski lifts. We encountered only one other pair of hikers on either trip, so we basically had the mountain to ourselves. There were many signs of black bear, deer and moose. On our first trip, we encountered a bull moose, 15 feet tall at the head and weighing approx. 1,000 - 1,200 lbs. An awesome sight! Later in the day, as we returned to our camp, 20 miles south in Caratunk, we encountered a cow and a yearling in our driveway. The day before our first climb of Coburn, we met a hunter at the General Store in The Forks and he showed us the 405 lb. black bear he shot at the bottom of the mountain! What a huge animal. But since Maine black bears tend to travel alone, we were pretty safe on our expedition, as the hunter had culled the only one around for miles......we hoped! It turned out, he was the biggest bear tagged in the state that year! I have made and will continue to make many more trips to that area, as its pristine beauty is second to none. I plan to enter more of my trip reports on this site, so stay tuned for more. I am working towards acquiring my Maine Guides License and have a few hundred different hiking and climbing trips under my belt, spanning most of New Hampshire and all of Maine. Coburn is one of my favorites, as is Pleasant Mountain, Moxie Bald, Big Moxie and Gulf Hagas (the Grand Canyon of Maine) all within driving distance of our camp.
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