Copy/Repost Hike

Most of us met up at Mount Blue State Park Campground on the shores of Lake Webb on Friday, May 22nd.  When I arrived a little after 5PM, Charlie, Tom, Mark and Michael were already there and set up.  I got my tent set up and we walked down to the beach.  Shortly after we returned to camp, Ted had arrived and we all had dinner.  We hung out by the campfire in Charlie and Tom's site before turning in for the evening.

After a very cold night sleeping we were all stirring fairly early and after having breakfast we set off for the Tumbledown trailhead.  We arrived at just before 9:30 at the Brook Trailhead.  We got ready and set off.  Initially, the trail was wide and may have been an old jeep trail.  By 10:10 the trail became moderately steep and rockier as it navigated a series of switchbacks.  Just before breaking treeline and prior to reaching the alpine pond, the trail was its steepest for a short section.  It was 11AM, when we reached the pond.  It was beautiful with nearly full sunshine and views to the surronding peaks which bordered the pond.  There was still a patch of snow up here and with the wind it was pretty cold.  In the distance we could see the still snow-covered Presidential Range.  We took a break out of the wind for a little while and then headed across the southern ridge towards Tumbledown Mountain.  It was 11:20 and after crossing some exposed rock, the trail was briefly in the trees again before steeply climbing the rocky ridge.  This was where Charlie decided to wait for our return by the pond.  Later as we reached the drop into the col for Tumbledown, Michael also returned to the pond.  It was just Mark, Tom, Ted and I who proceded to ascend the Tumbledown peak, which we made by 12:20PM.  There were wonderful views all across this ridge and on the peak...over to the Whites, up to Saddleback and down to Mt. Blue and Webb Lake.  After hanging out for a bit, we started our return across the ridge and rejoined the rest of the group by the pond for lunch at 1PM.  After a 20 minute break we continued our loop by taking the Parker Ridge Trail.  This trail climbed a little before emeging out onto another open ridge with fantastic views back to the peaks and pond, from which we had just come.  Further up the prominent views were of Mt. Blue and Webb Lake just to our south.  As this started to descend below treeline again, the trail became steeper in spots and at one point, Michael fell and may have sprained his ankle.  He seemed okay after a bit and we continued.  At 2:45 we reached the trail junction for the Little Jackson Connector Trail and forged ahead for the parking lot.  This was mostly flat, but the trail had some climbs as the trail meandered through the woods.  At 3:15 we reached the road again and we walked back to the parking lot.

Tumbledown was incredibly picturesque with it high elevation pond and rocky ridges/summits, especially for a mountain of such a modest size.  Despite the cold wind, it was a beautiful hike.  We ended up hiking approximately 6.3 miles.

After the hike we returned to the campground, showered, ate and hung out again at Charlie and Tom's site for a campfire.  Justin had arrived at the campground just before our return, and he had already set up his tent.

On Sunday morning, Michael had decided to go home and Charlie decided to hang out around the beach and camp for the day.  Mark and a friend of a friend headed up to Rangeley to hike Saddleback and the Horn (Mark had the 4000-footer fever bad).  So by 9:15AM, Ted, Tom, Justin and I headed to the ranger station to rent a few kayaks (Justin had brought his own).  We headed for the beach and headed out onto Webb Lake from the park beach.  Initially, we headed to the north end to get better views of Tumbledown Mountain and then cross the lake to check out some of the coves.  Unfortunately, with this lake most of the shoreline is privately owned and there are no islands to explore.  Still the views from the lake were beautiful.  After heading back to the beach, so Ted could swap out his kayak, we headed to the south end (the narrows).  The wind had started to pick up and at this end of the lake it was a little more protected from the wind and waves.  We kayaked all the way to where the Webb River started and decided to turn around as this got shallow quickly.  As we turned around, it was around noon, so we decided to find a spot to stop for lunch.  The ranger had told us about a camp beach, which hadn't opened yet and we could probably use it without problem.  It was 12:10 when we got to this beach and we sat down for lunch.  The skies were starting to darken and it looked like it might rain.  After a nice lunch we started back, arriving back at the camp beach by about 1PM with a few sprinkles (but nothing serious).  We returned the boats and equipment and returned to camp.  It had been a very enjoyable half-day of kayaking the lake with great views.

The dark clouds passed and for the rest of the afternoon, it was "free time" to nap, hang out or whatever.  

I ended up climbing the relatively short trail up to the summit of Mount Blue.  The road out to the trailhead was mostly a rough dirt road.  About two-thirds of the way out, I ran into a bull moose standing in the road.  I stopped until he decided to move along (he didn't seem to be in any hurry)!  I arrived at the trailhead at 2:50PM.  Even though this trail was short (1.6 miles one-way), it was relatively steep for almost the entire way.  About halfway up there was an old cabin...presumably an old fire warden cabin.  Nearer the summit there were views through the trees to the northwest.  A little further just below the summit there was an open ledge with views mostly to the south over Lake Webb.  By 3:40 I had reached the summit with its observation tower.  The tower cab was not accessible, but the upper platform was and there were great views in all directions...again over the lake and northward to the high peaks.  It was windy up there, but it was much warmer than the day before.  I took in the views and then started my descent via the same route...returning to my car again by 4:20.

By the time I returned to camp, it was about 5PM and everyone else had returned.  We had our dinners and then hung out again for a campfire.  Between 10 and 11PM most of us had turned in for the evening.

In the morning, everyone was up early and by 8, Mark, Ted and Justin had left.  The rest of us broke camp and left by 9/9:30.

What a spectacular and fun weekend!  Thanks to Mark, Ted, Tom, Charlie, Michael, and Justin for making it so special!

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