Cabot...I Prefer the Cheese

So it's been a bit of time. That's what being swept away to Nantucket will do to a blogger. However, the day before said trip I selected an "easy" hike to cross off my dwindling list. Enter the most northern 4,000 footer: Mount Cabot.

Have ya'll ever had a hike that was just more hassle than you bargained for? First, getting there was a journey in of itself. I left figuring the 9 mile of gradual terrain would have me back at home early enough to complete the copious amounts of laundry that had piled up leaving me not a lot to pack for my trip the following morning, Plus, I knew there was a chance of rain showers in the afternoon (but meteorologists are only accurate 30% of the time so that negates the 30% chance of showers...right?) Back to getting there. I cruised up through Franconia Notch to my 3rd most used exit: Exit 35, straight on through to 115, then 2 East. I really do enjoy the mountain views and historic feel of 115 and 2. I always think, I should stop and take some pictures of that pretty old church, but alas, I never do. I continued on to Berlin and followed Route 110 West until I found the York Pond Rd leading to the fish hatchery. I loved seeing some of the fish breaking the water as I drove by the main entrance. I kept plugging along and pavement soon gave way to dirt and the feeling that I wasn't on the right road. However, great news, I was. You'll see a parking lot on the right that goes to Unknown Pond Trail and a few tenths of a mile up there's a small area to park that will lead you to Bunnell Notch Trail/York Pond Trail. Overall, it was around an hour and half from Lincoln to reach my parking destination.

Trailhead sign along with a free sock

Follow the trail under the gate

The sky was shining blue and I was stoked that there was a sign pointing out the trail because one might not realize it was there just by looking. Two words (well really a compound word so one) describe the first section of this hike: overgrown. At some points the plants were taller than me! Also, I was happy I had decided to wear leggings as there were some pricker bushes in the brush.  You'll also want some bug spray because those suckers (literally) were out with vengeance.

Head right and in to the jungle on the Bunnell Notch Trail 

The trail was fairly flat for the first mile or so. Any uphills were complemented with a follow up flat and these uphills were not anything that would leave you huffing and puffing. The easy grades were also enhanced by the sounds of the cascading brook that ran alongside the trail.

I did notice a variety of berries hanging out along the trail. 

                        

Just a sampling. There were other berries, but I got a little lazy.





Now, here is were I made a big error (well one of like 3 that day). I'm notorious for getting lost at least once a summer on a hike. My most epic error involved friends, which could be one reason I hike solo a lot more. Anyway, I came to a crossroads. There was a sign. A very easy to read sign. See sign below.

See that arrow that says MT CABOT 1.8 go STRAIGHT. Well apparently I was just fascinated with the arrow above it telling you all about York Pond Trail (which is the trail I started on before turning right into the jungle). Soooo, yeah. I went on a nature detour to the semi-viewless Terrance Mountain. I went 2 miles the wrong way! And let me tell you. This trail is populated by one thing: moose poop. I sh*t you not, it was every five feet and yes, that pun was totally intended.

So many piles EVERYWHERE!

I was just waiting to go around a bend and run into one and pee my pants in fear. Not only that, but this trail was eerily quiet. Plus, there was a random saw on the side of the trail. I had visions of bears dragging away the body of the person who was using said saw. I have an overactive imagination sometimes. 

A small lookout from Terrance

This sign made me want to go home ASAP

So there I am, forced to turn around and head back the 2 miles I just covered. As soon as I get back to the crossroads I kick myself for being flighty. I get excited again as I head to Mt. Cabot this time and notice the trail is perfect for some running, so that's what I do to make up time.

Thank you for letting me know I'm going the right way after 0.1 miles. I'm now in need of constant reminders that, yes, this is the right direction.

Trail running ends soon after this section

Unfortunately, it doesn't last long as I start to ascend up and up and my stomach starts growling "feed me!" I tell it to hush up before a bear feeds on me. I trudge on because at this point it's totally a trudge and I just want to be at the summit. I trudged so hard I almost missed the sign for the view from Bunnell Rock. 

Yay! Views!

I should've stopped to ate my lunch/snack here, but I'm stubborn and thought, "Heck, the summit must be right around the corner." I really had no idea because my phone was dying so I stopped my hiking app that tracks my milage. I felt like I was crawling the last mile. I have never been so elated to see a structure that indicates you have made it!

Cabot Summit Cabin

Views from my lunch spot

I've mentioned before that I'm a sucker for a loop trail. I like to see all aspects of a mountain. So I went forth along the Kilkenny Ridge, straight into the woods to take Unknown Pond Trail back. The trail goes down and up, up and down as you go over The Buldge. At one point I scared myself and a big bird that took flight from the middle of the trail. The moose poop returned and I'm pretty sure one had crossed the trail a little prior to my arrival because it smelled like wet dog (not that I know what a moose smells like, but this is my assumption). I didn't even bother going the little bit out of my way to see The Horn because I was exhausted. I didn't even run. I was just trying to hold myself together as I realized my love of loops added on extra mile and a half. Plus, gray clouds started to blot out the sun.

As I came to the junction for Mill Pond Trail and Unknown Pond Trail, I had a moment of "Oh, this is cool. This is why I hike." as I gazed over the lily-pad covered pond.

This is also when I had a moment of "I have to get off this mountain because that sky doesn't look great." It was time to dig deep and run. Run I did. Outrunning the rain though is a tricky thing to do when you're 3 miles deep on another very overgrown trail. As I gazelled down the mountain I saw a moose bed in the plants, felt more prickers attack my ankles, avoided copious amounts of poop, leapt over water crossings, and prayed that the trailhead was near. Then the worst happened. My knee started a dull, okay sharp, ache. I cried. I continued to run: crying, cussing, willing my knee to behave and the trailhead to appear miraculously before me. It was the longest 3 miles down a mountain.

I cried tears of joy as the trailhead opened up before me. I saw how awesome a view it was that I missed on my drive in because I was focused on finding the trailhead. I cursed the rain for ruining my shot and preventing me from hanging out with the fish. All I wanted in that moment was dry clothes (which I didn't have! curses!) and my shoes off my feet. Did I fail to mention how badly my feet hurt? Again, this hike was a calamity of errors on my part and apparently I failed hygiene class and didn't cut my toe nails soon enough. I'm now waiting for my big toe nail to fall off as it's busted in half thanks to Cabot.

In summary I hiked way too many miles to bag this peak, got a zillion and one bug bites, busted a toe nail, got caught in the rain, and saw enough moose poop to last me a lifetime. I wanted to quit hiking for the rest of the summer (good thing I had that getaway to Nantucket the next day!)

I hope ya'll learned a valuable lesson from my careless errors. And no worries, I hiked again...report on Middle Carter to follow soon.

Happy Trails!