View Full Version : Mt. Abraham on the AT?
<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Should the AT go over Abraham, cross the highway, and then go up the Firewardens Trail to the top of Bigelow?</TD></TR><TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on">
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Mount Abram is a beautiful alpine zone, almost as large as Katahdin. Cross Abram, go up Horn's Pond Trail, them over West and Avery would be my chioce,
If you're talking about Mt. Abraham north of Orbeton stream in Maine on the AT - no, the mountain is not on the trail, but is east of the existing trail on the blue blazed "Mt. Abraham" trail.
If you're indeed asking if it should be on the AT, I can't say. It would be nice if it were, but the ATC can't include every nice mountain near the trail corridor in its list of peaks. (Some people complain that there are too many mountains as it is.:p
Is the Trail still going over the summits of North and South Crocker?
Would you like to see them eliminated in favor of Abraham?
I guess I'm not sure where you wanted this subject to go.
neighbor dave
12-25-2005, 08:23
that would be around a 15 mile road walk if it went that way!!:welcome :jump :banana :sun :clap
that would be around a 15 mile road walk if it went that way!!:welcome :jump :banana :sun :clap
No need for a road walk. The Maine Applachian Land Trust, of which Weary and I are directors, just purchased the summit of Abraham so we own it and it would be wonderful if the trail went over the second most beautiful summit in Maine. The trail could follow the blue blaze down to the fire wardens cabin, it presently serves as a blue blaze shelter, then cut back north and go over the summit of Spaulding, a wooded peak 4000 footer. This would add about six miles to the trail a well as 2, 4000 footers. Much of the land is owned by 'the Trail" and if you wanted to keep the mileage the same you could cut out the Crockers and have the trail parellel the Caribou Valley road to Route 27. (Mt. Abrum is the local name for Abraham)
neighbor dave
12-25-2005, 10:36
No need for a road walk. The Maine Applachian Land Trust, of which Weary and I are directors, just purchased the summit of Abraham so we own it and it would be wonderful if the trail went over the second most beautiful summit in Maine. The trail could follow the blue blaze down to the fire wardens cabin, it presently serves as a blue blaze shelter, then cut back north and go over the summit of Spaulding, a wooded peak 4000 footer. This would add about six miles to the trail a well as 2, 4000 footers. Much of the land is owned by 'the Trail" and if you wanted to keep the mileage the same you could cut out the Crockers and have the trail parellel the Caribou Valley road to Route 27. (Mt. Abrum is the local name for Abraham)
cool route, those fireroads always caught my eye. would you cut a new trail or follow the roads?:-?
<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">"Much of the land is owned by 'the Trail" and if you wanted to keep the mileage the same you could cut out the Crockers and have the trail parellel the Caribou Valley road to Route 27."
Would the trail have to immediately lose altitude and come down off Abraham? Isn't there a high ridge to the east of Abraham also? Who owns that? Just thinking about where a trail could cross the road if it stayed along that ridge before dropping down. And whether that natural direction for a trail would cross anywhere near an avenue of approach to Bigelow?
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Now that I'm aware of the intention of the original post, I'd have to ask "Why not leave the trail as is, and strongly suggest (via official postings at shelters north and south, and in the Me. AT guide) that hikers take the side trail for the beautiful views. That way, section and thru hikers coming through might decide to skip it if the views are socked in. It is very frustrating to pass what you know would be a beautiful view if the weather was nice - even more frustrating if the alleged beautiful view is at the top of a long climb with an immediate downhill, only to be followed by another climb into the mist, etc, etc, ad nauseum. (insert sour-faced, rolling eye icon icon here).
I should add that I thoroughly enjoyed the side trail (mossy, green and mystical, [moosepoop excepted]). If the AT is rerouted, and can be done so without impacting the "ambiance" of the side trail, I submit that the side trail should be considered as the official AT route over Abraham.
T
No need for a road walk. The Maine Applachian Land Trust, of which Weary and I are directors, just purchased the summit of Abraham so we own it and it would be wonderful if the trail went over the second most beautiful summit in Maine. The trail could follow the blue blaze down to the fire wardens cabin, it presently serves as a blue blaze shelter, then cut back north and go over the summit of Spaulding, a wooded peak 4000 footer. This would add about six miles to the trail a well as 2, 4000 footers. Much of the land is owned by 'the Trail" and if you wanted to keep the mileage the same you could cut out the Crockers and have the trail parellel the Caribou Valley road to Route 27. (Mt. Abrum is the local name for Abraham)
We're still in the discussion stages, but a likely next project for the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust are buffers for the other high peaks and ridgelines between Saddleback and Bigelow, which would broaden the options for possible new AT routes and side trails -- plus guarantee against future developments impacting the trail.
We welcome all the help White Blazers can give.
Weary www.matlt.org
I hiked Maine southbound in 91 and was very glad I decided to take that hike to the top of Abraham!
When I hiked thru- I dropped my pack and bagged the peak. Given the choice, I would do it again. So, if it matters, I'll vote for relocating the AT over the summit of Abraham. Why not? Let's figure out a way to make all the 4000's on the AT.
[quote=lobster]<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">"Would the trail have to immediately lose altitude and come down off Abraham? Isn't there a high ridge to the east of Abraham also? Who owns that? Just thinking about where a trail could cross the road if it stayed along that ridge before dropping down. And whether that natural direction for a trail would cross anywhere near an avenue of approach to Bigelow?
From the Fire Wardens cabin to Spaulding is a very short distane, about 2 miles with one stream crossing and if the new trail went over Spaulding it would meet a blue blaze trail that joins the present AT less than 1/4 mile from the Spaulding Shelter. Other than the new 2 miles the trail would remain the same and still pass the monument that shows where the trail was completed in 1938. The Abram side trail and the Spaulding side trail would become the AT and a short section of the present AT could be blue blazed.
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I vote NO! There is something nice about Abraham being off the beaten path. As a result it does not get visited by all the thru-hikers and AT hikers but for those that want a nice above tree-line peak, there are two access routes the Fire Warden Trail from Kingfield and the AT approach trail. Personally, i wish they they never built the AT connector trail. When I was there in 1981 it did not exist. Don't bring the multitudes to Abraham. I enjoyed the summit by myself ona beautiful day. You can't get that experience on the major summits in the Whites. Leave it off the beaten path.
Peaks: Please don't even suggest a trail from South Crocker to Reddington. There is something nice about a good bushwack to the only summit in Maine over 4,000 feet without a trail. Leave some good bushwacking experiences in Maine.
neighbor dave
12-27-2005, 19:22
Peaks: Please don't even suggest a trail from South Crocker to Reddington. There is something nice about a good bushwack to the only summit in Maine over 4,000 feet without a trail. Leave some good bushwacking experiences in Maine.
that's about as close to a real bushwhack as fort in maine or nancy in nh. when was the last time you were up there??:welcome
I vote NO! There is something nice about Abraham being off the beaten path. As a result it does not get visited by all the thru-hikers and AT hikers but for those that want a nice above tree-line peak, there are two access routes the Fire Warden Trail from Kingfield and the AT approach trail. Personally, i wish they they never built the AT connector trail. When I was there in 1981 it did not exist. Don't bring the multitudes to Abraham. I enjoyed the summit by myself ona beautiful day. You can't get that experience on the major summits in the Whites. Leave it off the beaten path.
Peaks: Please don't even suggest a trail from South Crocker to Reddington. There is something nice about a good bushwack to the only summit in Maine over 4,000 feet without a trail. Leave some good bushwacking experiences in Maine.
Keep in mind that Redington is being proposed for a 100-foot wide, 10-mile-long road to the summit, needed to bring and maintain 250-foot high towers, each 20-feet wide, on which to perch 150-foot blades, all needed to build and power 30 industrial wind energy turbines.
Those who want to help can open:
www.matlt.org
Label your check or on line contribution as opposition to REdington development.
Weary
icemanat95
12-27-2005, 20:35
My first solo hike was over Abraham to connect up with the AT and meet up with some friends at a campsite not too far away. It was a weird experience because I really had no firm idea of how fast I could make the climb up Abraham and was very late getting to the trailhead. It was a bit of a deathmarch, I just put my head down and started marching with military cadence running through my head. Only looking up from time to time to gauge the weather and the light remaining. I pulled into camp just after sun-down, exhilarated and happy from my first day of solo hiking.
Peaks: Please don't even suggest a trail from South Crocker to Reddington. There is something nice about a good bushwack to the only summit in Maine over 4,000 feet without a trail. Leave some good bushwacking experiences in Maine.
I tried that bushwack. I got into spruce that was so thick that I realized that if I ever had a problem in there, no one would ever find me. I abandoned it, and bagged Reddington via the Caribou Valley Road.
Yes, there is old road development from Caribou Valley Road and Reddington may get developed from the east, but from South Crocker (shortest point to Redington from AT) it is still a decent bushwack. I hiked Redington on Wednesday, August 24, 2005. Yes, there was a herd path down South Crocker, but there were blow downs and it was hardly what you would call well traversed. I never did Fort and I would agree that Nancy has a pretty herd path but the bottom line a well traversed herd path still will not bring the hordes of hikers that a direct hit to a summit that the AT would. So my opinion remains the same- the AT should not have any more direct hits to 4,000 foot summits. With this logic of going to Abraham you would have the AT go directly to the summits of Adams, jefferson & Eisenhower and rerouted to the summits of Killington, Old Speck and Liberty. Leave the AT off Abraham and as is. Thank you for letting me state my opinion.