Trail journals are a personal thing by nature. Just as hikers hike in their own way, they journal in their own way too. Some folks spend a great deal of time during the day on trail and in camp, focused on filling pages with notes about their experience or something. Not sure as I haven’t ever been rude enough to ask what all the scribbling was about heh. Other folks carry a journal that they never remember to write anything in at all and the rest either fall in between or don’t even think about it in the first place.
I tend to fall into the group that carries a journal, but rarely remember it is there when I’m on an adventure. Partially that is due to my focus on what I’m doing at the time rather than thinking about documenting it. Partially it is because of the way my memory allows me to retrieve the experience later negating the need to write it down at the time. The rest of the explanation likely has to do with my love of cheese and sausage. Why spend time writing when I could be eating‽
My journals tend to come along for several trips before anything gets written down. By then the paper has soaked up humidity and dried out again numerous times. Combined with the friction of the pages rubbing against each other while riding hundreds of miles in my pack that gives the paper an odd feel; Sort of spongy and porous so neither ink nor pencil produce sharp lines. I find that fitting for the notes I tend to leave myself in my journals as they are often just a few hazy words giving a slight indication of what was on my mind. Just enough to remind me of what I was thinking when I made the note with no effort made to convey complete thoughts. These notes can be amusing when seen later at home with a head full of coffee and a roof over my head.
The note in the picture above is a great example of that. “Existential crisis averted Day 4” has few details, yet conveys enough of a message to fill pages of notes as I look back on that moment now. This is from a week long, solo trip I took to Baxter State Park in early June of this year. It was my first chance to get out on trail for over two months and over the first few days of the trip my brain was a mess. There seemed to be a lot of questions about who I was and what I was doing wandering around the forest by myself. Should I be home being a husband or daddy? Should I be working or saving the world? It seemed that I had only questions and answers with no clue which were important in either category. Who was I supposed to be?
So I wandered through the forest for a few days, going through the actions of making water, camps and meals with all of this turmoil in my head. Then on the fourth morning, as I relaxed in camp before loading up for the day, I realized that the noise had stopped. Questions and answers had stopped swirling and I could see what was important…the answer to who I was supposed to be.
I was just a guy, sitting in the woods, happy. There could be no more clear answer than that. While I remain husband and daddy wherever I roam and those callings come first, I am at heart a man who is happy in the wilderness. Alone or with others, being out there is time well spent and accepting that fact empowers a person with the conviction to go and do and be.
If you’re the sort who doesn’t carry a journal or remember to make any notes, maybe give it a shot sometimes. Just enough to jog your memory later and bring back a moment. If you’re the sort who fills pages of notes in one of those big books every day on trail, maybe ease up and experience the ride a bit more without letting the notes take all your focus.
Just that one faded, scribbled line in a rumpled notebook was enough to take me to that moment and bring it back in full detail. I can see the camp at Long Pond in the morning light, hear the red-wing blackbird and woodpeckers, and know what it feels like to be where I’m supposed to be. Soon…
The Daddy Pack was light by Daddy Pack standards, but a bit bulky. Think it was around 55 lbs wet, carrying food for just two nights at a time since we’d be stopping back at the car mid trip. What I did have was three hammocks, three tarps and a three man tent. 
Well there were a few other things in there too 🙂 Since the tiny frying pan worked out so well on my solo trip I decided to bring a larger pan for family cooking. We fried up the hash browns with peppers and onions, then rolled it all into tortillas with fire roasted salsa. 
Here is a good view of our hammock village at the Long Pond Pines site. It rained hard for about 10 hours starting just before dark and continuing till a bit past dawn. In the night I shone my headlamp out and could see a big puddle where the tent is usually set up. 
The second morning started off great with another fantastic breakfast. Then after the pack incident we changed our back country adventure into a car camping escapade. There was ice cream at Matagamon Camps, swimming at South Branch and more bugs. Not a lot of pics though. I was too busy having fun with the girls and the camera never seemed to be handy. 
Did get a few nice sunset pictures though. Would have been more but I was busy swatting bugs heh. June in Baxter is not for the timid, but we did have a great trip all the same. Once the bugs die down the crowds get thick and people are worse than bugs because you aren’t allowed to swat them 😉
It was neat to hang out in some of the same spots again so soon, but with family instead of solo. Either way is nice and has good points and bad. I appreciate getting out there whatever form it takes. Certainly less road walking when you take the car and more opportunities for ice cream!
With the guyline attached this tarp stake made a darn fine splint. Using first aid skills I set the bone, err I mean I set the frame so it was lined up properly and then laid the stake across the two pieces. By wrapping the guyline around and around while looping it through the loops from the pack I was able to get a pretty solid connection despite the break being at such a difficult spot.
Rather than hope the line would hold for the hike out I opted to keep going. Belt and suspenders can be a good idea sometimes 🙂 I didn’t want to risk the jagged frame cutting through the guyline if the fracture opened up on trail. I’ve carried this nice cloth tape for blister treatment and other first aid for years without using it once. Now I was glad I had it along because it made for a strong addition to my repair.
I parked the scoot at Matagamon Wilderness Camps as usual. They keep the animals from chewing off my tires or nesting in my helmet, plus it gives me an excuse to have an ice cream cone at the end of the trip.
There was a pretty solid breeze blowing into the Long Pond Pines site as is often the case. It really helps knock the bugs back some. Being early June the black flies were thick, but recent warm rains had the mosquitoes well represented too. With the wind blowing it was possible to eat dinner without a net. Calmer nights on this trip found me eating carefully inside my hammock or tent to escape the onslaught.
My friend the beaver stopped by while making his rounds. There is a large mound on the far shore they call home, but they think of the entire pond as belonging to them. I was given a few tail slaps to let me know I was on notice before he moved on.
It was actually a very peaceful morning and I was in no hurry. My big plans for a 100 mile loop were crushed by heavy snow at Chimney Pond preventing the area from being open yet. Instead I had a week of relaxing days with short miles and pretty camps. Such suffering!
There was one of these to be dealt with though. Thankfully it didn’t growl or spit flames so I just said hi and took a few pics.
This one also seemed friendly enough. Considering they love to eat mosquitoes I definitely think of these guys as friends!!
I had a few miles to my next camp, mostly through denser forests. These are some of the pines that give the camp site its name. The walk up this hill is always something I do slowly and take time to appreciate the trees and the views from higher up onto the esker. 
Once I reached my new camp at the Middle Fowler South site I soon noticed my neighbors from across the pond out fishing in a canoe. Given the strong winds that blew relentlessly I’m guessing the fishing was not good.
I’d never camped at this spot before though I had walked through it on a few other trips. It was more sheltered from the current winds so the bugs were thicker. Definitely a night for eating under a net or food would go flying with all the bug swatting heh.
There were more showers during the night, but nothing of any consequence. I had the tarp low on one side to block the wind, but propped up in porch mode on the lee. That gave me this nice view without having to get out of bed.
One last look over Middle Fowler before heading back to Long Pond. Barrel Ridge is a possible target for a day hike on a family trip we have planned once school gets out. I’ve been most of the way up there but never all the way to the top.
Not sure if this is the same guy I saw the first day, but he looks familiar. Still not growling 🙂
I brought along this 3P tent I am testing for two reasons: 1) It makes a great place to hide from the bugs 2) It is really light so can be carried as a second shelter without much effort. A great place to eat dinner when other things are trying to dine on you!
This woodpecker seemed to come and go regularly. He never stopped on any one tree for long so it was a challenge to get him in pics.
I made myself try a few casts even though I was pretty sure it was too windy. It was heh. 
The loons didn’t seem to mind too much. They do their fishing under water so it doesn’t bother them. They put on a great show sometime in the middle of the night. I woke to the sound of big splashes right near my hammock. It was fish jumping out of the water to feed on bugs. Then the loons went off for about ten minutes straight. Hard to be mad at the fish after that.
Morning was again an unrushed affair and I could get used to that sort of thing. Two cups of coffee and my first chance to try out the tiny frying pan. No eggs I’m sorry to say, but hash browns with red peppers came out pretty well. Going to need a larger pan for family trips though. Takes too long to make three single portions, but this worked well for a solo treat.
The beaver mound across the pond. Where I grew up beaver never seemed to build on shore but I see this frequently in ME and NH. Maybe different predators, not sure of the why.
Some ducks came flying out of this wet area as I headed around Troutbrook Mountain towards the campground on the other side.
These were gone a few days later when I came back this way and there didn’t seem to be feathers all over so I’m hoping they fledged and headed up into the trees safely.
I had this walk in lean to site right on the brook all to myself for my fourth night out. The bugs were terrible here as the area is more sheltered. The LT was also full of rodent poop which didn’t excite me much. Noticing a huge dead tree looming right over the site convinced me to take a chance on offending any wandering rangers and setting up my hammock.
I found an amazing spot above the brook.I was setting up there when I realized I’d destroy a patch of wild flowers just barely hanging on to the hill if I camped in that spot so moved to a less pretty one. Figured I’d sleep better that way, but….
This spot really was sheltered. I guess that is why they put the big campground there. Something about the mountains or the lake, I dunno, but it was the only spot that didn’t have strong winds the entire week. Maybe breaking out my kite to give it a try was what killed the wind there, heh.
It was plenty warm, but the bugs drove me to light a smokey fire. It was really dry for the time of year so I kept it very small.
I’m wearing all of those clothes to keep the bugs off, not because I am cold. So long as I was just hanging out I’d wear both of my insulating layers in camp with the hoods up. Nice not to have to wear the head net all the time.
Then it was time for the six miles or so of Freezeout Trail that would lead me to my next camp. Lots of backed up dead water areas even with the dry Spring, though some that are usually wet were totally empty.
This big flat rock formation has trees that try to grow there. Once they get a little bigger the inability to put down deep roots dooms them to fall over.
Makes a great spot for other stuff to grow though. Several types of mosses were doing their part to break the tree down.
The giant saw dust pile is hard to wrap the brain around. Many years ago there was a sawmill here that processed logs into lumber before floating the finished product off to market. The mill is long gone, but the saw dust fades more slowly. 
It is hard to describe how strange this spot feels. The saw dust is spongy under foot and a person walks gently by instinct, making certain each step is supported before trusting it fully. Check out the video below to get another perspective on this spot.
The turn off for the trail that leads to Frost Pond. That is actually the trail on the left, but you’d never guess that without the signs. Unfortunately those are the only signs at this intersection and it has been this way for years. There are no indicators for the other two directions so you’re on your own as far as navigation.
This is what the intersection looks like if you are headed in the other direction along the Freezeout Trail. Unless you happen to look over and notice the back of those signs poking out from behind that tree you’d never notice. The footpath provides no indication of the intersection at all. I know from experience that this can be a problem because we totally missed this turn on a previous trip.
Ahhh time to relax. I had a long afternoon to try some fishing on Webster Brook but again the winds were strong and the fish timid. I caught one good sized trout but opted to let him live. These “ducks” kept quacking at me so I was disappointed to come home and have Frau Stranger tell me that they are not ducks. She labeled them as Common Mergansers, but they seemed pretty special to me 🙂
It was a very relaxing afternoon and evening. Along with many birds in the trees and on the water a beaver came swimming up stream near sunset.
Since I had firewood collected in case I caught fish I decided to put it to good use. Baking some muffins is both relaxing and rewarding. The only hard part is trying not to lift the lid. 
Too early for fresh blueberries yet, but the ones in the mix smelled good enough I was worried I might start pulling in bears. Such a nice treat to have baked goods on day 5 of a trip.
Day 6 started out cold. It was tempting to sleep in, but instead I jumped out and got a fire going. I almost never light fires, but I burned up my entire stash of fuel that morning. There was a bucket in the outhouse so I doused it well before I left you can be sure.
First though it was time for another test of the tiny pan. Today it was pancakes with maple syrup.
The silicon muffin mold made a pretty good pancake plate. Just a squeeze of syrup and two quick bites. I had half a dozen or more that morning along with several cups of coffee. Living the dream!
Then I moved a whopping half a mile to the NW Cove tent site. I’d walked through this spot many times on my way out to camps farther out. Just for the fun of it I booked a night here to see how it slept. On closer inspection it wasn’t much of a site.
This must be a very old outhouse as I haven’t seen this design in any other parts of the park. The roof was entirely covered in moss.
Looks like the instructions weren’t specific enough for the last user. I’m guessing the paper was supposed to go inside the box, maybe?
Looking back at where Webster Brook flows out into the lake. My previous camp was just around that far point to the left.
I’d seen this eagle fly close overhead while I was in the trees the day before. When I saw him coming I raced to get my camera out and fired up but this was the only shot I was able to get off before he got out of view.
Definitely nice to have some place to get away from the bugs. I rigged the roof in case the weather changed but spent the entire night in bug house mode enjoying the views. 
Then I decided to start playing around with my camera. A few long exposures before bed, a few more in the middle of the night and then a couple more at dawn.
Then it was time to fly. I burned through the first six miles in under two hours. Then another two hours had me back at the scoot eating ice cream. There was time for a few more pics along the way though.
Before I wrap this up I have to give a shout out to Mother Nature for all of the wildlife I saw on this trip. Yes there were lots of bugs, but so many other amazing sights. On day one I startled a snoozing moose on the Five Ponds Trail between Billfish and Long Ponds. We were too close to think about a camera and I focused on keeping trees between us while it figured out what I was. That night’s camp had beaver, loons, gulls, woodpeckers, red winged blackbirds as did most of my camps throughout the week. Day 5 included a bear sighting on the Freezeout Trail and the bald eagle that flew over very low plus the Mergansers and some pretty but very fast tweety birds that I could only get blurry pictures of.
After waiting for weeks we finally found a weekend night warm enough to do some backyard camping. I’d done some work to get a new site set up, but didn’t want to drag the girls out there if it was going to be freezing. With the fire going to roast some weenies and warm beds waiting for us we were happy folks.
It wasn’t all fun and games though. We were doing some serious testing. The girls were going to see if they wanted to start using hammocks on some trips. I put up my big hammock for my wife to test out and my little one for my daughter to try. With the outside walls staked down and the middle tied together to make a double porch they were all set.
I didn’t have much time to work with so the plan was to set up camp for two nights near the MATC lean to on Friday in hopes of a clear summit at some point on Saturday. This was my first real world test of my sled. There were some issues to be found dragging gear up a mountain that didn’t occur during tests dragging my daughter around the golf course 🙂 Modifications have since been made and I look forward to more real world testing soon.
Friday was definitely not the day to be on top of the mountain. Having been here many times before I knew which direction to point the camera for this shot. If not I would have had no clue there was a mountain there at all.
I checked the tiny stream behind the lean to and while I could hear water way down below it was unreachable. Well at least by me, as I noticed the squirrels had kept little tunnels open so they could get to it. That is how I knew I was looking at about a foot of ice and then another foot or more of air before I’d reach that tiny trickle I could hear down there somewhere. That meant melting snow for water so rather than enjoying the afternoon quiet I got to work so I could have dinner before dark with all my bottles filled with warm water to get through the night.
The low was around 20°f with a few snow squalls during the night. I was using my big tarp configured for snow and wind. That let me enjoy the sounds of the weather out there while snuggled warm in my hammock.
Using the sled meant I could bring way too much crap and have a place out of the snow to keep it. After years of winter camping in a two man tent this is very different, but I am learning how to make it work for me. Not sure I’d enjoy it as much without the sled.
The climb to the summit after breakfast was treacherous with lots of hard ice flows buried under varying amounts of snow. The steeper sections were a bit gnarly but I was testing out some back country snow shoes with pretty aggressive toe traction so didn’t switch to spikes.
I was pretty happy to be done climbing because it meant I could take off my pack and start taking pictures. I’d been trying to get up to this spot to take some winter pictures for the last several years but kept getting chased off by rain on my summit day every time. Lots of good camping but no summit pics.
By camping on the mountain and hitting the summit early I had it all to myself for quite a while. Once I started down shortly after noon I soon began to meet folks on their way up. After more than 24 hours of solitude it was nice to share the beauty with other folks but nicer to move on and return to the peace of being alone in the snow.
There was a lot of ice lurking under the recent snow. The warm melts combined with rain can create some beautiful but dangerous works of art.
These sort of works of art are a lot less dangerous. Well so long as you stop to enjoy the view rather than trying to stare at them too hard while falling off an ice cliff heh.
Speaking of stopping to enjoy the view…I was taking a much wider shot of some trees when I noticed this little bit of valley view hiding back there. I ended up liking this zoomed in shot more than the one I’d taken the camera out for.
Back in camp the mountain was much easier to see now. It really isn’t far, but the climb is pretty steep so going up takes a lot longer than coming down.
I was happy to be back in camp. I’d set up in the trees far enough away from the LT that the shelter mice didn’t seem to find me out there. Having camped here before I know there are some fearless rodents under that thing.
I may have scared a few of them off by drying my feet and socks in the afternoon sun. It didn’t seem to bother the squirrels which were numerous and seemed to think I was in their house.
A cup of potato soup is perfect in camp on a winter afternoon. To be honest though, I’m a fan of this soup and think it is pretty darn good for a summer trail lunch too!
Sunday morning dawned as my last day here usually does with the best weather of the trip. Suddenly the mountain could be seen clearly. Definitely the day to be going up and as usual, I was going down heh.
Speaking of which there definitely was some going down on the descent. Seems my snowshoe testing is so thorough that I’ve discovered an issue no one else appears to have ever reported. If you’ve had a similar experience I’d love to hear about it in detail including specifics of the snowshoe, boot and conditions. When descending a slope with the sled and maneuvering around a tree on the right I managed to slip the tail of my left shoe through the toe of my right shoe. One time is a fluke, but I did this multiple times coming down this mountain.
Other than a few tumbles caused by that odd snowshoe hook up issue it was a great day to be coming down the mountain. Lots of sunshine on the snow and the day hikers were getting a late start. In the parking lot I ran into enough folks to make it a crowd but not enough to take any fun out of the day. The day hikers seemed confused by my sled or perhaps concerned I had a body on there.
Definitely great to be out there for a few days. It has been a few weeks now and I’m ready for more. This is my sort of anger management!! Hope you are getting out where and when you can!
This annoying, on again-off again Winter continues apace. With most of the snow replaced by ice it was time for a reminder of what a joy the season can be if the weather cooperates. A nice dump of heavy, wet snow overnight followed by a bright, sunny day had us racing to pull on our snowshoes.
The breeze was just starting to wiggle the trees enough to shake the snow off the branches. With the dazzling light it really was a beautiful show.
We had fresh snow to trample, but the forecast was ominous with warmth and rain expected in a few days. I guess we could have spent the day inside complaining heh, though a family stomp through the woods seemed the best use of our limited time to enjoy this bit of snow.
As I post this most of it is already gone. With an expected high in the mid 60s today what remains won’t last long. Might be an important lesson here about enjoying what you’ve got when you can because that is about the only chance you get. Might just be prattling a bit so it doesn’t look like I was just posting pics to brag about having fun playing in the snow with the girls.
Less traveled by 