Grafton Loop Trail: 8/3-8/4 2009

This 39.1 mile loop made for two of the best days of hiking ever. I've spent over 300 nights out in the mountains of Maine and New Hampshire in addition to hundreds of day trips. The outstanding footing combined with a relatively light pack made big miles easy, hell - it didn't even hurt to climb Old Speck! I've never been one to send my hard earned $ to 10 Joy Street but I may be coming around now.

I recently switched to wearing trail runners (New Balance 811ATs with Superfeet insoles) after years of hiking in boots. Several years of rock and ice climbing had made my ankles strong enough and over the summer I had slowly built up my mileage wearing them and this trip was to be the test of some new even lighter weight techniques I'd been experimenting with. The difference has been an eye-opener for me and has greatly enhanced my enjoyment. I used to gladly carry a giant 115 liter pack stuffed to the gills with equipment, but as I approach forty a lighter approach is paying off.

The Grafton Loop Trail is beautifully laid out and features an incredible variety of terrain, from the rocky summit Sunday River Whitecap, the miles of river walking south of Baldpate, the meadows of Long Mountain and the crazy route finding on Puzzle Mountain. (It only ended up taking 39 hours in the end)

DAY ONE - WEST SIDE STORY

I started out from Route 26 at 7am and headed north on the west half of the loop. The first several miles were VERY wet after 2 days of rain. On a ledgy high point near Stowe Mountain I was very surprised to find a moose skeleton!

This trail is so easy on the feet, the miles flew by. I didn't stop to check out the Sargent Brook tent site as the water source was right on the trail. (There was NO shortage of water this day)

The next thing I knew I was on top of Sunday River Whitecap and stopped for the first time to rest and enjoy the views of Old Speck & the Baldpates and enjoy the fantastic weather.

After a steep but easy descent, I reached the low point of Miles Notch. It was amazing to descend what would normally be a steep, rocky, knee jarring ordeal - instead there was actual TURF and SOFT GROUND to step on! It was heavenly and I wondered what the AT (Appalachian Trail) used to be like before 1000's of boots had ground away all the dirt.

The trail circles around a minor bump of Old Speck almost on the level for about 3 miles, past the Slide Mountain campsite and then begins the slow climb up Old Speck. After many switchbacks, I suddenly found myself on Old Speck summit at about 4pm. I was very pleased to have done 14 miles already!

I met a group of young hikers from a summer camp in NH - they were staying at Speck Pond and seemed to be having a great time. I was pretty tired so I decided to skip the fire tower, having been on top many times before. I started down the AT toward the road and in the past I had memories of suffering down this trail, but it seemed easy today.

From Old Speck summit, the Grafton Loop trail joins the AT for a little over eight miles until the top of East Baldpate. At a viewpoint I met a thru-hiker named "Ruin" who I would see again later in the shelter. For those who don't know already, Appalachian Trail thru-hikers (those who do the entire 2175 mile trail in one 5-6 month long trip) usually use a trail name that is either self-created or even better bestowed upon them by other AT hikers.

My goal for the day had been to reach Route 26 and I was well on track so I took it slow on the descent and really enjoyed the walk. After a stop just below the Eyebrow trail junction for water, I rambled down the last mile of trail to the parking lot. I took off my pack and laid out my Ridgerest and had a nice (and much needed) siesta right there in the parking lot as the sun began to set.

By time I came to, it was becoming dark and I decided to make for the Baldpate Shelter to cook dinner and possibly continue on to sleep on the summit of West Baldpate, which I had done once before in the winter. The steep trail took quite a while as the mud and erosion were slowing me down considerably, on top of the fatigue of nearly a 20 mile hiking day. I was SO happy to see the sign for the shelter that I almost didn't notice that one of the logs making up the bog bridge was cracked in the middle and I barely saved myself from a very unpleasant mud bath!

By this time a nearly full moon was lighting the path up to the shelter. There I met Ruin again and another northbound thru-hiker. Ruin was recently retired detective from Wales, here on his first trip to the US. He seemed to be doing well and having a great time.

A little backstory: On an earlier hike this summer on the AT near Hanover NH I met one of the strangest hikers I'd ever encountered. His name was Zeus (not a trail name - "my momma named me Zeus" he told me) He had been hiking south from Kathadin for SEVENTY-FOUR DAYS!! That's an average of 5.1 miles a day. His gear reminded me of my early backpacking exploits, right down to the seven pound plaid-lined sleeping bag and green canister Coleman stove from WalMart. Zeus had seven novels in his pack! He hoped to reach Georgia by Christmas... Talk about "hike your own hike"

So I asked these guys if they had run into Zeus on the trail and they both started laughing immediately. "We gave him a trail name" Ruin told me. "We named him F*CKIT, because he would arrive at a shelter at noon and then say "aww f*ck it, I'm staying here today." We all enjoyed a good laugh, but hey I have to hand it to him - he is still out there so good for him! The Legend of Zeus has spread far and wide as I was to discover later in the summer. (see my Long Trail hike post)

I cooked my dinner on my new Fancy Feast cat food can stove, which works SO well, I can't believe I used to drag around a Whisperlite or canister stove. It burns alcohol either denatured from the hardware store, or HEET gas line anti-freeze, available at just about any gas station or store in the US. I learned how to make it from Andrew Skurka's excellent ultralight backpacking website which is full of great advice on getting the most out of your backpacking adventures. It was about 10:30pm once I had eaten and filtered my water for the next day and any thoughts of sleeping on the summit evaporated, I set my alarm for 4:30am and fell asleep almost immediately.

DAY TWO - OLD & SHITTY

I awoke at 4:30 and ate a energy bar and immediately hit the trail by headlamp to catch the sunrise from the Baldpates. This has to be the second most badly eroded portion of the AT in New England, second only to the hideous Fishin' Jimmy trail in Franconia Notch. On top I was rewarded by a breathtaking view of mountains and lakes, with the mists floating above the valleys. One of the things that makes hiking in Maine so special to me is seeing the lakes from the summits, something you rarely get in New Hampshire. I took my time up the open slabs of West Baldpate, soaking in the scenery and feeling great.

From East Baldpate summit, the Grafton Loop leaves the AT and the East Loop begins. It was such a pleasure to descend this new trail, with its excellent footing and carefully planned steps - especially in contrast with the hideously eroded trail from the shelter to the West Baldpate summit. There was a cool spot where iron ladder rungs were driven into a sheer cliff that was fun to descend. The next several miles were easy as can be, gently losing elevation following along a river and crossing it several times. Many of the crossings were just barely doable dry, can't imaging not having trekking poles for these crossings. I stopped along the way to swap out my socks and insoles, which really helps me keep my feet happy on long days.

The view from Lightning Ledge was nice and the sun was cooking. As I began the ascent of Long Mountain my energy was beginning to fade a little as the miles and heat were taking their toll. I stopped at a high point to try and reach my buddy Shawn as we were planning a trip to Baxter that weekend. I realized just how tired I was as I heard my voice through the phone! I checked the forecast and showers and thunderstorms were expected in the afternoon/evening. Long Mountain is long, and features some wonderful mountain meadows and unique scenery.

Around 2pm I had reached the low point between Long Mountain and Puzzle Mountain. I refilled my water again and began to ascend. Suddenly, I felt as though I had 80 pounds in my pack and began to slow down considerably. I spooked a large bull moose and he bounded up the trail ahead of me. As the pitch steepened I completely ran out of gas and ended up hiking for 5 minutes at a time, then removing my pack and laying down for a minute or two - rinse and repeat for quite a while. I decided to just make for the Stewart Campsite and call it a night - I had to be home for work by noon the next day so it would mean a pre-dawn start but I have done plenty of that in the past so I wasn't concerned.

I reached Stewart Campsite by 4:30pm and I was in rough shape, so decided to stop to eat dinner and nap and likely stay the night. After some food and a couple hours off my tired and filthy feet, the beginnings of a setting sun made me decide to pack up and reach the car that night (maybe the thought of a cheeseburger helped...)

FYI - the Stewart campsite sucks, no raised tent platforms, no real flat ground and kind of ugly. The water source was fine, but maybe not in a normal rain year. As I didn't visit any of the other campsites I can't say first hand, but I have read online that the other sites are very nice and this one is the dud of the bunch.

Puzzle Mountain is fantastic, as you can see the entire loop you just hiked from the top and at several points along the descent. It must have taken FOREVER to find a route and design the trail. I had the sun setting in front of me and the full moon rising behind, absolutely magical. I decided to step it up and get off the ledgy top of Puzzle Mountain asap as light was fading and the route finding can be a little tricky in spots. Made it back down into the woods again by dark and started the long descent, it only took about 2 hours but seemed like forever. I was VERY happy when I finally reached the road!

I plan to do it again in the fall, when it's a little drier and the foliage would be outrageous. Only waterless sections (in a pretty wet year mind you..) were from Slide Mountain campsite up Old Speck and down to just below the Eyebrow Trail junction, then again for about 5 miles from Town Corner campsite up and over Long Mountain to about a mile from Stewart Campsite. I have been inspired to sign up as a MATC volunteer and give something back!