Sunday, April 12, 2009

Bald Mountain, Oquossoc


Well, with the bees happily building their comb and the queen freed from her box, we decided to drive over the mountain to Rangely, Maine.

We drove up over the Height of Land where the Appalachian Trail crosses Route 17. Lake Mooselookmeguntic was as startlingly beautiful as ever. The ice was starting to go out from the edges, but it will be awhile before the last of it is gone.

One of at least three Bald Mountains in the state of Maine is located near Rangely in the town of Oquossoc. The Maine Mountain Guide listed the trail as 1 mile to the 2443 foot summit. We were surprised to find the trailhead parking lot still full of snow but decided to park on the road and try the trail anyway. The snow was firm and the air was warm, so we headed up the mountain.

There were parts where the trail was kind of icy and, unprepared as we were for the conditions, I was forced to use my Poland Springs water bottle for an ice axe. Not a recommended use.

At the top of the mountain, there was a fire tower. A little known fact is that I am scared of heights that God didn't make but I'm glad that Charlie encouraged me up the tower--the view was amazing.

It felt so good to be up a mountain and to exert some energy in the fresh air. It was so quiet at the top--at other times of the year the noise of snowmobiles or jetskis would disturb the peace but yesterday in between those seasons, we were the only ones in the world.




9 comments:

Kirigalpoththa said...

Fantastic Pictures, Beautiful Blog!!

R. Aastrup said...

One of my favorite spots on earth! I loved seeing it...wish I were there now! That's still a lot of snow, isn't it?

Ruth said...

I like your profile picture. I would rather climb up a fire tower than climb down...

The Buck Shoots Here said...

Glad you went yesterday instead of today-- that wind was brutal for our little egg hunt today!

Jayne said...

What a gorgeous view Beth! So glad you were brave and climbed that tower so we could see your view too. Glad also to hear that your queen is free and all is happy in the hives.

NCmountainwoman said...

Gorgeous view! Heck, I'm scared of heights God DID make. Great post.

Kathie Brown said...

Beth, you make me want to get out my Louise Dickeneson Rich and start reading it all over again! Wonderful post! I'm glad you went up that tower! You are one brave woman!

Cindy said...

Beth, your walk seems amazing. I guess I shouldn't be surprized that the ice isn't more melted.

Wow, that's a lot of sugar water! How many hives did you build? It looked like two. I wouldn't have guessed that a hive held so many bees.

Robert McGuire said...

I am so glad that the fire tower is still there. In 1968, my father and I hiked the mountain. He carved his and mine initials in a mushroom with the date of our excursion. I still have that mushroom, but my father passed away.

I have wanted to go back for years, now with my own kids. Sounds like I'll be able to find the trail pretty easily.