Maine Adventures with Josh: Autumnal Balderdashing

I took benefit of an unseasonably heat November weekend by putting west to Grafton Notch for an out-and-back hike alongside the Appalachian Path (AT) to Baldpate Mountain. My associate Hannah and I met our good good friend Kylie on the Previous Speck Path parking space after a scenic drive alongside Route 26, leaving Previous Speck behind for an additional day in favor of the north-bound AT.  

We had been stripping off layers earlier than we had even picked up steam, grateful for the temperate climate however a bit miffed to be lugging round our hats, gloves, and jackets for the rest of the hike. The height of East Baldpate lies simply over 4 miles out from the trailhead, making for a dedicated hike that also leaves wiggle room for a later departure or an earlier return. A further 0.7-mile offshoot awarded us our first views of the day atop Desk Rock, an aptly named geologic protrusion that warrants warning close to the steep edge.  

A few nice hours of huffing, puffing, and chatting led us to the West Baldpate summit. The summit arrived immediately as we had not but damaged tree line and the dense alpine forest round us cloaked views forward. When you had been getting down to hike West Baldpate alone, I wouldn’t blame you for feeling a contact misled. Although beautiful, the summit is something however bald, and it shortly turned evident that East Baldpate carries the true weight of the namesake. We had been afforded a view of East Baldpate quickly thereafter, and the promise of expansive clean granite nestled at altitude amongst a rippling mountain panorama put some additional pep in our step. 

Hannah and me on East Baldpate (photograph by Kylie Martin)

Our group of three encountered just one different troop all through the day and one solo hiker far outstripping our informal tempo. As we caught our breath within the saddle between West and East Baldpate following a brief however nerve-wracking icy descent (regardless of heat climate, it’s time for ice spikes at altitude!!), a “No means!” from the path forward alerted me to the method of none apart from Pete Didisheim, the Senior Director of Advocacy on the Pure Sources Council of Maine. Having already taken within the views from atop East Baldpate, Pete was making his means again to the parking zone with a giant grin.  

Unusually sufficient, this was the second time in three weeks that Pete and I had independently chosen to spend our Sundays in the identical trend. Two weeks prior, Pete and I had lapped the Baldface loop simply over the border in New Hampshire, lacking one another on the path by only some minutes. 

Seems, over the previous couple of weeks I had been an unwitting participant in Pete’s “Balderdash,” a New England mountain climbing endeavor that scoffs on the extra conventional pursuits equivalent to bagging the 4,000-footers by focusing as a substitute on gaining baldtitude on every of the peaks bearing a “Bald” moniker. You might not have recognized (like me, till final week) that Maine is host to 17 peaks named “Bald Mountain,” which doesn’t even account for the various “bald” variants, together with Baldpate, Bald Bluff, Bald Rock, and so forth. Whereas this naming conference could not spotlight the creativity of Maine’s outside neighborhood, it does imply a busy mountain climbing schedule for Pete over the approaching years. 

Pete and me on East Baldpate (photograph by Hannah Tower)

Pete assured us we had been practically there and set off, leaving us to scramble up the ultimate ascent of the day. As a lifelong Mainer and hiker, I don’t say this evenly: East Baldpate is certainly one of my prime 5 favourite Maine peaks. The saddle between East and West Baldpate is dwelling to a number of marshes, atypical for this altitude however extremely scenic. Slabs of uncovered granite compose a domed peak that appears like steps made for a large. A 360-degree view from the summit illuminates the Western Maine foothills and the imposing Presidential Vary, with the channeled slopes of Sunday River as an added aesthetic bonus to the East.  

Previous peak leaf season, we weren’t greeted by a blanket of coloration, however moderately by a stark, leafless panorama that enabled full appreciation of the bare topography sculpted by eons of water and wind. The solar beat down upon us, offering a gorgeous juxtaposition to a world ready for chilly. The granite slabs made for good seats, and I can’t think about a lunch that might have tasted something however scrumptious in that second.  

That hike reaffirmed a number of issues. First, the Maine outside in each season comprises unparalleled magnificence. Second, NRCM lives its values, and the individuals behind this group are combating for areas and people who all of us dearly care about. And eventually, adventures are the right technique to reconnect with buddies and family members, and I’m very grateful to journey on this state with the individuals I like. 

—by Josh Caldwell, NRCM Local weather & Clear Vitality Outreach Coordinator

Banner photograph: Josh leaping on Desk Rock, by Kylie Martin