| Sunday, May 1, 2005 Bear Mountain, Hartford
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This two-mile round trip hike follows a dirt road past several houses, crossing a brook along the way. Ascend gradually as the wide road deteriorates to a woods road. At a fork, bear right and continue up the rocky, eroded route. Where the old road crests the top of the hill, turn right onto a narrow track and contour easily along the ridgeline. The path takes a sharp right at an obvious metal culvert and a short distance beyond, breaks out onto open ledges. Amble along for another enjoyable quarter-mile to an outlook at a large boulder, where the trail ends. Here there are nice views of Bear Pond below and a series of low mountains in the distance. We again attempted to rest and eat, but the flies would have nothing of it. This is where we came up with the term "working trail lunch." It goes something like this: Take off the pack, pull out the lunch bag, and grab a handful of food. Begin frantically pacing back and forth, swatting incessantly at the annoying insects swarming about. Then, thoroughly frustrated and without rest, put the pack back on, and race down the trail to the car. Both mountains (Bear Mountain and Black Mountain) can be easily hiked in a single day. There will be blueberries galore in season on both peaks, so come prepared. Litchfield's General Store in Sumner makes a convenient stop for a cold beverage and snack between the two hills. And the public beach at Bear Pond in Turner is a good place to cool off after your hike.
Carey Kish of Portland is a Registered Maine Guide and has hiked and camped extensively throughout Maine. He can be reached at maineoutdoors@aol.com | |||
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