Tumbledown

By DEIRDRE FLEMING, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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Trail name: Tumbledown Mountain Nearest town: Weld Region: Western Lakes and Mountains Length: Trails ranging in length from 1.5 to 3 miles, all requiring at least some difficult climbing. Difficulty: Intermediate Elevation gain: 1400 feet Directions: Take Route 4 north from Auburn to Wilton. From there Route 156 leads to Weld, where signs lead to Mount Blue State Park. At the crossroad, take Route 142 almost four miles to Byron Road. Go less than a mile to where the paved road veers to the left and becomes West Road. At this juncture, Byron Road becomes a dirt road. Take it about four miles, past Mountain View Cemetery and Morgan Road over a wooden bridge to a culvert. There the trail head for the shor ter, and easier, Brook Trail is on the right next to the culvert. Farther down the road is the longer Loop Trail. Maps: Get driving directions from MapQuest. View a topo map from Maptech MapServer. Staff photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette The peak of Tumbledown Mountain can be seen through the clouds from Tumbledown Pond last Sunday. Staff photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette Calvin Bishop makes his way over rocks on his way down Brook Trail on Tumbledown Mountain last weekend. Staff photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette A sign marks the beginning of Brook Trail, one of the more popular trails on Tumbledown. The mountain do es have trail markers painted on trees and rocks, the universal hiking "blazes." But not all of them are easy to find. Staff photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette Kevin Lachapelle, Theresa Paladino and Calvin Bishop, all students at the University of Maine at Orono, hike along the shore of Tumbledown Pond on Tumbledown Mountain. Tumbledown's scenic beauty - in particular, its unusual alpine pond - attracts hikers even in rainy, misty conditions.

TOWNSHIP 6 — The rocks were slippery from rain clouds that were starting to overflow. The brook beside the natural stone steps was a noisy reminder of the danger this posed. Tripping down the mountain would be easy this day. Perhaps the precarious nature of this fabled climb led to the naming of Tumbledown Mountain.

Located two hours north of Portland on a mountain range rolling and vast, the 3,068-foot Tumbledown Mountain has become a popular out-of-the-way hike, and a poster child for land conservation. It is also a do-it-yourself trek in an area that is not managed by public or private land managers.

State and conservation agencies have made headway in recent years protecting more than 20,000 acres around the mountain, which sits beside Mount Blue State Park. But the mountain is not part of a state park, and state ranger Bruce Farnham said over time that could pose problems - if it doesn't already.

Popular as it is, Tumbledown Mountain offers no road signs, no parking lots, no easily found flags directing hikers to its peak and unusual alpine pond.

To the uninitiated, Tumbledown Mountain is a treasure hunt, even on a clear day. There is treasure, mind you, but it involves search, deliberation and patience.

To the hikers who got soaked traversing the refreshing, forested trails last Saturday, Tumbledown was more than worthwhile, even in the rain and mist. With 10 cars and a school bus parked by the side of the trail head, the dark, cloudy skies had apparently done nothing to dissuade hikers.

Some two dozen found the quest satisfying because of the forestland, the brook chattering along the Brook Trail, and of course, Tumbledown Pond at the top. Some got lost. They didn't care.

In thick fog, the pond had a mystical, Middle Earth feel to it. Had Gollum himself appeared, J.R.R. Tolkien's amusing goblin would not have been out of place.

"It's the pond up there, it has beautiful views," said Tumbledown regular Michael Jones, who hiked it with his 11-year-old son, Paul.

Jason Grant wanted to hike the mountain, even though dense fog denied any views.

"It's awesome. It would have been better if it wasn't cloudy," Grant said. "I've gone on seven different mountains this year. This is the best. It's not very often you see a pond at the top."

While the rain didn't dampen their adventure, Grant and hiking partner Don Murphy discovered other problems at the top. "It was not marked in the open areas. There is a long way between the markings up on the summit," Murphy said.

The Loop Trail led to the top of Tumbledown and down to the pond. The Brook Trail leads to one of the mountain's three peaks, which rises to 2,872 feet and the popular alpine pond.

Both are marked by trail markers painted on trees and rocks, the universal hiking "blazes." But not all of these are easy to find.

Despite a lack of upkeep, at least the kind you find in state parks, Tumbledown Mountain is said to be the second most popular hike in Maine, next to Katahdin.

There is natural momentum to protect the beauty that draws many to the mountain. The Tumbledown Conservation Alliance has launched an $1.8 million campaign to match federal and state funds to help preserve nearly 30 ,000 acres.

The alliance is worried that big land deals common in remote parts of Maine will fragment the land around Tumbledown Mountain.

The alliance's concern is the trails that cross private land. If the land transforms from a working forest to private subdivisions, access will not be guaranteed.

Farnham, a ranger at the park, said there could be more to worry about. Farnham said the popular hiking destination needs guardians, either public or private. They would maintain the trails and signs to ensure newly protected areas stay pristine. They also would assist hikers.

The mountain has handled the constant traffic that peaks in the summer and continues through fall foliage, by Farnham's estimation.

But as land changes hands and access to many public areas is closed, the ranger worries it will put additional pressure on Tumbledown in years to come.

"Many feel it's getting enough (traffic) going up it to affect the experience. I don't see that, personally. I do worry about the degradation of the resource and illegal camping," said Farnham, a member of the alliance. "You can have that problem when you don't have anyone looking after it . . . Sometimes, people are happy to protect it, but they're not willing to pay somebody to take care of it. That's an important thing, too, I think.

Adam Zukowski and Tia Sidelinger, who hiked Tumbledown a week ago, said the trail was in good shape, rocky as it was, and there was no sign of abuse.

The two seniors at the University of Maine-Farmington raise another view. They say having a ranger manage the area would only lead to greater use and possibly more traffic.

"Because it's not managed, it's not as popular as Mount Blue State Park. I don't see any abuse," Sidelinger said.

To be sure, even without the state promoting it, Tumbledown Mountain is popular enough.

It lies in a region dotted with mountains.

There is Spruce Mountain and Whale Back Mountain to the south, rising over 2,000 feet, and Pope Mountain and Blueberry Mountain to the east, rising over 2,000 feet. Little Jackson Mountain and Jackson Mountain trump them all at 3,434 and 3,535 feet respectively.

The sweeping views of these ranges is why Jones, at 53, has hiked Tumbledown Mountain about a dozen times during 25 years as a regular hiker.

What many like Jones enjoy about Tumbledown is that it's accessible for families and parents with small children.

Karen Wilcox-Hunt and Eric Wade brought a group of Windsor Elementary School students to climb the mountain in the rain.

Looking like rookies in garbage bags, sneakers, and jeans, about a dozen loud, happy students seemed at home amid the mist and wet boulders.

"You guy s are pretty awesome," Wilcox-Hunt said to her grinning troop. "We did the Loop Trail, and they did very good."

Yet Wilcox-Hunt, like Grant and Murphy, said some of the blazes had faded to gray, making them difficult to spot. There were others who had to search in the rain to find the markers.

This reporter and a hiking partner also had to search for the trail markers directing the way down.

Were it not for the sound of joking students and the guiding hand provided by the falling brook, the two hikers may not have found their way back to the trail head, which, as it turns out, was also difficult to find.

According to the alliance, some people assume because of the mountain's proximity to Mount Blue State Park that Tumbledown Mountain is in the park.

Since it's not, there are no signs to the trail heads. Take a wrong turn on any of the many dirt roads that branch off from the road in and you're lost.

Once you realize that Byron Road - the paved road that leads to the trail head - becomes a dirt road, the trail heads are easier to find.

If you follow the paved road and turn down one of the first dirt roads, you'll find a footpath, but one that leads only to a dog grave for "Old King" and somebody's lovely log cabin.

Grant, a nimble 22-year-old, said he and Murphy also had trouble finding the start to the Loop Trail.

They found the trail head along the dirt road only after asking locals, who directed them to the orange ribbon and handwritten sign pointing the way.

Once folks find Tumbledown Mountain, they tend to come back.

Zukowski had hiked it before, Jones many times.

Murphy nodded that he, too, would climb the steep rock shelves again.

"For the view and hike, the rain didn't matter," said Murphy of South Portland. "You don't (even) need a view at the top. There could be 500 people on top and it would not seem crowded."

Unfortunately, none of the hikers a week ago could speak to this.

But if they can dismiss the unpleasantness in a crowded hike as easily as they could the September rain, Tumbledown Mountain will always be popular.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at: dfleming@pressherald.com