Old Speck Mountain day hike

This day hike started at the parking area for the Old Speck/Eyebrow/Appalachian Trails on the west side of Maine Route 26 in Grafton Notch, about 12 miles west of US Route 2 in Newry, Maine.. From the parking area I took the Eyebrow Trail to the Old Speck Trail to the summit of Old Speck MountainOld Speck Trail back down to the junction with the Eyebrow Trail, but then continued down the Old Speck/Appalachain to the parking area in Grafton Notch.

Grafton Notch - 1,496' Junction with Old Speck Trail - 1.1 miles - 2,560' Old Speck Summit - 3.9 miles - 4,170' Trail junction - 6.7 miles - 2,560' Grafton Notch - 7.8 miles - 1,496' Total distance round-trip - 7.8 miles Total elevation change - 2,674 Trail map - 400 x 576 - 55K Trail map - 608 x 876 - 140K

The starting point for this hike was parking area for the Old Speck/Eyebrow/Appalachian Trails on the west side of Maine Route 26 in Grafton Notch. Old Speck Mountain would be number 56 on my New England Hundred Highest list. I started this hike just a little before 8:00.

My previous hike in the White Mountains was Sandwich Mounatain, #52 on my list. In early July I did three other peaks on the list that were in the southern part of Vermont's Green Mountains" #53, Equinox; #54, Dorset and #55, Stratton. I did not do any hiking for over a month between the Stratton and Old Speck.

I was looking forward to this one but it was a tough time getting to the trailhead. I was up at 3:30am and out of the house and on the road by 3:45. I made one rest stop to use the bathroom and pick up something for breakfast up in Gray, Maine where I got off of the interstate and started on the back roads to get to Grafton Notch. I arrived at the parking area for the trail right around 7:45 and was on the trail by 8. It was only 54°F at the trailhead and an absolutely gorgeous morning. The temperature dropped a little as I climbed higher and in some of the darker places I could actually see my breath. Summer is on its way out! I started with my light windbreaker but it didn't take too long to warm up enough to lose that.

As originally planned I was supposed to do two mountains as part of this trip: Old Speck in the morning and Baldpate in the afternoon. Even after lunch back at the parking area I was just too tired and it was just too late to start up Bal;dpate. I probably could have done it and probably even have finished before dark but it would have been a long drive home from there in the dark on only about 4 hours of sleep the night before. I was glad I decided against it.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Eyebrow clif next to Old Speck Mountain 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Old Speck Mountain 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Start of trail 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Start of trail 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Trail maps 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Junction with Eyebrow Trail

went up the Eyebrow Trail for the first part of the hike. It was supposed to be shorter but someone I don't think so. It was definitely steeper and there was a cable line, metal rungs and a ladder in one section along one of the steeper rocky slopes.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Trail view, Eyebrow Trail 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Cable line, Eyebrow Trail 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Metal rungs 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Metal rungs 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Metal rungs & ladder 600 x 450   1024 x 768 View across the notch 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Metal rungs & ladder 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Looking up the cliff 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Metal rungs & ladder

The Eyebrow Trail rejoins the Old Speck Trail after about a mile and I took that the rest of the way to the summit. There were some really nice ledges just below where the Eyebrow Trail rejoins the Old Speck Trail and I got to watch a family of peregrine falcons soaring on the thermals above the ledges and cliff faces.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Notch & cliff view 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Notch view 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Old Speck Mountain 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Looking back down at parking area 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Peregrine falcons 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Peregrine falcons 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Peregrine falcon 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Peregrine falcon 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Old Speck Mountain

Mushrooms were a big deal for me on this trip too as there were lots of very interesting ones. I found myself really missing Katie, a gal I had done a lot of hiking with over the previous year but had lost contact with. She absolutely loved finding and taking photos of mushrooms too.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Back at the Old Speck Trail 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Trail view, d Speck Trail 450 x 600   768 x 1024 Glacial scars on rock 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Cracks and moss 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushrooms

The hiking on the Old Speck Trail above the Eeyebrow was mostly a pretty gradual climb. There were a few spots that were a little steeper than the rest but I never really felt like I was exerting myself. The cooler temperatures really helped as well.

There were just as many mushrooms in the upper section as there was lower down.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Trail view 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Survey marker for lachian Trail 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Trail view, Baldpate Mountain 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom

I managed to catch a nice glimpse of Baldpate Mountain, the hike I was supposed to do in the afternoon, on the other side of the notch through a break in some trees near the top of Old Speck. At this point it was still fairly early and I still felt fairly fresh and hadn't given up on it yet.

Very shortly after that glimpse of Baldpate Mountain I started the final climb to the top of Old Speck. I went through a couple of low cliffs where the trail was a litte more steep but it was still not very bad.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Baldpate Mountain 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Old Speck Mountain 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushrooms 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Tilted rocks 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Berries 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Wet, mossy cliff

After about 20 minutes I came to the junction with the Mahoosuc Trail and was then very close to the top of Old Speck.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 View from near the top 600 x 450   1024 x 768 View from near the top 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Almost there 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Almost there

In less than 10 minutes I was on top of Old Speck and I felt as though I had made pretty good time. It was still only 10:30 and I was hoping I would be able to finish by 12:30, take a half hour for lunch, and then start up Bandpate around 1pm.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Baldpate Mountain from the top of the lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 View from the top of the lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mighty Moose, Baldpate Mountain from the top of the lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Bob, Baldpate Mountain from the top of the lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Top of the lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 View back down the ladder 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Shadow of lookout tower 600 x 450   1024 x 768 View back up the ladder

I spent less than 20 minutes on top but it felt like longer. I took some photos from the top and then climbed the lookout tower to get some photos from up there. I had another granola bar for a quick snack before starting back down.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mighty Moose, summit cairn 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Summit cairn 600 x 450   1024 x 768 USGS survey marker 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Summit cairn & lookout tower 450 x 600   768 x 1024 Numbers for the climb up

I got side-tracked by taking photos of more mushrooms on the way down.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom & berries 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushroom 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Moss & ferns 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Moss & ferns 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Flow marks in the granite 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Tiny mushrooms

It was already almost 12:30 by the time I reached the junction with the Eyebrow Trail so I knew I was not going to be back at the packing area by 12:30.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Trail view 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Red squirrel 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Back at trail junction 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Old Speck Mountain

Then I got side-tracked by taking photos of the waterfalls along the brook while going down the Old Speck Trail. It was a beautiful day and still not very hot and I just didn't want to rush it. I felt good to stop here and there to just take it all in.

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It was close to 1:30 by the time I got back to the parking area and almos 1:45 by the time I finished my lunch. I still needed a little rest before starting up Baldpate and the more I thought on it the more I thought starting up that trail at 2pm was a bad idea. Even starting at 1pm was pronanly not a good idea but it was more doable. Old Speck had taken almost 6 hours and I expected Baldpate would probably take about the same. I did want to enjoy it and not rush it so I finally decided it would be best to safe it for another day. It would have been nice to knock off two peaks with only one drive up but I had a feeling I would not be enjoy Baldpate as much being the second hike of a long day. I was also not looking forward to driving all the way home in the dark.

600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushrooms 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Mushrooms 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Back at the trauilhead 450 x 600   768 x 1024 Numbers for the total hike 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Information about the peregrines 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Eyebrow cliff 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Start of the trail to Baldpate Mountain ( no time today ) 600 x 450   1024 x 768 Monarch butterfly

I ended up visiting some other things in Grafton Notch before finally heading home. I stopped at both Mother Walker Falls and Screw Auger Falls which I had passed on the way up. Mother Walker Falls wasn't such a big deal and was really just a series of cascades over a section of Bear Brook. Screw Auger Falls was very cool though and had some smaller cascades above but then a huge, twisty gorge where the main falls were. I spent a while at both of these spots taking photos before finally starting the long drive home.

There are photos of Mother Walker Falls and Screw Auger Falls here.

I already had the plan in my mind to come up again on the following weekend to do Baldpate Mountain.

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