Mount Waumbek via the Starr King Trail

This day hike involved going up the Starr King Trail to the Mount Starr King and then to Mount Waumbek and returning the same way.

Parking area at Starr King trailhead - 1,620' Mount Starr King - 2.5 miles - 3,840' Mount Waumbek - 3.5 miles - 4,006' Mount Waumbek east peak - 3.7 miles - 4,000'? Mount Waumbek - 3.9 miles - 4,006' Mount Starr King - 4.9 miles - 3,840' Parking area at Starr King trailhead - 7.4 miles - 1,620' Total distance round-trip - 7.4 miles Total elevation change - 2,386' Trail map - 800 x 504 - 320K Trail map - 1451 x 914 - 1089K

The starting point for this hike was the small parking area at the end of Starr King Road in Jefferson.

This hike was started much later than normal due to some morning obligations and I did not arrive at the trailhead until almost 3pm. Based on what I had read as well as from talking to other hikers I was pretty sure this was going to be a quick and easy hike and I was not that worried about finishing it before dark. I made one brief stop on the way up just for some photos of the mountains and some very big fields.

600 x 4000   1024 x 683 Field and mountains 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Field and mountains, tractor

The lower portion of the Starr King Trail followed an old logging road and climbed very gradually at first. The road bed ended after less then half of a mile though and the trail turned a little towards the south and started climbing the ridge.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Start of the Starr King Trail 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Start of the Starr King Trail 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Old cistern

The forest itself was pretty but there really were no good views to be had along the lower portion at all. Luckily I did stumble across a pair of very sizeable toads and I stopped for a while to take some photos of them.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Forest and sunlight 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Toad 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Starr King Trail

As the trail approached the top of Mount Star King is switched from hugging the center of the ridge to hanging more off of the north and west sides. The first good view comes at the top of Mount Starr Kind and even that is very limited and only in one direction.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Summit of Mount Starr King

600 x 400   1024 x 683 View from the summit of Mount Starr King

600 x 400   1024 x 683 On to Mount Waumbek

Just to the east of the Mount Starr King summit is a clearing where there was once a cabin. All that remains now is the fireplace and chimney. I stopped there briefly to much on some trailmix and ended up sharing it with first one and then two gray jays. After the first one got his fill he flew off and returned with a friend.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Site of old cabin 600 x 400   1024 x 683 All that remains of the old cabin 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Sharing some trail mix with a gray jay 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Sharing some trail mix with a gray jay 600 x 400   1024 x 683 He went away and brought back a friend

I made it to the top of Mount Waumek just a half of an hour after that and there were no good views from up there either.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Waumbek summit cairn 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Trip data (minus the first mile!) 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Waumbek summit 600 x 400   1024 x 683 View from Mount Waumbek summit

I also continued to the east to get the other summit which I read somewhere was usually done by "purist" peak baggers. I have no idea what that means as Mount Waumbek itself is just barely over 4,000 feet and according to my GPS the eastern peak was 14 feet lower. But for what it's worth I visited both.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Data at the eastern summit 600 x 400   1024 x 683 East summit of Mount Waumbek 600 x 400   1024 x 683 View from the east summit of Mount Waumbek

The hike back down was quick and I made it back to the car just a little after 7:30pm.

I caught a lacing from my hiking boot on a root on the way down, got spun around and landed on my butt. Luckily I was probably less then 100 yards from the end of the trail when this happened as my left knee seemed to take the worst of this and it was a little painful to walk on it.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Fern forest 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Fern forest 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Data for the climb down

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