| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. OJI, Barren Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Marston Trail, Mt. Coe Trail, Mt. OJI Link Trail, abandoned Mt. OJI Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 4, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We were first car in the morning, lot full upon our return. 4 people waiting for their 5 pm shuttle from a campground outside the park. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Rock Hop-able |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple blow downs on the trails nothing serious I recall. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No pets allowed in Baxter State Park |
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 | Bugs: |
As long as we kept moving the black flies weren't too bad but stop for a second and dear me I needed a blood transfusion. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
After a disappointing arrival the day before when we were not permitted to enter the park until 1 pm and no go to drive towards Roaring Brook , we wanted to do South Turner but the park is only permitted 28 day use cars, that's 50% use in an effort to keep people spread out. So while we waited we killed the hour walking Cranberry Pond Trail out and back---everything worked out.
We started up the Marston Trail a little before 6 am. We hit the summit of OJI first so we could have a good look at where we were headed. Of course I provided a comedy moment by looking off 180 degrees in the wrong direction Hey Lew where is Barren? We backtracked to the abandoned trail, it starts right at the sign where The Link Trail/OJI trail sign on side of the trail. A couple of blowdowns but footbed still well worn. We started our whack about elev. 2900. From there to the just west of the pond the woods are so tight it almost wants to make you cry but you don't because you're having so much fun being eaten alive by black flies. Nearing the pond the woods were less tight and the higher we climbed the more open they became and we concentrated on just looking for the better woods. We ended up near the west side of the ridge and then stayed on the north side before making a straight line to the summit. We took a good break on the summit even though the bugs were really bad. We had good luck following about the same route back but just before the pond we ran into a boulder field and had move north to get around it. We visited the pond and the view was worth the visit. This time we aimed to hit the abandoned trail higher about elevation 3000 and we were glad we did because we found less vexing jail cell spruce, at least we could fit between it. We marched back up and down as fast as we could because we both were out of water and couldn't wait to get to the brook near the bottom of the Coe Slide. That water was cold and delicious. When we reached the Marston Trail intersection we met a group of young men that kindly offered us a Coors Light because that was all they were carrying (we declined). Our day was almost 11 hours long. I confess I don't think I have even been more beat up and bitten on a whack than this one. Lew does a fine job ignoring the bugs and ignoring me whining about them. Super strong effort and the result we desired.
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 | Name: |
Nordic_Gal, LewDow |
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 | E-Mail: |
amybike@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-07-08 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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