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Boundary, West White Cap ME, 5-26-07
When I drove up here Friday it was a veritable wildlife gallery. 10 Moose (7 on rte 16, 3 on logging rds) and 13 Rabbits -- BIG rabbits (on logging rds). Note: The Cupsuptic pond road from Wiggle brook rd is in pretty rough shape, there is one very sketchy bridge and several unmarked outcroppings (they usually spray paint them a bright color) I started at 5:30 or so in the morning, the ground was still wet with dew which made me glad I was doing a logging rd walk. My route brought me over the border into Quebec. I followed the road north past the gate over an "impossible to cross without getting wet" washout, past a Moose, to a logging road on the right which came in at a sharp angle. I followed this road onto ZEC Gosford property through a gate where I found beavers had dammed a small brook causing the logging road to be completely blocked! From here on the logging road is heavily encroached upon by alders hanging over the road making it more of a bushwhack than a logging road walk! It was actually easier to walk through the woods (they are open woods). After a while I came to an old logging camp with a large clearing (good place for a way-out-there party!) From here the road is more an ATV path. The path led me directly to the boundary swath at a low point, near MON 448. There was still a foot or more of nasty snow for about 500 feet on this path requiring.. SNOWSHOES! From here the swath rises sharply and mercilessly until you gain a ridge. After bumping around over a few minor peaks you'll descend into a 120 foot of so deep col, then rise up to the boundary peak over some minor rock fields! There weren't many views from the top due to haze, but you could see 20 or so miles. Whitecap could be seen to the south and Gosford to the west. Along the way I saw a few animals: 1 Moose, 1 Beaver, 2 Fox and 1 Grouse. Its important to note that the boundary swath it a veritable shooting gallery for snagging Moose. The hunters use salt to lure the moose and then fire at them while hidden in their hunting blinds. Once I bagged boundary I hung around a bit to let my socks dry, then I proceeded back to Mon 448 where I left my backpack to snag the MON 450 "West White Cap" peak. This section was a muddy hell hole until the steep final ascent. I looked around for a summit jar for about 8 minutes on the US side before giving up (I did however find a VERY well beaten herd path leading presumably to Whitecap). Finally I wandered back to my backpack satisfied and took to the long road walk. I didn't wear snowshoes on the snowy section and as a result got very wet! Overall there is not a lot of snow left, in fact there is virtually none on any of the paths, but the woods still have anywhere from 6 - 24 inches. The general rule of thumb is where there is snow there is deep snow. On my drive out I saw a blue heron near Cupsuptic pond, it was camera shy but I did get a blurry pic of it flying away. Click Here for the Hike Map
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