Early on the Trail
The view area 1 mile before the summit of Mount Cabot
I set my alarm for 4 AM but I woke up at 2 AM and I could not go back to sleep. So, I swore out loud, pulled the covers off and said, "let's do this", of course, very reluctantly. Mount Cabot is almost 3 hours away in Berlin and it was a weekend, so I kept with my pattern of getting to the trail early. This time, I was super early. My car was at the trailhead around 4:30 AM. I grabbed my headlamp and off I went onto Bunnell Notch Trail to hit, what most hikers dread, which is Mount Cabot. It’s not a fan favorite because it’s a moderate hike without many views. Today was overcast, I was itching to try to hit my goal of 48 4000 footers in the calendar year, so Cabot it was. I am saving the last 4 hikes for more epic weather days.
Hiking in the dark is altogether a different thing, where the slightest sound or movement is enough to make you jump. I heard two separate grouse go from the ground to the tree and I swore out loud, as if I were mad at them, and took a moment to breath. I was worried about Moose, its way up North where they are prevalent. Even a if I bumped into one in the dark it would be a surprise. But alas, no moose today… although I saw a few toads. At one point, I stopped for a moment and just listened to forest sounds of birds and bees. It's wholly a new world that early in the morning.
The trail was smoother, with more dirt than normal, and the Kilkenney Range was just beautiful. Lots of diversity in the trees, flowers, and grasses. The trail was great. It only got rough as you headed up to Cabot Cabin which it felt as though it was just around the corner every time. The AMC is doing work on the cabin so it’s less creepy than it used to be. The summit was only .6 from the cabin with a wooden summit. Not much for views today. Because of my lack of sleep, I was the first in the parking lot and the only one on the summit, so for a weekend in the summer was just splendid.
Sometimes you pick hikes because the weather is not a factor and others you want to make sure that you have a reward. Cabot is the former and not the latter, but as people have said, it really is about the adventure. It has changed me fractionally or monumentally, but it has moved me. I must have passed 35 hikes on the way down. I was stopped by someone I recognize on Instagram, and we were great to talk to her about our combined interest. I thought afterwards that our stories are not all woven from the same cloth and our reason to be on this trail at this time is not the same, however there are common threads. Sometimes I wish I had more time to inquiry of each of the stories, but sometimes just seeing the faces and a quick chat is enough to be reminded of the why.
I had all intentions to do the Cabot Loop which included two other peaks but as I sat on the summit of Cabot, I saw rain coming in and I lost my mojo to add the additional miles. I felt bad about that, but the 10 miles today was enough as I checked another 4000-footer off the list, albeit very early for this one.
Date July 17th 2021
Distance 9.62. miles
Elevation Gain 2,851 feet