Flagstaff Mountain 6/3/2026

Today was a great day to hike Flagstaff Mountain! It had been a few years since I'd been up it, and the trail and tower remain in the same condition as last time I was there. Someone has been continuing basic maintenance on the trail, and most blowdowns had been cut. Climbing the tower was a nice escape from the bugs, and the views were just as spectacular as usual!

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Vining Lake Overnight 5/30–5/31/26

Over the weekend, we headed Downeast for some hiking and a short backpacking trip at Vining Lake Community Preserve in Cooper. 

On the way, we stopped at the short trail to Patrick Lake in Rocky Lake Public Land. At only about a quarter mile in length, this blue-blazed trail leads to a picnic area and a beautiful beach on the south shore of Patrick Lake. Sampson visited with another dog on the beach for a bit, before we headed back to the car.

Trail to Patrick Lake

Beach on Patrick Lake

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After arriving at the trailhead for Vining Lake, we were glad to see no other cars in the parking lot. We loaded up our packs and started the short hike in to the campsite near the outlet of the pond. Upon arriving, we found it unoccupied, so we set up camp. It was a beautiful spot on a point with great views across the pond. After setting up camp, we hiked the trails leading around the lake. The well-constructed loop trail is a mix of discontinued logging roads and narrower footpaths with some nice boardwalks and bog bridging. After the hike, we enjoyed an evening by the fire before heading to bed a bit early.

At our campsite on Vining Lake

Vining Lake from our campsite

On the trail around the lake

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We awoke to a beautiful, but chilly, morning. We broke camp, ate breakfast, and headed back to the car. Our first stop of the day was at Beaverdam Stream Preserve in Wesley. There, we went on a nice short hike through the forest along the stream. The lollipop loop doesn't seem to see very much traffic, but it is seemingly well marked and maintained as it passes through mature forest.

Beaverdam Stream Preserve trailhead

Beaverdam Stream Preserve

Beaverdam Stream Preserve

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Then, we headed over to Lead Mountain in T 28 MD. The road in was a bit rough, but totally doable with mid-clearance. The hike up on the jeep trail passed the old fire watchmans' cabin on the way to the summit where the former fire tower has been replaced by a cell tower. The fire tower footings remain, along with the fire tower itself, now toppled onto its side in the forest. On the south side of the summit, a short trail leads to a rocky outcropping with the base of another tower still standing; this spot is where we ate lunch. Although there wasn't much in the way of views, it was still a good hike with interesting historical sites on the mountain. 

Collapsed fire watchmans' cabin on Lead Mountain

Old telephone wire insulator along the trail

NGS marker on the summit

Old fire tower footing

Base of an old tower near the summit

Toppled fire tower in the woods at the summit

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Bull Rock & Sugarloaf 5/3/2026

For our second hike of the weekend, we headed over to Dixfield to hike the loop over Bull Rock and Sugarloaf. It was a cool day with some rain showers as we started, but it dried up during our ascent. We hiked the loop counterclockwise, first ascending to Bull Rock.

Sampson & I taking a break on the way up

View of Dixfield from Bull Rock

View northwest from Bull Rock

North & South Sugarloaf from Bull Rock

After a brief break, we continued on to the summit. The super steep trail into the saddle and to the north peak is always a fun challenge! It was windy at the top as we enjoyed the views and ate lunch.

View west from the summit

View southwest over Dixfield

View south

After lunch, we headed down the much shorter side of the loop, arriving back at the car only half an hour after leaving the summit. Sugarloaf is a beautiful and easily accessible hike that often gets overlooked, and I enjoy having it as a nearby option!

Descending

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Bucks Ledge Community Forest 5/1/2026

After a bit of rain yesterday, today went back to the dry, sunny, and windy weather that we have been seeing a lot of lately. We took advantage of another beautiful day by heading over to Bucks Ledge Community Forest in Woodstock. Starting from the main parking lot, we walked up the improved gravel road to the accessible trail and its viewpoint, from which are great views of Bucks Ledge. We then cut over to Mann Road, before ascending Bucks Ledge from the west.

Trailhead

Viewpoint on the accessible trail

Sampson at a trail intersection

At the top of Bucks Ledge

After pausing to enjoy the great views from the top of Bucks Ledge, we continued along the ridge line on the J n J Trail to the top of Moody Mountain. This section of trail was especially enjoyable with its multiple viewpoints along the ridge.

View along the ridge

The summit of Moody Mountain

View from the top of Moody Mountain

After another break at the top of Moody Mountain, we descended the steep trail to the logging road. Before heading up the north side of Lapham Ledge, I took a short out-and-back detour down the Echo Lane Trail, which I hadn't been on yet. It's an easy walk to Rumford Avenue and back, and makes a nice alternative entrance or connection with the elementary school. We enjoyed lunch at the top of Lapham Ledge and then headed back down to the car via the Bucks Ledge Alternate Trail.

Lapham Ledge summit sign

View from Lapham Ledge

Bryant Pond & Mount Christopher

It was an excellent day for a hike, and the trails are all in good shape. Even with a number of cars in the parking lot, we passed only one person on our entire hike, which is rare for this busy trail system!

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Tumbledown Dick Mountain 4/26/2026

Continued perfect weather today meant that I was able to get a second mountain hike in this weekend! After previously hiking Tumbledown Dick Mountain in Peru from both the east and the west, today we returned to do both on the same hike. We parked on Pulsifer Road where it splits, and started by hiking up the trail in the saddle between The Pinnacle and Tumbledown Dick Mountain. Upon reaching the logging road, we descended to the west to reach the end of Hammond Hill Road. From here, we headed up to the Hedgehog Hill Viewpoint, taking a detour on the way to visit the mine below the viewpoint. Although Hedgehog Hill is actually a peak slightly further west, the viewpoint is signed as such and provides a nice view to the south for relatively minimal effort.

Mine near the Hedgehog Hill Viewpoint

 

View up the valley between Tumbledown Dick Mountain and Black Mountain form the Hedgehog Hill Viewpoint

View south from the Hedgehog Hill Viewpoint

From the Hedgehog Hill Viewpoint, we connected back to the logging road that we had previously descended. Following that road up the mountain, we turned onto the eroded trail leading to the summit of Tumbledown Dick Mountain. We made good time up to the summit, and it was an absolutely perfect sunny spring day, so we ended up spending over two hours relaxing on the summit. We even saw a Forest Service helicopter fly below us in the valley between Tumbledown Dick and Black Mountains twice.

Start of the trail to the summit

Memorial plaque at the summit

Sampson at the summit

 

View southeast from the summit

View southwest towards Black & Speckled Mountains

After the extended break, it was a relatively quick and easy descent back to where we parked on Pulsifer Road. Tumbledown Dick Mountain is always a fun hike, and it was especially nice because we had the entire mountain to ourselves today! It was also the first hike of the season that we didn't see any snow.

Forest Service helicopter

Speckled Mountain

The Presidential Range

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