The afternoon ascent up Gulf Hagas Mountain along Gulf Hagas Brook will feel long, without many landmarks (note: camping or campfires are prohibited south of the Gulf Hagas Cut-off trail to north of the West Branch of the Pleasant River). Overview: Completion of Barren-Chairback traverse, and descent to the fording of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. Highlight: Views from Barren Ledges (mile 6) and insectivorous pitcher plants in Fourth Mountain Bog (mile 10.4).ĭay 3: West Chairback Pond to Carl A. Overview: Day Two is a longer day (start early), with a ford of Long Pond Stream, and a a steady, strenuous ascent of Barren Mountain, to an up-and-down traverse of the Barren-Chairback Range, ending with a tent site on West Chairback Pond (.2 mile side trail). ![]() Highlight: Little Wilson Falls, a sixty-foot waterfall (mile 6.6)ĭay 2: Wilson Valley Lean-To to West Chairback Pond (14.1 mi) ![]() Overview: Day One is a rolling hike, getting used to a heavy pack, and fording several streams. Suggested Itineraryĭay 1: ME-15 in Monson to Wilson Valley Lean-To (10.4 mi) East Branch, Pleasant River, 100 Mile Wilderness. They can also provide advice, shuttle service, Baxter/Katahdin permits, help you stage your vehicle at either end, and provide a place to stay before and/or after. Shaw’s Hiker Hostel (Monson), the Appalachian Trail Lodge (Millinocket), and 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters are reputable providers who can coordinate food drops for you along the 100MW. Some purists believe that it’s cheating, but lightening your pack enough to enjoy your walk in the woods might help a great deal, and it’s your hike. Resupply: We didn’t do this, but it’s worth considering. Some water sources may also be dry by this time of summer, depending on the rains. One caveat to this plan – AT Lean-To’s and tent sites may be fairly full, as many thru-hikers will be making their last push to Katahdin. I think a happy medium would be the beginning of September (assuming your work/school/life allows this), which would still be warm enough to enjoy dips in the lakes and streams, cool enough at night to sleep well, and at the very tail end of bug season. We later finished the 100 MW at the end of September, and it was cold at night, but pleasant during the day, and there were no bugs. ![]() Once we got down from the higher elevations, the heat was oppressive, and the bugs were brutal. Timing: When we started the 100 MW, we did so at the end of June/beginning of July. But starting from the south, and climbing over the Barren-Chairback and White Cap ranges might make your tired legs want to finish with the more gently rolling terrain of the north. The northern part is substantially flatter (read: faster) terrain, so starting with a heavy pack might be easier north-south, eating up food weight as you move south. Direction: There are arguments for going south to north (like we did), or alternately, starting at Abol Bridge, and finishing in Monson.
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