Warmer today- 29 when we started and 34 at the end- mostly sunny and little wind. We had not done the section of the trail from Walker Ridge Rd. to the Hogback Loop. For awhile it was closed due to timber harvesting ( they must have rerouted as we saw no evidence of it today) and then when we tried it anyway, it was very wet and difficult to follow. The last time we were on the Hogback Loop- from the Sheepscot end- we met a couple who had come from Walker Ridge and said it had not been a problem to follow. We found this to not be entirely true.
We parked by the Inland Fisheries Bldg. and walked to where the trail crosses the road- about 1/4 mile. The parking shown on the map is only available in summer. We passed the entrance to the snowmobile trail- We had taken that to Hogback in the past. There was a blue blaze as we entered the trail and then not any others. This was not a problem at first as the trail was obvious but it soon became confusing and after walking around looking for it we gave up ( even Kelley couldn't find it ) and headed toward what I thought was the road. We came out of the woods where the snowmobile trail crossed Rte. 220 and found our trail also across the road. From this point on the trail was well blazed. For some reason it had been laid out to take you up the side of the hill
and then back down
and up again
several times- just the trail if you wanted a real workout. No one had been on the trail recently but the footing was not bad with no ice except for a couple of frozen streams
When we reached the Mountain Rd. it again became confusing. The map said we should come out at the end of the Hogback Loop but we have done that loop many times and know where it comes to the road. This was not that place. We walked a short ways on the road and what looked like another trail but the only thing I found familiar was the trail we had come in on long ago- there was still an animal skull tacked to a tree that I had photographed back then. We decide to leave the rest for another day and headed back.
One more hill on the way back
When we reached the road, we took the snowmobile trail back to Walker Ridge Rd. and on the way found that the GHP came to the trail we were on. We ignored it.
In spite of the confusion and the hills it had been a good hike. Pretty woods, quiet, pleasant temperature, and none of it a problem for Kelley. 2 1/4 hours
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