North Moat (3,196 ft) via Red Ledge Trail with BAE Outdoor Club

Saturday August 12, 2006

Hikers: Jon, Jacques, Mary, Mary, Millie, Gig, and Pat
Weather: 60s, Sunny
Distance: ~8mi
Elevation Gain: 2200 ft
Duration: 6 hrs 30 min

We had a good turn out for our trip up the Red Ledge Trail over North Moat and down the Moat Mtn Trail. The loop is 10 miles with a decent amount of elevation gain. The first couple of miles were very flat and easy to travel. There were a couple stream crossings that might be difficult at high water, but not today.

Soon after the last stream crossing, the Red Ledge Trail starts to climb abruptly up the ridge. The ridge has a lot of ledge with lots of open areas and nice views. The ledge is not particularly steep, but there are several places that require large steps. Mary’s dog Luke had a difficult time on these large steps. Mary had to carry him over many of them and the dog significantly slowed our pace. The views and the brilliant weather made it very easy to enjoy a slower pace and many rest breaks. We had a great group, so the conversation came easily as well. I particularly enjoyed talking to Millie, who is a very avid hiker. She has thru-hiked the AT and has thru-hiked the Long Trail each of the last 5 years. She went on the Tuckerman Ravine hike earlier this year, but it was the first time I met her husband Gig. He seemed very nice as well.

As we climbed higher up the ridge, it became more and more open. The rock is similar to the open peaks of Acadia. Luke continued to struggle, so we ultimately decided that it was best for Mary, Mary, Luke, and I to head down. Jacques had taken off ahead of us in anticipation that he’d be slower than the rest of the group, however we never did catch up to him. Jon and Jacques had come in a separate car, and so had Millie and Gig, so they could easily continue on the loop without any logistical issues of trying to meet up again. So that is what we did. Jon, Millie, and Gig caught up with Jacques at the Moat Mtn Trail junction, and Luke did much better once he was pointed down hill. He did very well for a 13 year old golden retriever, and would have been fine if it wasn’t for the big steps.

After the hike, Mary, Mary, and I met Millie and Gig at Flatbread’s for a quick drink and appetizer before heading home. Mary had borrowed Gig’s poles, so it was a good excuse to get back together.

Saco River Kayaking – Fryeburg Rt 5 Bridge to 302 Bridge

Saturday August 5, 2006

Kayakers: Kim, Ethan, Kristin, Dustin, Jodie and Pat
Weather: 80s, Sunny
Distance: ~7 mi
Duration: 5.5 hrs

At Kim and Ethan’s wedding, we sat at a table with Kristin and Dustin and they mentioned that they were planning on going kayaking with Kim and Ethan the following weekend. Jodie and I didn’t have any other plans, so we were excited when they invited us along.

Dustin organized everything. He reserved the kayaks from Saco Valley Canoe and Kayak, and picked the meeting place and time. We rented two double sit-on-top kayaks, one single sit-on-top kayak, and another single regular kayak. We met at Saco Valley Canoe at 9:00am and they dropped us off at the Route 5 bridge in Fryeburg and told us they’d pick us up at the 302 bridge at 2:30.

We mostly just floated down the river with some short bursts of paddling, primarily to avoid trees. We did paddle near the end of the trip because we were concerned we’d be late. As it turned out, we reached the take-out point right at 2:30.

We had a lot of fun chatting as we went down the river. It was nice to catch up with Kim and Ethan, and Kristin and Dustin were very nice people that we enjoyed getting to know. We stopped at a beach around 11:00 and had some snacks. We also stopped to swim at another beach later on. There was a constant flow of canoes down the river, and most of the beaches were densely packed with tents and people. Some of the people were quite rowdy and unpleasant. It seems like the river is more heavily used each year. We still had a great time, and probably going earlier or later in the year would avoid a lot of the crowds.

After the kayaking, we spent a little bit of time in North Conway before heading back to Ethan’s parent’s house in Madison, NH. His parents have a great house, and we enjoyed some hamburgers and hotdogs. Unfortunately, Jodie and I had to get back to take care of Sampson. We had a very fun day!