{"id":2538,"date":"2020-02-04T01:17:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T01:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/?p=2538"},"modified":"2020-02-04T01:45:13","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T01:45:13","slug":"bigelow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/2020\/02\/04\/bigelow\/","title":{"rendered":"A Winter Hike of the Bigelows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The

The Bigelows Looking Toward West Peak<\/p><\/div>\n

On Saturday, Feb. 1st, Frosty and I arrived at the parking area for trekking into the Bigelows at 6:35. Most of the\u00a0Stratton Brook Pond Road isn’t\u00a0plowed in the winter, so you park right near the houses just off route 27.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The

A Gray Jay in the Bigelow Col<\/p><\/div>\n

Rob loaded our packs into a pulk that he pulled with a harness as we skied into the trailhead. The way I ski isn’t much faster than walking. I ditched the skis a bit before the Stratton Brook bridge. We left the pulk just after the bridge.<\/p>\n

\"The

View from the Stratton Brook Foot Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

Amie was joining us on our hike today. We hiked with Amie earlier this year on the BOC (Bangor Outdoor Club) Saddleback and the Horn hike<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The

I Love Seeing the Water Bubble Along Under the Ice<\/p><\/div>\n

The snow had set up firm and was well packed. We bare booted it for quite awhile. We did put microspikes on about a\u00a0half mile from the col. This is where the steep section started. That steep section kicked my butt. I was moving like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, before he got oiled.<\/p>\n

\"The

Frosty on the Steep Section<\/p><\/div>\n

When I finally got to the col, it was time for a snack and a drink. Three gray jays came over to check out the action. We fed them a few crumbles from a Clif bar. It was so cool to feel how light they were. I was excepting them to feel a bit heavier. I also like the feel of their feet gripping my thumb.<\/p>\n

\"The

Magoo with a Gray Jay (Canada Jay) Can You Spot the Second Gray Jay in the Photo?<\/p><\/div>\n

We headed up to Avery peak first. Coming down from the peak were two men who had passed us earlier. They had a big day planned. They were going do the Horns after hitting Avery and West Peak.<\/p>\n

\"The

Amie and Frosty Heading Toward Avery Peak<\/p><\/div>\n

Although it was overcast, we had clear skies and minimal wind! I really\u00a0<\/span>couldn’t believe how little wind there was. After summit photos, we headed over to the foundation of the old fire tower.<\/p>\n

\"The

Magoo and Frosty at Avery Peak Photo by Amie<\/p><\/div>\n

The views looking down to the col and over toward the West peak were spectacular. There were great views of Flagstaff Lake as well.<\/p>\n

\"The

Amie Heading Down Into the Col<\/p><\/div>\n

Then we headed up to the West Peak. On the way, we passed more ice laden trees. At the summit, we took more photos. The summit sign for the West Peak was encased in ice. With bagging this summit, Frosty and I completed\u00a0The Maine Triple Twinter Challenge<\/a>. Earlier in the winter, we had completed the other two twin peak hikes of the challenge, North and South Crocker<\/a> and Saddleback and The Horn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The

Magoo and Frosty on the West Peak Photo by Amie<\/p><\/div>\n

Then it was time for the return trip. The snow conditions were perfect for descending the steep section after the col. This section could be treacherous, if icy. The snow was soft enough that our heels dug in a bit to help with stability.<\/p>\n

\"The

I Think This Rime Ice Looks Like a Dragon<\/p><\/div>\n

The\u00a0Stratton Brook Pond Road is used by snowmobiles in the winter. In morning, none\u00a0<\/span>were out yet. On our return trip, 11 passed us. You can hear the snowmobiles coming, so it gives you time to get out of the way.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Trail up to the West Peak<\/p><\/div>\n

We finished at 4:40. The temperature was mild all day, about 20\u00b0. Frosty’s GPS watch recorded our mileage as 13.1 miles.<\/p>\n

\"The

Hiking up Bigelow<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

Amie with Gray Jay<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

Rime Ice on the West Peak Sign<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

Gray Jay framed by Icicles<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

Looking Toward Avery Peak and Flagstaff Lake<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"The

Looking Toward West Peak<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

Avery Peak<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

Avery Peak with the Summit Sign and West Peak in the Background<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"The

Heading out of the Col up to Avery Peak<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

View from the Fire Wardens Trail on Bigelow<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

West Peak in the Background<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

Avery Peak<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\"The

Heading up the Fire Wardens Trail on Bigelow<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, Feb. 1st, Frosty and I arrived at the parking area for trekking into the Bigelows at 6:35. Most of the\u00a0Stratton Brook Pond Road isn’t\u00a0plowed in the winter, so you park right near the houses just off route 27. Rob loaded our packs into a pulk that he pulled […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[171,56,15,116,18,22,173,172,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2538"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2588,"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538\/revisions\/2588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.robertpottle.com\/outside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}