Another Day another hike. Chris and I were looking for a nearby hike that was not too long and that neither of us had done before. Enter, Albany Mountain. I’d ridden some of the trail on my mountain bike, years ago and went by the side trail that goes to the summit but that’s about it. We were going in from the Stoneham, Maine side which for us is a twenty minute drive. I kind of knew where the trailhead was and we found the sign right off the bat but I couldn’t remember where the trail entered the woods. We spoke to a guy who lived right there and he told us, the road is the trail for quite a way. He directed us to the trail and a spot to park and we were off. The trail proper begins at a gate at the end of a dirt road, on the back side of Kewaydin Lake. Since this was a short hike and we didn’t have to drive too far, we were getting a later start. It was 8:30 or so when we stepped off.
The first part of the trail has had some recent work done. Probably last fall. Some very nice stone waterbars and stone ditching as well as hardening of the treadway.
The next part was not as pleasant. There were many places that will benefit from the treatment, the previous section has had. The trail is muddy for a quarter mile and then as it passes by a beaver pond on the left it dries up and remains so for the rest of the hike. Most of the trail up to Albany Notch is gradual though there is one short, rather steep section. As you climb into the notch, the ledges on the South side of Peter Mountain come into view, inviting later exploration. Our destination today though, lies still, nearly a mile away.
At a trail junction, the Albany Notch trail continues straight ahead while the connector trail diverges right to meet the Albany Mountain trail in .4 mi. Crossing a small ridge and dropping into a col that forms Albany Notch, you soon start to climb the ridge . As we paused at the trail junction a runner approached from the North. It was someone Chris knew from Bethel. We spoke to him for a few minutes and he continued on and we did so shortly thereafter.
We stopped a couple of times on some open ledges to take in the ever improving views. Soon The very top of Mount Washington can be seen and as we gained more elevation, Adams and Madison appeared above the Carter-Baldface Range. In a few minutes, we covered the rest of the connector trail and started up the Albany Mountain trail.. The grade was mild, the rest of the way and we were soon at the top. There are Ledges there facing East and Broken Bridge and Crocker Ponds can be seen. We Sat in the sun and ate a lunch and watched four Red Tail Hawks Circling on thermals.
Our hike down was uneventful but we both were amazed by the conditions for early-mid April at a time when there could easily have been a couple of feet of snow on the ground, it was bare and largely dry. There is still snow in the higher mountains but it is going fast and spring is in the air. We were looking for a half day hike and Albany filled the bill. Western Maine’s section on the White Mountain National Forest has some very nice hikes, few people and challenging terrain. I’m looking forward to further exploration of this area.
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