Firescrew & Cardigan 7-13-21
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Firescrew 3064' Mount Cardigan 3155' 5.7 Miles 1950' Elevation gain Manning Trail/ Mowglis Trail/ Clark Trail/ Holt Clark Cut-off/ Holt Trail Kevin, Judy & Wicket
Starting out at the Cardigan Lodge. This is another "new" one for Wicket. We are sort of working on her 52 WAV (With a View) List, not sure how many she actually has because we've just been pecking away at it with no real plan. I suppose I should figure it out soon, because she has quite a few of them... This trip was reminiscent of our trips of old with Emma in that we made it a day trip from home. Most of our hikes from the past several years have been from camp...
Super damp from the previous days and nights of rain...
Indian Pipes were popping up all over.
Indian Pipe Monotropa unifloraMount CardiganSummerhikingwildflowersfog
The entire hike was in fog which thickened considerably as we rose through the forest...
Poor photo, but this was one of many thrushes that were singing their beautiful melodious songs to keep us company in the thick mist. Not really sure what type of Thrush-wish I had thought to record their song to compare...
Still see him? This was my view trying to find him- probably never would have noticed if he hadn't been singing...
Soon the trail becomes ledges. They were wet and slippery, and a bit treacherous as you shall see, as we ascended through the rain & fog sopped evergreens...
Wicket smiling because she thinks she's found the summit... Sorry girl, not quite there yet...
A huge quartzite boulder covered with spots of lichen that we passed along the way...
A frog? A hand holding a tree with it's thumb & forefinger?
There were rills like this all along the trail where usually at this time of year it would be dry...
... and mushrooms everywhere!
Ripening Bunchberries...
Bunchberry Cornus canadensisMount CardiganSummerhikingwildflowersfog
More steep and slick ledge...
This also video. The video's have a little movie camera symbol in the bottom left hand corner...
Wild Sarsaparilla...
Mount CardiganSummerWild Sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulishikingwildflowersfog
Something somewhere between a glacial tarn and a vernal pool- large PUDDLE between Firescrew & Cardigan...
Mountain Cranberry was very close to being ripe. It is edible, and of course, very tart like other cranberries... someday I want to bake a pie of them with wild low bush blueberries...
Mount CardiganMountain Cranberry Vaccinium vitisidaeaSummerhikingwildflowersfog
There is an excellent, legible new trail-sign now at this junction, but I was drawn to these old ones...
While researching past visits to this hill we were shocked to find we hadn't been in 11 years! This is the same trail sign from a trip in good weather 11 years prior...
Back to the present...
A few weeks ago I actually bought a trail first aid kit. We had always carried a few emergency items, but sadly inadequate. Fortunately I had it and I was able to clean this up a bit. "It's not a hike until someone bleeds..." has long been a motto, not sure why it always has to be me! Honestly though, if it has to be someone, then I would prefer it be me than Judy or Wicket- Mount Cardigan: Paid for with an ounce of flesh!
Great views as we approach the summit...
Huh! I guess we're almost there! About 50'...
The breeze & damp were just enough that we barely stopped at the fire-tower. We stopped for 2nd lunch once we got down off the ledges...
Finding our way down in the fog...
Days like this make me pay closer attention to the minute details of the forest...
I think the fog was getting even thicker if it were possible...
These falls along Bailey Brook were running beautifully!
