Elevation: 1,678 ft (overall) 2,978 ft (total)
Time: 2:10 (Mt. Randolph) 4:51 (Pond of Safety) 7:43 (Road) 8:03 (Total)
Trails: Vyron D. Lowe Trail, Crescent Ridge Trail, Underhill Path, Four Soldiers Path, Crescent Ridge Trail, Sargent Path, Road Walk
The intention of this hike was to do some redlining in the sections further from home, but in an area that was still low enough elevation that I would hopefully avoid the snow that is still in the woods during this time of year. I was trying to get away without needing snowshoes or gaiters, and it almost worked on this hike.
I picked a route that would allow me to check off a few different trails completely with some others partially, all without too much overlap during the hike. My plan was to start using the Vyron D. Lowe trail which has limited roadside parking, but enough of it to fully get off the road with your vehicle. The trail starts at a signed location behind a spring in a grassy area on the side of Durand Rd.
The start of the Vyron D. Lowe Trail
I never felt lost while on the Vyron D. Lowe Trail, but at times the foot path isn't very well defined and it seems kind of like a find your own adventure type of trail. The trail starts off well defined and easy enough to follow, but near the middle it was much less defined at times. At any point if I wasn't sure where the trail went, I would just stop and look in the direction I had been going. I would look for a defined path of some sort, but also look further ahead and try to find blazes on trees in the distance. I think I was always able to find another blaze somewhere further up the trail when I needed to. At the top of the trail, it does get much easier to follow again and more well defined before it meets the Crescent Ridge Trail.
The Vyron D. Lowe Trail isn't well defined in some spots
The Crescent Ridge Trail was well defined for the entire hike that I was on it. It starts with some gentle climbing, but gets steeper as you go further up it, mostly after the Four Soldiers Path crosses over it. In the steep section, there was one area that was pretty rocky, but still manageable to climb. Shortly before the summit of Mt. Randolph, I started to see some fresh looking piles of moose poop in the trail. I thought that was a good sign, and in fact just a few yards short of the summit, I heard a noise in the trees to my right and there was a bull moose about 25 feet into the trees. I tried to get my pack down so that I could get out my camera, but he worked his way out of the trees and into the trail too quick for me. He went a short distance down the trail away from me, and was quickly out of sight without ever running.
Steep rocky section of Crescent Ridge Trail
Moose poop near the Mt. Randolph summit
Mt. Randolph summit
After a little break at the summit of Mt. Randolph, I continued along the trail, which is when I started to encounter snow. It wasn't very deep or long stretches at a time to start though. It didn't take too long after leaving the summit where I encountered the moose again as he hadn't really gone far off trail. This time, he ran off into the woods away from the trail for good. Even with snow on the ground, the trail was mostly easy to follow through here. Unfortunately, thick tree cover and the contour of the land made it so not as much snow had melted in some sections. At times, I was post holing knee deep into the snow and getting it into my shoes. I needed to go a bit slower at times so that I could try and find the most solid footing to avoid falling through every step.
By the time I got to the junction with the Underhill Path, the snow wasn't as bad, but I was getting sick of it. Unfortunately, when I looked up the Underhill Path, the snow continued. And with this trail being on the northern, more shaded, side of the ridge, I was expecting it to be just as bad. Luckily, it wasn't as long lasting as I expected, and things were more wet and muddy than snow covered.
I wasn't able to avoid the snow, there were some sections still remaining
Smaller snow patches on the Underhill Path
The Underhill Path was easy to follow and the foot path was decently defined. Being spring time though, it was muddy at times, and in some places there were bog bridges to help. I was able to make pretty fast progress on my way to the Four Soldiers Path. The trail down lower was still just as wet and muddy here, and again the trail was a little less defined at times. Eventually the trail comes down to the road for Pond of Safety, and I started following that to get to the pond. There were some patches of snow along the road (which is open seasonally), but the more difficult obstacle was the downed trees along it. A couple of them were easy to get over or around, but for a couple others, you had to go into the woods or just push through all the branches. Once to the pond, I headed down the easy path that leads to the boat launch along the shore. Once getting to the boat launch I saw some fresh moose tracks in the damp dirt, so once I got to the edge of the water, I looked around and was able to see a moose on the opposite shore that appeared to be eating as it walked along. I had planned to eat my lunch here anyways, so today I got to eat lunch with a moose, since we were both doing the same thing, even if it was hundreds of feet apart.
A moose (2nd of the hike) on the back side of Pond of Safety
Pond of Safety
Next, I headed back up the Four Soldiers Path to loop around Mt. Randolph on the western side. This trail was a gentle climb and then descent after the high point. It was mostly easy to follow, but it is clear that this trail doesn't see a lot of traffic. Like near the start of today, I would have to look ahead for blazes at times to help make sure I was on the trail. Some sections also had thick bushes and saplings along the trail that could have really used some trimming back. The high point of this trail is called the Eye of the Needle, but I am not sure the reason for the name. A little bit after that, there is a side path to the right that leads to a small view point.
A tight section of the Four Soldiers Path
Eye of the Needle (height of land)
Limited view off the to side of the Four Soldiers Path
After the limited view, the trail eventually becomes much easier to follow again shortly before it reaches back to the intersection with the Crescent Ridge Trail. I took a right here to head back downhill some so that I could work my way over to the Sargent Path. At the top of the Sargent Path is a nice viewpoint called Lookout Ledge. After taking a break to enjoy the view, I headed down the Sargent Path, which is pretty steep in the upper sections. The leave and pine needles on the ground made this a bit slow going so that I could make sure I didn't slip and fall. Eventually the trail starts to level out some as it gets closer to the road. It does get a little bit rocky though in sections near the end though. After reaching the road, I did the easy road walk back to my truck to finish out the day.
View from Lookout Ledge
View from Lookout Ledge
Steep descent on the Sargent Path
Google Earth representation of the hike
For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE
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