I intended to climb Number Four mountain and see if the trail continued all the way to Baker Mountain. Earlier this year the AMC bought a block of land that included the Lily Bay Mountains east of Moosehead Lake. They have plans to build of number of trails. The last time I climbed Number Four I noticed the trail kept going beyond the overlook near the summit. (The view from the overlook is on the cover of Best Easy Day Hikes Greenville.)
As I drove north, I noticed that all the mountains visible from Charleston Hill were draped with thick white clouds. I told myself they'd burn off by the time I got to Greenville. They didn't. When I got to Greenville, the clouds hung over the town like a heavy comforter. None of the mountains were visible. The air was chill, almost gray. It smelled like snow.
When I got to Lily Bay, I realized that I didn't really want to hike in a cloud. So I turned around and headed back to Monson. The clouds had pushed far enough north to expose Borestone, so I headed there.
Mine was the only car in the parking area. I headed up the trail. A stiff wind shook the tree tops and rattled the dead beech leaves that hung on for dear life. By the time I reached the summit, Barren Mountain was mostly cloud-free. The White Cap Range was playing peek-a-boo. The Lily Bay Mountains were hidden completely beneath their fluffy blanket.
On the way down, I hiked the Fox Pen Loop. A great lollipop trail that passes through the area where the family that one owned Borestone raised foxes for fur. The trail crosses a small wetland popular with moose and beaver, skirts the base of high cliffs with a cool overhang, and Big Greenwood Overlook. Well, worth the extra mile.
I decided to hike out the "secret" trail to the lodge as well. The unmarked trail leaves from the rocks across from the visitor center and heads northwest along the shore of Sunrise Pond. (Right now there's a blue-tarp-covered stack of firewood at the trailhead.) The trail climbs gently away from the pond, passing over a rocky spine. A few tenths of a mile from the visitor center, there's a fork. The right hand trail is the employee only trail that follows the shore of Midday Pond to the lodge. The left hand trail is the Peregrine Ridge Trail. It climbs up to the top of the cliffs behind the lodge.
From the trail's end, there's a spectacular view of the surrounding country. The three pond are lined up beneath you with Borestone's naked summit in the distance.