Best of the Appalachian Trail day hikes

Pleasant Pond Mountain strenuous 3.2 miles round-trip, 2 hours The climb to the top of Pleasant Pond Mountain gets a strenuous rating because you will rise more than 1,100 feet in only 1.3 miles. Yet what a reward you reap for this effort! Once on top, which is above-tree line, you can wander about the broad plateau, walking across large slabs of slate, marveling at the 360-degree vista. Look northward and you will see Big Squaw Mountain, the Barren-Chairback Range, Whitecap Mountain, and on very clear days if you have very sharp eyes, you can make out the summit of Katahdin, more than 140 trail miles away. To the east is Moxie Bald Mountain, and to the west are Sugarloaf, Bigelow, and Pierce Pond Mountains. Beyond Pleasant Pond and Moxie Mountain to the south are the flatter lands of Maine receding toward the coast. There is also the added attraction of being able to take a swim in Pleasant Pond near the beginning and end of the hike. The Hike Follow the A.T. northward, coming to Pleasant Pond Lean-to in 0.3 mile. If you want to take a swim, you can follow the side trail at 0.5 mile, which goes to the right about 300 yards to a sandy beach along the shore of Pleasant Pond. Beyond this point, the hike becomes a steep ascent, first passing through a mixed forest, then one of evergreens, before climbing above-tree line to obtain the open summit at 1.6 miles. You might find remnants of an old fire tower as you walk, but also be looking for the geological history of the mountain etched into the rock. The slate beneath your feet gained its smooth surface as the glacier from the last Ice Age slid across it 25,000 to 14,000 years ago. The small grooves and notches are where rocks and other debris were ground across the slate as the glacier advanced and then receded. Return the way you came, possibly stopping for a swim to cool off and clean away any trail grime. Trailhead Directions From the town of Caratunk, follow Pleasant Pond Road for 3.2 miles and bear left onto a roadway that soon becomes gravel. Come to another intersection about 1.5 miles later, continue straight, and leave you car in the parking area near the north end of Pleasant Pond. Excerpted from Best of the Appalachian Trail: Day Hikes by Leonard M. Adkins, Frank Logue, Victoria Logue All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.