Elliotsville Plt. Excursion: Barren Mountain Overnight (Brrr!)

Having spotted evidence of a tower on the summit of Barren Mountain, my interest was piqued.  After my walk out to Little Wilson Falls Gorge, I was ready for another hike.  I had planned (barely) for an overnight somewhere out in this area.  I wanted to test out more thoroughly my new overnight pack I purchased from REI along my Road Trip this spring.  Without any definite plans, headed toward Barren since I knew I could at least climb Barren that afternoon/evening, and maybe go further if I was interested.

I returned to the Borestone trailhead, and continuing past that on Mountain Road (which turns dirt after the parking area), I ended up in a field, pictured below.

Barren Mountain from a field

Looking at the map below, you continue through the field, through a gate (which was open) and over a bridge.  From there, drive 0.5 miles and you'll see a gravel road to the left.  This will lead to a parking area after an additional 0.7 miles.  You can't really drive much farther anyway, so this is where I parked.

Access map

From the parking area, I packed my stuff, and prepared myself for a heavier pack than I normally carry.  I may be good at day-hiking, but within minutes, I realized that I am not at all used to carrying around overnight gear with me.  The panting began.

The trail begins as an access trail for the AT, roughly three tenths of a mile long.  It is quite wet this time of year.  I tried and failed to keep my feet dry.  The trail dries up with elevation gain, and there is a pink flag where the trail joins the AT.  (This is especially helpful when returning back to the access trail.)

From here, the trail ascends steeply.  After about 1.6 miles, there's a small spur trail to the Barren Slide, which was prominent in the photo from the field.  I had beautiful evening lighting, looking off to the mountains to the west.

Walking down a bit onto the boulders that make up the top of the slide, you are reminded of all the shale in this area.  Sharp edges are everywhere, since shale is constructed in planes and will often break along those planes.

Here is Borestone and Lake Onawa from the Barren Slide:

After this overlook, the trail is mostly flat, and makes for some easy going.  It's about the same distance from the parking area to the slide as it is from the slide to the summit.  The last portion of the trail prior to the summit is unexpectedly steep, though nice rock steps are in place to make it a bit easier.  I did see one patch of ice about one foot square, so this is evidence that winter had dipped its toes around this area already.

I spotted a glimpse of the old fire tower through the trees, and I knew I was just about there.  I was hoping to catch a sunset from the top of the mountain, and the way things were going, I was going to be just in time for it.

Looking to the north, the Second Narrows is visible in the valley, and various mountains past that, including West Peak, Big and Little Spruce Mountain, and White Cap Mountain if I'm not mistaken.

Using the tower as my tripod (I sure am resourceful), I got to photograph one beautiful sunset from a mountaintop.  I have never done this before because I usually try to be off the mountains before sundown.  But with overnight gear at my disposal, this was now an opportunity for me!  I decided to camp up at the top since that was convenient, and I was a bit wiped from carrying more than I'm used to.

Sunset from Barren Mountain

I had a hot dinner with my $7 stove from Amazon (yay bargains!) consisting of instant potatoes and ham.  Oh, and chocolate.  Lots of chocolate.  There is just barely enough room for a one-person tent up there just beside the old roof to the cabin that used to sit on the tower.  And mister smarts here accidentally put the head end of the tent downhill.

Despite all complications, I was able to stay warm with fuzzy socks, hats, mittens, and a 20° sleeping bag.  Except for my nose.  The moon gave off some light through the early part of the night, but I was awoken by pattering on the tent around 11pm.  Here was that forecasted rain...

I didn't sleep great that night, mostly because of waking up so much.  But I got many more hours than usual, so if that counts, I count it.  The wind was very blowy in the morning, and I was not looking forward to packing up in such wind, so I applied all layers in inventory, and made a break for the outdoors.  I skipped official breakfast due to wind (not good stove conditions) and ate chocolate and saved the gritty stuff for later on.

For some reason, I missed the sign for Barren Ledges on the way up, but I saw it on the way down, and it was pretty cool.  The clouds were high enough to have Borestone visible to the south.

The rain had stopped for the most part while I was hiking down, despite the forecast saying it was supposed to rain most of the day.  I got some sprinkles toward the bottom, but I was plenty warm by that time, so no worries of hypothermia.

Borestone from Barren Ledges

The trees in the fall colors under diffuse overcast light made for an interesting hike down.  It seemed as though the trees made the forest brighter...an odd concept at best.

Going down is really nice, but going down slowly is even better.  With an early start, I got down with plenty of day to start.  Below is the Google Earth track and elevation profile.

Hike Data
Miles hiked: 7.0
Time elapsed: 3.4 hours
Total ascent: 2430'

On my way south, I stopped at a neat bridge I had seen on the way up, but I was slightly rushed for time because of a late start.  I always like a cool bridge.

A cool bridge between Elliotsville Plt. and Willimantic

Stay tuned for the last part of the Elliotsville Excursion!