I could have asked someone for a track for the 1/2 mile whack between the Sugarloaf Golf Course and Caribou Valley (Pond)Road, but what fun would that be? I decided to experiment with Gaia public tracks to decipher the popular winter peak bagging route.
Gaia showed I would cut into the woods across from the 11th hole. Once in the woods, the routes split all over the place. I drew a rough outline of a plausible route.
Because winter peakbagging season is over, I did not expect any old tracks and I saw none. I strapped on the snowshoes and followed what felt like a cleared path. Pink flagging on the left, red paint on a tree after that, and then blue flagging to my left and right where the cleared path ended.
Turning left and following that blue flagging tape parallel to the stream turned out to be the Golden ticket. Not the plausible route, a branch-whacker of a choice, but the consistent flagging delivered me to Caribou Valley Road.
Caribou Valley Road is still a snowmobile trail, though I saw no snowmobiles. Bareboots on this scenic road, all the way to Caribou Pond….
Maine: The Way Life Turned Out 