BWell Beat: Tumbledown aptly named

6 mins read


“Just when I think I can’t climb another boulder or side step another tree root, there was Tumbledown Pond (which isn’t actually a pond, it’s a tarn – thank you very much Maine Trail Finder). We had made it! Well, almost… ” 

Now that I’m practically a professional mountain climber after conquering Mt. Blue, I thought Labor Day would be a good time to tackle Mountain No. 2: Tumbledown. The Boyfriend and I set off once again for Weld armed with water and granola bars, and brimming with self-confidence.


Lorri Brown

We arrived at the trailhead mid-afternoon and decided to take the Brook Trail because, according to Maine Trail Finder, it was the shortest (okay, and the easiest) route up the mountain. I was feeling pretty cocky as we walked the trail for the first half hour or so. It was a wide, clearly marked path meandering gently through the woods- not like the Mt. Blue trail that jetted up angrily right from the get-go. The weather was perfect, the birds were singing, a stream hidden the woods babbled contentedly to itself. And I thought, with a satisfied sigh, this is going to be a cakewalk.

And then, with no warning, the trail turned mean. All of the sudden the gently sloping footpath was blocked by clusters of moss covered rocks. I stopped, totally confused, looking for the spray painted marker sign. High up on a bolder I spotted a smudge of baby blue. Oh, I see, all these rocks are part of the trail. Okay, no biggie, I am an experienced mountain climber. As we hoisted ourselves up the trail, it became painfully clear why the mountain is called Tumbledown. The trail was now just an amalgamation of rocks in all shapes and sizes, thoughtlessly heaped one on top of the other. To me it didn’t appear as if the rocks and boulders simply tumbled down the mountain side- small children and puppies tumble- it was more like someone hurled these rocks off the summit, in attempt to keep us from reaching the top. I felt like we traversing through the remnants of some long forgotten battle between the earth and sky.

But now that I am practically famous for my prior mountain expeditions, I knew I must persevere and finish the hike! After all, Sir Edmund Hillary didn’t stop halfway up Everest and say to his Sherpa, “C’mon Tenzing, let’s go back to base camp.”

Onward and upward!

Fast forward approximately one hour. Sweaty, tired, and extremely ugly with myself for suggesting the hike in the first place, I wanted to tell The Boyfriend “screw this, let’s go home.” But those tricky mountains! Just when I think I can’t climb another boulder or side step another tree root, there was Tumbledown Pond (which isn’t actually a pond, it’s a tarn- thank you very much Maine Trail Finder). We had made it! Well, almost. The summit of Tumbledown hovered nearby, looking far less imposing than I had imagined.

We climbed a little further to get a good view of the valley below. After a rest and snack we continued up more rocks to the summit. And all the frustrations with boulders, tree roots and my hair-brained ideas of communing with nature melted away in the rushing wind and silence that you only hear on the tops of mountains. Whereas the Mt. Blue hike had been an overcast day, the view from Tumbledown was breathtaking in its clarity. The sky looked like it had been painted by Dali. I could see ridge after ridge of mountains and hills merging into the horizon. I studied the backwards profile of Mt. Blue to the east, and marveled at the distance between us.

After a longer rest at the summit, we began the arduous task of climbing down the trail. Whereas gravity pulls at your heels determined to hinder you as you climb up the mountain, it pushes and nudges relentlessly on the way down, eager see you fall on your face if you aren’t careful. Therefore, as you make your decent, it’s a good idea to go slow, because there are lots of crevices among the rocks that are a sprained ankle waiting to happen.

It took us four hours total to hike up the Brook Trail and back. According to our GPS, we had two full hours of walking and two hours of resting. The sun was just setting behind the tree line when we climbed into the car. So a word to the wise- if you are thinking of hiking this autumn, leave yourself ample time, so that you don’t get stuck in the dark.

Ready for your own backyard adventure? Find a trail near you at www.MaineTrailFinder.com

For more information about trails in your area, visit www.mainetrailfinder.com. If you would like to volunteer for Mapping Our Footsteps please contact Program Coordinator Lorri Brown at 779-2929 or ljbrown@fchn.org

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1 Comment

  1. I don’t know if that is Lorri’s photo or not, but it’s a very good photo. Glad you made it, Lorri!

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