Dorr Mountain

Morning Impression on the Way to the Summit of Dorr Mountain:

- Apparently I began my hike at “frog o’clock,” because the green frogs were plucking away at their banjos to a degree that was frankly ridiculous;

- It was dry and sunny out when I started the hike, but once I got under the tree canopy the trail was damp and slick. As the wind blew across the tree tops water would come spattering down like rain;

- Along the base of the mountain the forest was deciduous, mostly beech and red oak. Warblers seemed to like it. I had a nice look at a black and white and watched some noisy robin fledglings being fed on the ground by their parents;

- Heading up the mountain everything quickly changed as the ground became rocky and covered with pine needles. The general scheme was wintergreen, low bush blueberry, huckleberry, oak, and pitch pine;

- I haven’t passed many people, but all of them have been running and appear very fit. On the outside I appear friendly. On the inside I’m filled with hate. Not at them of course, but me and my sore legs and heaving lungs;

- Sheep laurel blooming. Vultures overhead, some quite close;

- Approaching the summit it gets very quiet. A fly buzzing past sounds loud, and I can distinctly hear voices from the summit of Cadillac Mountain across the way. All those people have probably driven cars to get there, and I gaze at their little ant-like figures in the distance with pity, even though I've done that myself many times;

- Cresting the summit I encounter a steady wind bringing cool ocean air up with it from the north, so different from the dry stillness of the hike I’ve taken so far. It feels like a little reward for putting in the effort.

Now there are choices to make. I’m in no hurry, but am almost out of water. Can you guess which way will I choose? Click on the extra to find out!

West - I could head down into meltwater channel between the two mountains formed by the retreating glaciers thousands of years ago. The way down would be steep, but the A. Murray Young Path will be shady. It’s not the shortest way, but it tends to be less travelled;

North - I could walk straight into that cool breeze and take the long, sloping North Face trail back down the mountain. It will certainly make the hike longer, but there is something satisfying about hiking a mountain "from stem to stern." I’d also pass the nature center and have access to water and a bathroom on the way back;

East - The Schiff Path would be the most direct route, and the trail would actually split into three separate  paths down the mountain. The shortest would also be the steepest, and I have no desire to go down that. Another option would take me directly to the nature center, with great views looking out towards Frenchman’s Bay;

South - Nothing wrong with turning around and heading back the way you came. Sometimes you notice new things when you’re facing the other way. I had my back to some nice views on the way up the South Face Trail and would get to enjoy them more walking in the other direction.

Hmmm. Decisions, decisions…