Moxie, Little Spencer, Big Spencer, and Baker: July 19th-July 21st, 2023

Moxie Mountain, July 19th

Moxie turned out to have one of the best summits I've ever done - absolutely fantastic views of the Maine High Peaks and multiple viewpoints along the ridge.You'll definitely need a GPS to get to the trailhead because it's not marked and easy to miss driving by. The trail starts as an old roadbed and then ascends the ridge as a proper hiking trail which is poorly maintained at times but with a clear corridor. The summit view is well worth the effort - do this one on a good day

Little Spencer Mountain, July 20th

Little Spencer has the distinction of somehow ending up one of the most difficult/semi-technical summits I've done without me realizing it until the morning of. On the Ram Trail, you gain 1800ft in a mile, and with the first tiny section being gradual, that leaves you with some consistent scrambling up pretty much the entire mountain. There's a gully at around 2200ft with a handline system donated to the mountain. If you don't want to use the handline, I would highly recommend bringing your own rope. I was comfortable using the handline on the ascent and descent, but in retrospect I wish I had taken my climbing helmet and some form of gloves for the handline - a harness would have been a little overkill but if you want to clip into the loops on the handline, that could be viable. Regardless, once you get to the summit you're greeted with fantastic views of Big Moose Lake and Big Spencer, this mountain is tough but well worth the effort!

Sorry to anyone hoping to bushwhack to avoid the handline - it doesn't look like you'll find a better path!

Big Spencer Mountain, July 20th

In comparison to its neighbor, Big Spencer was still pretty steep, but not semi-technical in the same way Little Spencer was. Getting from one trailhead to another took an hour of driving and a couple dead ends along the logging roads up there. But the hike was a gradual incline until you hit a gorgeous bench view, and then it get steep. There is a mini-handline or two, but they're just not necessary the same way they were on Little Spencer. some development on the summit but fantastic views of Katahdin and the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Great Hike

View of the Spencers after driving a dead end to get from one trailhead to the other

Baker Mountain, July 21st

For Baker I hiked up the Number Four Trail and onwards along the recently-constructed AMC trail to the summit. That trail was very delightful, with good tread and a clear corridor, but the tread itself was all grass and ferns because I don't think this trail gets that much traffic - I definitely got the vibe this trail was on the borderline of what was acceptable to leave as a bushwhack vs worth it to construct a trail out of. Oh well, Number Four has great views, and while you get to peek through the trees a time or two on the rest of the hike, it's not the same. The summit of Baker is wooded and so are the two subpeaks you do between Number Four and Baker. Overall a rather nice hike!