August 18, 2021
By Tomas Dundzila, Sierra Club Maine Outings Leader
On August 11th, five Sierra Club Maine members hiked the Brook trail up to Tumbledown Pond in Franklin County, Maine. In spite of the humid, overcast conditions, the ascent was worth the effort to reach the Pond.
The first part of the hike was a very gentle rise from the trailhead through a Northern Hardwoods forest with American beech, sugar maple, yellow birch, and paper birch. White ash trees also grow here, but their days may be numbered. Ash trees are sacred to Maine's Indigenous people. The wood is also valuable in making baseball bats, tool handles, furniture, and flooring. Unfortunately, ash trees are threatened by the emerald ash borer, and in the past few years the invasive insect has been reported in Maine.
After easily crossing Tumbledown Creek, thanks to the recently completed trail maintenance work, we began a steeper ascent through red spruce, yellow birch, red maple, striped maple, and small balsam fir mixed together onto a Spruce–Northern Hardwoods Forest. Room-sized boulders started dotting the landscape. The rounded boulders and sharper edged rocks higher up the trail were the result of the glaciers that covered the area 20,000 years ago. As the glaciers advanced, they plucked blocks from mountain bedrock and sent the dislodged rocks tumbling down. Several times we climbed over a jumble of huge "children's building blocks," and scrambled up a small cliff to reach the plateau next to the pond.
Just as we arrived at Tumbledown Pond, a light drizzle began to fall. We put on rain jackets and ate our lunches as we peered into the cloud that prevented us from seeing the far side of the pond. About 15 minutes after our arrival the rain stopped and the cloud lifted slightly to reveal an island about 100 yards from shore, but we still could not see the other side of the pond. Soon it was time to begin our safe descent down the same trail. It was a wonderful outing during which we enjoyed each other's company and conversation. We hope to see you on the next one!