Hike Report – Peary MT – 15 August Allen Crabtree Memorial Hike
Thirty-seven Denmark Mountain Hikers gathered at the trailhead for Peary Mountain to hike in honor of our recently deceased leader of fourteen years, Allen Crabtree. Peary Mountain was the first hike taken by the Denmark Mountain Hikers in the winter of 2010, so it was fitting that we escorted Allen’s ashes up the same mountain for his last hike. It was a gorgeous day with the temperatures in the high 70’s, low 80’s with fairly low humidity which made it a beautiful setting for the hike. Peary Mountain is privately owned, with the owners graciously maintaining a trail for local hikers. It is also the trail that we hike every year at the end of December to celebrate the coming of each new year. Among the hikers were Allen’s son, Jim Crabtree and his grandchildren, Abby and Ian. We gathered for our trailhead picture at 9:15 am and headed up the trail. The trail is a little over a mile long with a steady, but moderate slope. At the beginning it travels through an area that has been recently logged, but then transitions into a shady path that is fairly wide as it is a snowmobile trail in the winter. After going through a grassy area at about .8 of a mile the trail takes a sharp left turn in a saddle and continues to rise gradually for a short distance. Peary has two “summits.” We usually head for the open ledge on the western end of the mountain as it has great views to the north and west, can accommodate a large group and has a stone bench that serves as a serving table for the goodies that we bring. There is a short trail to the true summit to the east that has a somewhat less spectacular view toward the southeast. After the left turn we shortly passed a trail on the right that ascends directly over the steep, bare rock of the ridge. However, we usually skip that trail as the footing can be difficult ascending and descending. A little further on we took another trail to the right that rises sharply into a saddle and then to the ledge view. While this short section is steep, there are rocks and roots underfoot that give footholds that make the both the ascent and descent a little more manageable. We were all at the top by 10:15 am after a hike of a little over a mile with 600’ of elevation gain.
The goodies came out of our packs and the socializing began. Jim Crabtree brought a beautiful wooden urn which was made by a craftsman who knew Allen and contained his father’s ashes. John Patrick then led a memorial where we shared our stories of Allen’s effect on our lives as a friend and leader.
Susan Gasset shared two poems appropriate for the occasion. We had a toast to Allen’s memory and ended up with three hearty cheers to his life among us. Around 11:00 am we started to slowly begin our hike down cherishing our fortune to have known such a wonderful friend and fellow hiker. We hope to continue on as a club, building on the foundation left by Allen that has left us a group that has given all of us so much pleasure.
