Singepole Mountain
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Singepole Mountain is in Paris, Maine, near Streaked Mountain. The summit of Singepole has views of Mount Washington and the Mahoosucs. Accessed off Route 117 between South Paris and Buckfield. ~dtwitchell
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Hike Report
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About This Hike Report
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The following report was submitted by dtwitchell on Jun 21, 2007. If you have hiked Singepole Mountain, and would like to tell others about your trip, you can submit a hike report
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Hike Report
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I know, I've already done a hike report of Singepole, but it was during the winter, at night. Trust me - hiking it in the summer, during the day, is a very different experience!
This is my friend Carlos' last week in the US before heading back to Honduras, so I wanted to introduce him to a couple of our local mountains. We had only three hours, and we wanted to see if we could do both Singepole and Streaked. Working against us was the fact that this was my first hike of the summer, so I wasn't in the greatest shape for it!
The hike up Singepole is not all that exciting; it's more of a road than a trail, although it's a very BAD road! Better for ATVs than cars! And you don't really get any views at all until you get to the top.
Close to the top there is a quarry (and Carlos, who is quite fluent in English, hadn't heard this word, so I had to try to explain what a quarry is). Here's a definition:
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone. Quarries are usually shallower than other types of open-pit mines.
When we got to the quarry, we discussed whether we ought to go swimming in it. I thought the water was a bit too murky for that! But I did get a picture of Carlos standing next to it.
The views from Singepole's peak are nice, but nothing spectacular - you can see Norway and South Paris and some other towns/villages, plus some mountains in the distance.
We didn't spend much time at the peak, because we wanted to get to Streaked. So we went back down without stopping for a break at all.
Total time at Singepole: 1 hour.
From there we drove to the Streaked Mountain trailhead, and headed up. We agreed that if we weren't at the peak by 3:15, we were turning around and coming back, so Carlos could get home on time. But I was determined to make it, so I started out fast.
Big mistake.
When you hike Streaked, remember that once you start going uphill, the uphill never relents. So pace yourself. I've been told that professional climbers use Streaked as a "Practice Mountain". They come in the morning, and spend the entire day going up and down the mountain over and over again.
I wouldn't want to do it twice!
But it was a beautiful day - even nicer than the last time I hiked Streaked. The views were gorgeous, and you could layers and layers of mountains further and further into the distance, fading away into the skyline.
When we reached the top (Carlos arrived several minutes before me!) I paused for a moment on the rocks, and remembered that the last time I hiked this mountain, a boy named Tommy hiked with us, and sat on those very rocks and I took a picture of him...a boy who just a couple months later was killed in an ATV accident. A sad moment in a very nice day of hiking.
On the way down, we lost the trail for a few minutes (that's the second time I've done that on Streaked!) but we just zigzagged back and forth on our way down until we stumbled back onto the trail.
Total time at Streaked Mountain: 1 hour.
And I was only a few minutes late getting Carlos back home!
Either Singepole or Streaked would make a nice hike, and hiking them both was an interesting experience.
But if you're going to choose between the two, take Streaked. It's a little harder, but the views are much more rewarding!
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Trail Head
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Singepole: If you are coming to Singepole from the Norway, South Paris, Oxford Hills area, take route 117 toward Buckfield. Approximately 2.5 miles from Market Square (South Paris village) you will see a road to the right named "Brett Hill". This road is clearly marked with a street sign. Turn onto Brett Hill Road and follow the road until it makes a sharp right turn.
Do not turn right; instead continue straight onto the dirt road. This is the Durrell Hill Road, although it is unlabeled. Drive up this dirt road as long as you feel comfortable doing so; eventually the road ends and turns into the Singepole Mountain Road, which veers off to the left from Durrell Hill Road.
Streaked: Return to Route 117 from Singepole continue toward Buckfield until you reach the Streaked Mountain Road. It is the first right hand turn after the Applewood Heights Road. Follow the Streaked Mountain Road until you pass a cemetery on the left. Immediately following this cemetery there is a small field. You can park your car by the side of the road next to this field. At the opposite end of the field from the cemetery, you will see an unmarked trail leading into the woods. This is the trail to the peak of Streaked Mountain.
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Hike Statistics
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It took us about an hour to hike up and down Singepole, ten minutes to drive from the Singepole trailhead to the Streaked trailhead, then another hour to hike up and down Streaked. In all 2 1/4 hours.
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Difficulty
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Singepole is a very easy hike. Not very long, not very steep. Streaked is much harder. It is not a long trail, but it is much steeper. However, families with young children do this hike all the time.
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