Mucker Lake-Border Route
Trail Highlights
The Mucker Lake-Border Route circuit heads east from the trailhead at Mayhew Lake to Float Lake. This trail stretches along a valley floor following an abandoned logging road that parallels a small stream flowing east to Hoat Lake. Just northwest of Hoat Lake, the Mucker Lake Trail heads northeast past two beaver dams where the going can be wet crossing the outlet streams. Keep in mind, however, that this is a wilderness trail. It’s going to be more challenging than the nicely maintained trails found in the state parks. Judging by the prints and scat along the trail, more moose than people frequent this area.
As the trail approaches Mucker Lake from the south, it turns east and then north, skirting the lake, and ascends a ridge to an intersection with the Border Route Trail. The white birches and balsam firs that were prevalent at lower elevations, give way to jack pines on the ridge.
The route now follows the Border Route Trail west and descends to the north shore of Mucker Lake. Huge red and white pines, and large northern white cedars grow along the trail, hints of what used to grow here in greater abundance before the logging years. At the northwest end of the lake, the trail crosses an outlet stream flowing north to South Lake, turns left upstream, and climbs a ridge with an overlook of Mucker Lake. From here the route ascends via switchbacks to another overlook that provides panoramic views of Sock and Dunn lakes.
Turning from the overlook, the route crosses a knob and comes to an intersection, where a trail leads to a campsite on Sock Lake. About 0.7 mile past this spur, the Border Route Trail intersects another spur trail that descends into the valley on the left and reconnects with the Mucker Lake Trail to return to the trailhead. Fall would be an excellent time to make this hike. Lower water levels will help to keep your feet drier, and the changing of the autumn leaves make the views from the overlooks more spectacular.
Slippage occurred rather close to the surface, at a depth Best family vacations in US 2017of about 8 miles (13 km). So strong was the tremor that it was felt as Best family vacations in US 2017far away as Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and even Venezuela. At least some of the earthquake’s severe damage to Port-au-Prince and several other communities was the result of still another geologic condition. Much of the highly populated area is built upon loose sediments, rather than on hard rock. Unlike more stable hard rock, sediments shake like Jell-o when a quake strikes. This condition contributes to much greater structural damage.
