By Marty Basch

Pleasant Mountain was the destination,  a 4-mile long mountain that runs through  western Maine towns like Denmark and Bridgton. Pleasant Mountain is known in the skiing and snowboarding world as the home of Shawnee Peak. Even though the slopes share the same mountain with the hiking trails, it's possible to visit Pleasant Mountain and be unaware of  the ski area.

The mountain is home to many structures. At the top of its 2,006 foot summit stands an unmanned Maine Forest Service fire tower. There was a time the mountain housed an old hotel.

Five ways to go

There are five ways to get to Pleasant's main peak. The Firewarden's Trail seems to be the way most traveled, a 5-mile roundtrip to the world above Oxford County. The Ledges Trail is the pathway from the west while the Bald Peak Trail is the traveler's way up the east. The North Ridge Trail begins at the ski area while the MacKay Pasture Trail  begins on a Denmark Road trailhead.

An old woods road is the initial passageway on the MacKay Pasture Trail  The trail bends under the pines before jutting out into the open, the appeal of this nearly 6-mile roundtrip excursion. Open ledges and varied cairns are the indicators that the hiker is on the path well taken. Hikers can look out upon Beaver Pond and back at Long Pond. Moose Pond can be spotted too.

As the trail follows the southwest ridge, it comes upon a teepee. Children can easily fit inside the weather-beaten house of old, but those whose frames are longer may only be able to fit bits and pieces of body at a time inside. Laying on one's back, with legs and feet outside, it's possible to gaze up between the branches up at the blue sky. From the ledges, look around at mountains in New Hampshire like Kearsarge with its fire tower and the Moats.

After the ledges, the trail returns to the woods and descends along a narrow way into a col.

At the summit

A quick jaunt up leads to the wide open summit. The fire tower was boarded up, a couple of sheds not too far away. A family of four were up top snacking away, their two labs enjoying the summit sunshine with a soothing breeze blowing.

Be sure to leave time for blueberry hunting in season. Those ledges can have lots on that pleasant mountain.

One Tank Away

Denmark is:

*17 miles from Sweden, Me.

*329 miles from New Sweden, Me.

*26 miles from Norway, Me.