Katahdin: Baxter Peak - 6/22/08

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the_swede

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So I finally climbed Katahdin this weekend. My friend and I decided to do it on a whim, leaving just two days for preparation. I'm surprised my '93 Honda Accord made the 1,100 mile round trip.

We camped out at Katahdin Stream Campground on Saturday night and woke up around 5:30 AM on Sunday. By 7:00, we were ready to climb Katahdin. The hike started out real easy, with some nice views North and West. The Owl is a stunning geological mass. Don't even get me started with Doubletop. That mountain looks like it should be out West. Its South slope looks ridiculously steep.

The Gateway was steeper and more exposed than I imagined it would be. I think that climbing up it was worse than coming down. It was definitely a relief to reach the Table Land. From there, it was a breeze to the summit. Jason and I ate lunch at the top of Baxter Peak and then I did a scramble over to the South Peak of Baxter. By then, the clouds rolled in and the rain was approaching.

It was a bit nerve-wracking coming down the Gateway. Though much easier to descend, I was worried that we would get caught in a torrential downpour. Luckily, we just reached treeline when the rain started. The hike down was nice and the cool rain was relieving. At the falls, I took off my boots and soaked my feet in the cold mountain stream.

Pics: http://flickr.com/photos/t3h_sw3d3/sets/72157605776493847/detail/
 
ferrisjrf said:
Nice pics Eric. Sounds like you guys had a great time. Glad the car made the trip, too. Did you have to take out a loan to pay for gas? :D

Jason

Thanks, Jason. It definitely was a blast. It's been a year since the last time I was in the Appalachians of New England and since I've been above 5,000 feet.

Gas was seriously expensive for this trip. Next time around, I ought to stay a bit longer to make up for the cost of fuel.
 
That's what I did this past winter before my climb to Baxter peak, spent a week moseying in the park, including hiking up Sentinel from Abol Bridge and then just wandering around on one of the days where it was warm but rainy... Never saw another hiker, a couple of snowmachiners. Awfully quiet up there midweek, midwinter, midpark!

jay
 
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