Who's done the Hamlin/Katahdin loop?

[KPMMBM]

Wondering what it is comparable to in the Whites? (yes, I'm from maine and haven't been there yet )

 

[Tom Rankin]

Wondering what it is comparable to in the Whites? (yes, I'm from maine and haven't been there yet )

I guess it's roughly comparable to Adams and Madison.

There are of course several ways to do it. Even if you mean starting up Hamlin and then going over to Katahdin, there are 2 ways up Hamlin and at least 3 ways to descend Katahdin and still do a loop. Knife Edge, anyone?

No matter how you do it, there is a lot of above tree line travel.

Another major difference is the parking and the Rangers. You might have to get up VERY early to get in the park, and even then, the Rangers may determine that it is unsafe to ascend above tree line, as they did to me once.

I've been on the mountain 4 different days. All were a little different. I still have not hit all the trails. But I'm planning to go again!

 

[Rudolph]

One word, albeit overused - Awesome

Climbed K and H in mid-September several years ago in fairly windy conditions via the Knife Edge and looped around H and down to the parking lot. A long day but Pamola and the chasm between it and K were incredible. Several thru-hikers on top. Was wiped out at the parking lot afterwards due to three hour drive to the park and the realization that we had another three hour drive ahead of us. Comparable, I don't know? Adams and Jefferson, Adams and Madison, maybe. Just go and enjoy the above treel line walk and the top of New England

 

[MichaelJ]

If you:
Start at Roaring Brook Campground
Go up Hamlin Ridge Trail (highly recommended)
Over Hamlin Peak, across the Saddle and up to Baxter Peak
Double back and go down the Saddle Trail past Chimney Pond and down to Roaring Brook

I would roughly estimate the day on par with a loop of Adams, Madison, and Jefferson in terms of effort required. There's no equivalent in terms of view and experience. The place is just majestic.

Going up Helon Taylor, over the Knife Edge, over Baxter Peak, across to Hamlin Peak, and down Hamlin Ridge is not a lot of additional elevation, and only some additional mileage, but more physical & mental effort because of the caution and slow-going required on the Knife Edge.

Yes, Baxter State Park has a lot of rules about getting in, about taking reservations, about closing the trails in bad weather, etc… Just be familiar with them and it will generally all work out.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Here's a trip report from late September of last year.
A rugged, magnificent and visually spectacular route. Watch for those ornery loose boulders going down Hamlin, they bite hard.

 

[tomcat32]

I've done it twice. Once up Helon to Katahdin to Hamlin down Hamlin Ridge. The other time up Dudley. I think Helon is easier and quicker to treeline. Dudley is fairly steep but nice because you go into Chimney Pond area first and get that perspective looking up at Knife Edge. I have always done Pamola first as opposed to Hamlin just because it was nice weather and I wanted to ensure I was in nice weather on Knife Edge in case something blew in. The walk over Knife Edge is slow but not as scary as the books make it out to be. Take your time to take it in anyway. Baxter to Hamlin is not quite like anything in NH. It's relatively flat plateau walk. This is probably my favorite loop in the east since you are above treeline so long and so many views. Unlike NH, there is not really any civiliztion visible from above treeline. I think Hamlin and Helon are equally difficult to go up or down either. Expect 4000+ feet elevation gain from Roaring Brook to Katahdin. A lot of little up and down over Knife Edge. The drop between Baxter and Hamlin isn't too great (<1000ft). The climb is to elevation is similar to something in Northern Presis from RT 2 and like I said Knife Edge is slow.

 

[slevasse]

I did it a couple years ago, starting in Roaring Brook campground. I went up the Cathedral trail from Chimney Pond, headed over to Hamlin (in a cloud bank offering about 15 feet of visibility) and then backtracked to Katahdin and over the knife edge to Pamola. I really enjoyed the Cathedral trail for it's exposure and challenge. It reminded me of a harder Huntington Ravine trail with that type of scrambling over talus blocks. While I did have to backtrack once I hit Hamlin, the ridge trail to Katahdin was fairly easy and went by quickly.

 

[peakbagger]

Definitely a couple of definitions of this "loop".

From Roaring Brook its a very long day. Some hike up to Chimney Pond and then take Dudley up to Pamola, then Knifes edge to summit, then the traditional route over to Hamlin and down Hamlien Ridge trails to Chimney pond trail and out. To many folks this a 10 to 12 hour day, some more some less but many are still getting to the parking lot around dark. Dudley is hated by many, its spectacular like the rest of the loop but its bascially a boulder field. I am not familair with anywhere in the whites with such steep sustained bouldering. Personally if I do this loop, I take Helon Taylor trail in place of going to Chinmney and taking Dudley.

From Chimney Pond its a shorter loop but if you want the knifes edge you get to do Dudley (which I like). You can do a shorter loop by going up Cathedral to the summit and then back tracking a bit to head over to Hamlin. Using that route from Chimney Pond its a 6 to 7 hour loop and is quite doable on a good day. If its a nice day and you are on the summit you will kick yourself for not doing knifes edge.

One thing to keep in mind is the hike down Hamlin ridge is visually much better than the ascent where you are focused on whats ahead of you. Going down many sections are similiar to the Lafayette Lincoln travers with muhc better views ot both sides.

In general the absolutely "blow your socks off route" of up Helon Taylor, over the Knifes Edge up to the summit and down Hamlin from Roaring Brook is an incredible day, the best comparison for effort is Adams and Jefferson via the Airline to the Gulfside to Jefferson and down Caps Ridge but a lot less woods hiking as treeline is a lot lower. For overall view and terrain much of the hike is sort of like gulfside from Jefferson up over Clay and over to Washington.

Added logistic issues are water management and sun, There are only two springs on the route and they tend to be at then end of the day at Saddle and Hamlin, its easy to get dehydrated and plan on electrolytes of some sort. There is a whole lot of sun exposure and the usual constant breeze will lead to signficant sunburn unless you are diligent about sunblock.

 

[natron]

nothing in new england IMO even comes close..

my tr from last sept. http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?42100-9-13-11-Katahdin

talking to a ranger up there last year he compares the whites and katahdin to j.v. vs. varsity, I agree with that..

comparable.. maybe n.prezzis, such as, up great gulf to 6 husbands, over to jeff, adams, madison down osgood, which kind of reminds me of going down hamlin.. nothing compares to the knife edge, nothing!! have fun, can't wait for katahdin in the fall for me!

btw, we did the loop from, roaring brook-helon-knife-down hamlin-back to roaring brook =8hrs. of fun, but we jogged out the end..

 

[MadRiver]

Ditto what everyone else said. My last visit I went up Helon Taylor over the knife edge tagged Baxter Peak and was heading to Hamlin then eventually Howe, when I had to turn back because of an injury and headed down Saddle. However you do the loop, it is a fun day above treeline. I’m looking forward to our yearly visit come August.

P.S. To reiterate something that Raven said, I found the treadway from Baxter Peak to Hamlin a lot easier on the knees than any similar trek on the Presis.

 

[Raven]

Wondering what it is comparable to in the Whites? (yes, I'm from maine and haven't been there yet )

To reiterate a couple points made, I agree that once up it tends to be more plateau-like than anything in the Whites for much of the well-named "Tableland." Hiking this part is spectacular and a good treadway for the most part. Weather-permitting, this part is not difficult hiking. All the difficulty is in getting up there (and back down).

Also agree the routes up are roughly comparable in challenge to the harder routes up Adams or Jefferson, some are harder. The Hunt Trail fits this comparison well - expect scrambling in the upper half but on solid rock, the Abol Trail has a slide with loose scree for a good long while at a relatively steep ascent rate and the Cathedral Trail has a lot of scrambling over big jumbled boulders that was great but definitely slows the rate. Helon Taylor seemed easier walking for the most part on the lower section IIRC but I only did that trail once and none are easy. They are each spectacular - Hunt Trail is my personal favorite so far.

Expect a long day. I will also echo the water issue - I've been thirsty on a few of these routes.

In terms of comparison, it is unique and spectacular, and in that sense, similar to the Northern Pressies et. al.

Have a great hike!

 

[sierra]

my tr from last sept. http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?42100-9-13-11-Katahdin

talking to a ranger up there last year he compares the whites and katahdin to j.v. vs. varsity, I agree with that..

comparable.. maybe n.prezzis, such as, up great gulf to 6 husbands, over to jeff, adams, madison down osgood, which kind of reminds me of going down hamlin.. nothing compares to the knife edge, nothing!! have fun, can't wait for katahdin in the fall for me!

btw, we did the loop from, roaring brook-helon-knife-down hamlin-back to roaring brook =8hrs. of fun, but we jogged out the end..

J.V. verses Varsity huh, thats a joke and I would have told that ranger just that. The real difference, you can go to the Whites and enjoy the freedom of the hills, you go to katahdin you get hogtied and bound by all the rules and red tape, not to mention the parking and gate issues, oh, last but not least, very uptight rangers who think they are real cops. Ive climbed katahdin once and I wouldnt set foot in Baxter state park again if I knew is was going to be swollowed into the sea next month. But Im not bitter. Tried to solo the peak in the winter, dont even ask how hard that was, they would never let me in for that oh no, but Im not bitter.

 

[Mike P.]

Did it years ago, up Helon, across the KE and then over to Hamlin & down. I'd rather be tired going this way then the other, however, when you do it this way, you get to the top of Baxter peak about the same time as everyone else doing it as a day hike.

When we did it, so much trafffic at Baxter, we actually stopped about 150 yards beyond the summit. We did have Hamlin to ourselves though.

Northern Presi is a fair comparison for the trip to the top but as natron said, nothing in the east compares.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

I did the loop once with a couple of friends. Very true about having to get there early. We spent the night in a motel we were sitting second in line at the gate waiting for them to open in the morning. The plan was to go up Hamlin and over and down the knife's edge. However, once above the tree line we found everything thickly coated with rime ice. No problem until the knife's edge which without traction would have been very tedious so we back tracked a bit and went down saddle.

Despite the Fall chill, it was a beautiful day and a great hike.

 

[peakbagger]

Just in case folks dont know, you really need to book a day use parking reservations on popular weekends as Roaring Brook fills up quickly on nice days with Abol and Katahdin stream soon after. With a day use parking pass you can arrive at the gate at a somewhat more reasonable hour than you would if you wait in line with out one and hope for no shows.

The Togue Pond gate usually does vary its opening times in the summer. They try to line it up so that when you arrrive at Roaring Brook its just about sunrise or a few minutes early. It has been open as early at 5AM some years but its worth checking. If you get there in the dark and use headlamps you can sometimes get some incredible "light" with the sun skimming the horizon and lighting up the mountain.

 

[TEO]

If you:
Start at Roaring Brook Campground
Go up Hamlin Ridge Trail (highly recommended)
Over Hamlin Peak, across the Saddle and up to Baxter Peak
Double back and go down the Saddle Trail past Chimney Pond and down to Roaring Brook

I would roughly estimate the day on par with a loop of Adams, Madison, and Jefferson in terms of effort required. There's no equivalent in terms of view and experience. The place is just majestic.

This is what I did a couple of summers ago and it was an awesome day in every aspect. I started at 7:30 AM, and finished in the mid-late afternoon, IIRC. My recollection was that it was a big day, but not huge. In terms of scenery and terrain, there is nothing like it in the northeastern U.S.

 

[Stan]

As you can see, there are several permutations of loop routes, all of which allow you to claim bragging rights for a long tough day. In my mind it is a waste of the trip to rush through it ... Katahdin should be savored for all its glory, history and rugged beauty. It is probably the only mountain east of the Mississippi River which most closely resembles a Rocky Mountain experience and the demanding entry is worth it. The Park represents a sensible controlled blend of wilderness and human accommodation. I recommend enjoying it to the fullest and staying inside the park ... cabin, bunkhouse, leanto or tentsite ... at least a few days to fully absorb the ambience, assure access and maintain flexibility for the vagaries of the weather.

We've hiked Katahdin three times: 1) a through hike from Roaring Brook up to Hamlin and down the Hunt Trail (we bypassed Baxter Peak to hasten a descent against an approaching summer storm), 2) a day hike from Chimney Pond which included my father, in his 70's at the time, and 3) a Knife Edge loop with one night at Chimney Pond in a group I organized. Oh! to relive any of these hikes ... such is the allure of Katahdin.

Katahdin is best sipped, not chugged, so plan it well and you'll enjoy it long after the event.

 

[MadRiver]

A personal note about Baxter if you please. This August will be my 7th trip to Baxter State Park. Each year a group of 20 to 30 of us rent out an entire campsite for a week so as not to interfere with other’s wilderness experiences. I have yet to encounter any Draconian Regulations that have left a bad taste in my mouth. Each ranger I have met, whether in camp, on the trail, or up top have always been courteous and professional. In fact, I only remember one bad experience and I caulk that up to the ranger being a Dick, and not some systemic attitude of rangers by in large.

Now I wasn’t present when others had problems so I cannot comment on whether or not they are blowing things out of proportion or not. If you hike exclusively in the Whites with its Live Free or Die attitude, then go to Baxter that actually has regulations to keep the troglodytes in check, it might seem a tad Draconian. Either way, I am looking forward to my August trip to Baxter!

 

[Tim Seaver]

I have had mixed experiences over the last 20 years at Baxter with the rangers, everything from great helpful advice from the best, to the worst of them just making up their own regulations out of thin air. The worst example was when I arrived late in the afternoon at Turner Pond doing some freelance photography. The ranger saw my tripod and other photo gear and actually tried to tell me that it was illegal for me to take images without a license, purely on the premise that I was a professional and was therefore engaging in "commercial" use of the park. I politely pointed out that what I was doing, which was freelancing with only potential client use is not commercial use and insisted that unless he can produce some paperwork that shows these "rules" that I would proceed with my hike. Like any profession involving a funny hat and tiny bit of power, you'll have a sprinkling of authoritarian types just dying to get in on telling people what they can and can't do, even if they just have to make it up on the fly. Fortunately most of the rangers are quite helpful, if a bit more invasive feeling to people who hike regularly elsewhere in the NE.

 

[MichaelJ]

The actual rules for a special permit definitely do not include what you were carrying:

Uses equipment in addition to a video/still camera and regular tripod, including artificial lighting, generators, camera/microphone booms, cords, speakers or any other equipment not normally used by the visiting public.

They do throw in the line:

Requires access to closed areas, hiking to sites before sunrise/ after sunset, staff logistical assistance or other operational exceptions.

but seeing as there are no published rules about hiking in general before sunrise / after sunset there's definitely plenty of leeway here for freelance photography.

On an interesting note, for those who've followed stories about Baxter for a few years, hang gliders and parasailers are now officially forbidden in the park.