Katahdin via Hunt Trail - March 2011

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arm

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spent a few days in Baxter State Park last weekend ... fun way to wrap up Winter

Spencer invited friends to join him on his quest to complete his Klondike Grid, after our original BSP ski traverse plans weren't gathering much steam

we planned to hike up from Katahdin Stream Campground then bushwhack to the base of the Klondike and climb gullies in Witherle Ravine

map_ME_BSP_Witherle-Ravine_2011_.jpg


Frodo, Giggy and Nate were on our original team, but couldn't make it ... we tried to keep group size small to avoid crushing anyone's Wilderness experience

Stevo and i carpooled up saturday and met Spencer and Brett at Abol Bridge, then skied in to Katahdin Stream Campground, our home sweet home for three days, camping out in lean-to sites ... BSP Tote Road had decent snow cover, cold temps induced crisp quick skiing conditions

GO could only swing two days, so rode his snowmobile in to basecamp

Stevo shoveled out a basecamp area fit for kings ... shortly after setting up basecamp we spotted a polar bear, our basecamp mascot

stoked a campfire, then Spencer had dinner ready in a jiffy

the superest Full Moon since 1993 rose over Katahdin ... we were about 14% sure that it seemed superer than usual

the next morning we started up Hunt Trail, snowshoeing on top of hard crisp snow ... perfect conditions for bushwhacking ... things were looking good as we crossed the bridge near Owl Trail and hiked up past Katahdin Stream Falls ...

we started our bushwhack about a half mile beyond the bridge, entering open woods a few hundred yards up the south bank of Katahdin Stream, rarely breaking through the hard snowy crust

after a half mile of bushwhacking, we decided that we'd opt for Plan B, hiking up Hunt Trail ... team vote, not sure if we'd end up climbing gullies after dark ... GO decided to head out due to an aching knee, hoping to avoid polar bear collisions on his snowmobile later on

we made it back to Hunt Trail, stashed some climbing gear, then hiked up trail

we swapped to crampons when we reached treeline ... the iron rung areas had some steep icy patches but were easy to negotiate

Brett started ahead across Katahdin's Tableland before we topped out on Hunt Trail, but turned back before reaching summit ... he might have been sketched out about chances of running into polar bears solo ?

Spencer, Stevo and i walked across Tableland to Baxter Peak on a perfect Winter day ... clear views, not much wind, 20F temps kept snow from getting soft ... there's more ice on Katahdin than we've seen in past Winters ... rime ice sculptures were beautiful

easy hike back down Hunt Trail to basecamp, where Brett had a campfire stoked ... the polar bear and super Full Moon made another appearance

cold nights led to hard quick skiing conditions on BSP Tote Roads on our way out monday ... Stevo and i sledded down steeper road sections on our pulks

when you see Katahdin's massif from new directions you realize how many endless gullies, crags, aretes and features it has ... especially in Winter, when snow fills in the cracks ... you could climb there for years without scratching the surface

Baxter is amazing place in Winter ... nothing like it east of the Rockies :)

looking forward to the next trip already !

posted a few pics
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/579851766wXDVer?start=60
http://www.youtube.com/user/armmon
 
I meet you on my way out on the tote road. Before you I see
one guy in snowmobile and a sleed and I was wondering if
the ranger had start to offer a new transportation of gear
into the park. Now I understand what it was.

Good to see that you had lots of fun in BSP.
 
Nice video, Uncle Arm! Is this the start of a new film, "The Man With One Red Snowshoe"?

Looks like a beauty of a weekend!
I desperately want to go back to Baxter in winter!:D
 
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Klondike grid is a noble quest. Must've sucked settling for a clear low wind day on Katahdin.
 
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