Cathedral Trail on Katahdin Question

Hi All,

I was hoping for some help from those on this board who have done the Cathedral Trail on Katahdin.

I was hoping to climb that trail later this summer, but my friend who I am going with has a bit of a fear of heights, more specifically with things with great sense of exposure and not so much with general steepness or having to scramble so long as it doesn't feel like you would fall a big distance. (Hence, I think we should skip the Knife's Edge)

So, how bad is the sense of exposure on the Cathedral trail? Also, is it blocked out into smaller sections of boulders/ shelves or is it more slabs?

While we are at it, I noticed that summitpost rates it as a class 3/4. 4!
Is it really that technical? Is it well blazed, or do often do your own routefinding? I am assuming the Roach definitions in Colorado Fourteeners From Hikes to Climbs....Class 3 is the " easiest climbing category ....'Scrambling'...you are beginning to look for and use handholds for upward movement. Many people feel the need to face in while downclimbing class 3" whereas Class 4 is"in the realm of technical climbing. You are not just using handholds; you have to search for, select and test them....many people prefer to rappel down a serious class 4 pitch rather than downclimb it."

I searched the index on Views, but nothing quite answered my question, and the Maine AMC guide is soo vague as always.

Thanks in advance!

It's been 10 years since I've done this trail, but as I recall, it is some serious rock scrambling and I remember more than a few spots requiring careful consideration before committing. It was a beatiful, rugged, wild route and I will definitely do it again given the chance, but there are short tricky scrambles where that sense of exposure/falling may be an issue at least for short distances. It was one of the harder routes up as far as I was concerned.

Someone who has been there more recently could maybe speak to the feeling of exposure near the top of the trail - I recall feeling exposed at the top of most trails on Katahdin though.

Abol Slide and the Hunt Trail (AT) both have spots where the feeling of exposure is fairly present.

I hiked up the Cathedral Trail with some friends on a sunny day during Columbus Day weekend, 2008. There is certainly a lot of exposure, and it required more all-fours scrambling for me than Knife Edge, Huntington Ravine or King Ravine Trs. Still, it is mostly broken up into boulders, with not many slabs I would call really big, and there was nothing as challenging as the worst bits of the Huntington Ravine Tr.

I am surprised it is rated close to technical, as I am not a technical climber and didn't find it too bad. I do, however, remember thinking that I was much happier ascending it than I would have been descending, although a number of non-technical-looking hikers were descending it.

The pictures I took on that hike might give you some idea - they are 3 through 15 of these.

A good comparison is the Castle Trail up Jefferson. There can be exposure if you want it but you dont have to it you dont want to. As described its a lot of scrambling up rock falls. At each Cathedral there is the option of walking a few feet and getting all sorts of exposure.

It's definitely upper Class 2 (4 points of contact in many places) but I wouldn't consider any of it Class 3 much less 4.

It's interesting and challenging trail. Very bouldery at the outset. It's no shortcut, however, even though it's more direct. Took me a hour or two longer than reaching the summit via the Saddle on the two occasions I've done it.

I've done it twice, both times going down. It's rough but not that bad.

I have a fear of heights, but I didn't think it was too bad. There were a few tricky spots where I had to use all six foot two of me to reach hand holds and figure out how to ascend, but all in all, I think the knife edge has more exposure and thus scares me more. Cathedral is steep, but at no point did I feel like I was going to fall 1500 feet if I slipped.

Leap-frogged up that trail once with a group of 20'ish year olds.....in that group was a girl with a prosthetic arm (a rigid, non-functioning prosthetic arm). So, and I'm not being flip about this, it CAN be done with one hand. There are some tricky spots, but it's mostly a boulder hop, without much exposure. Very fun trail.

I believe there have been slides on the Cathedral Trail that have resulted in some serious injuries. An aversion to heights, even a mild one, with unstable footing or rocks falling from above could be a problem if things take a turn for the worse. On the other hand, a little loose gravel on the Saddle Trail could be a problem of its own.

Come to think of it, for stability I like the Knife Edge best. Once past Pomola it is a stright forward scramble ... with sharp drop offs, sure, but the track is not as narrow as it appears in photos.

Several years ago I organized a group to hike the Knife Edge. A good friend brought his new girlfriend, young and fit but an inexperienced hiker with a slight fear of heights. She was quite miserable and nervous but made it to the summit with the close attention and assistance of my friend. On the way down I mentioned to him, "If she ever talks to you again she's a keeper."

A year later they were married and in their wedding vows cited perserverance, mutual support and trust, as symbolized by this hike, to be essential ingredients in a marriage. They are still married ... but she doesn't hike anymore.

Thanks for all of the responses. Great to get first hand knowledge on trails like this. I appreciate it!

It strikes me too that assessing exposure and "how tough" a trail like this will always vary person to person. Sounds then that perhaps that the Cathedral Trail then might be have more sustained non technical climbing/tougher moves than the knifes edge, but the knife edge might have more potential to freak out someone with a fear of heights.

Still would welcome any more insight/ stories!

Cathedral Trail is long climb

See my trip report from last Sept. Couple of the pics give a sense of the long way down. I've never been on a trail that gives you aview looking down like this. Sure in the spot the picture was taken you could not fall very far, but just turning around and looking down sure is something else. Some folks might not like that feeling.

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37729&highlight=Cathedral+Trail

It is short mileage wise, but it might seem to go on and on. Speedy hikers will go up it pretty quickly, but I was taking my time on the tricky pitches and stopping frequently to enjoy the views and catcj my breath and collect myself from the thrilling views more than anything.

I'm glad I did it though. Would not recommend it for descent.

We'd hit Katahdin not quite a month ago, but took went up Dudley and down Hamlin Ridge. Hamlin Ridge was a pretty gradual descent for us. Might be worth considering on either the way up or down, as it ends just before Chimney Pond. This trail report has some photos of the trail.
http://forum.hike-nh.com/viewtopic.php?t=4075

John in NH said:

Thanks for all of the responses. Great to get first hand knowledge on trails like this. I appreciate it!

It strikes me too that assessing exposure and "how tough" a trail like this will always vary person to person. Sounds then that perhaps that the Cathedral Trail then might be have more sustained non technical climbing/tougher moves than the knifes edge, but the knife edge might have more potential to freak out someone with a fear of heights.

Still would welcome any more insight/ stories!

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Just my $.02: I really hate exposure, but Cathedral is one of my all-time favorites. Your assessment quoted here is spot-on, I think. I think it's class 2+ but not 3 unless icy or something. I have done the KE and had much more in the way of bad adrenaline and "sewing-machine leg" than I did both times I climbed Cathedral. The difference for me is that on Cathedral, you would really have to try to sustain a fatal fall, where on the KE you might just have to get very unlucky in one or two spots.

John in NH said:

and the Maine AMC guide is soo vague as always.

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Yeah, I love the MMG but something like "There is a trail. It is not long but very steep. Exposure and weather could be a factor. There are many rocks." would about describe it.