the_swede
New member
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/
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/
