Katahdin for Dummies (help us)

[mavs00]

To finally shut my 14 y/o son up , We've finally consented to his "dream hike" of doing Katahdin (via the Knife Edge, of course). Never mind that it fulfils a longtime desire of mine as well .

At this late date, we were not able to secure reservations inside Baxter, but we are registered at the Hidden Springs Campground in Millinocket for 8/1-2/05. I've never been to Baxter and not sure what else I have to do. Driving over 750 miles, I really don't want to screw it up. I've been told I just have to drive in (at some ungodly hour) and present myself to the ranger at the Roaring Brook Parking Lot and register to climb (weather permitting) the peak.

We're an ADK kinda family. We generally just drive to a trailhead, get out, sign the book, and start walking so all this is pretty new to us. Please help us negotiate Baxter Red Tape.

We plan on heading up the Helen Taylor Trail (Keep Ridge) to Pamola and then up the Knife Edge to Baxter. From there, we may hit Hamlin, maybe not. Whatever, you get the drift . My specific questions are these;

• When should I arrive (on a Tuesday) to still get a coveted spot?
• What do I do when I get there?
• Any other tips or suggestions on routes, tips, things to see or anything else.

As always, thanks in advance.

 

[king tut]

the gates open at about 5:45 in the morning, if you're hiking on a tuesday, it might not be too busy, but i would suggest getting there early anyway since they only let so many cars into the lot at roaring brook. I did the route you are looking to do about a month ago, but in the opposite direction. you can read about it in the trip reports if you are interested. All you have to do is drive up to the gate, pay your out of stater fee, give your next of kin info, and then take a right at the fork and drive 7 or 8 miles to the parking lot. you might want to bring some advil too, the descent is pretty rough on the knees.

 

[SteveHiker]

any idea of how early you'd have to get there on a Sunday or Monday? Would it even be worth it? I'm interested in the Abol Trail and Marston Trail. I only have about half as far to drive as Mavs, but it's still a long way.

 

[Artex]

Also, be aware that there are cut-off times for starting your hike. For more info, click here.

Helon Taylor is a great route. You'll love it.

 

[Papa Bear]

Some route suggestions:

Most spectacular:
Up: Chimney Pond Trail and Cathedral Trail to Baxter.
Down: Knife Edge and Helon Taylor.

Easier:
Up: Chimney Pond and Saddle Trail.
Down: Knife Edge and Helon Taylor.

Longer:
Up: Chimney Pond and Hamlin Ridge.
Down: Knife Edge and Helon Taylor.

Or reverse them. My opinion is it's easier and with better overall views to go up via Chimney Pond with one of the other Trails to the top, and do the Knife Edge on the way down after summiting (in other words, a counter-clockwise loop). Others (naturally) will dissagree.

Have fun and be safe.

 

[king tut]

if you're doing abol or marston, you probably don't have to worry, the majority of people go to roaring brook. The only possibility is abol does not have a lot of parking, and could get full after roaring brook has filled up. There's also the hunt trail, which has a good size parking area.

 

[Rick]

Tim,

The route you mention Helon Taylor/Pamola/KE/Baxter/Hamlin is reverse of route that my Rochester 46er Buddies took when we celebrated a 115 finish in Early Sept 2002. (I had had my first aortic valve surgery 8 months earlier, so I decided a less vigorous route of up and back via the Saddle Trail, as I knew I might get rather tired)

The route you mention took them (all are 46ers or 115ers) full daylight to compete, to get back to Roaring Brook ( I think we left at 7am). The nice thing about going your direction is you go up the steep Helon Taylor Trail and can bag out on the less steep Saddleback Trail if Hamilton seems too far or daylight runs out.
Good Luck. If you want to crash at a fellow Rochestarian's place about halfway between Rochester and Millinocket, please PM me - we are located in Sterling, MA and have 2 spare bedrooms.

 

[bigmoose]

Tim -
As you're an inveterate ADKr, you might be interested to know the Helon (he was a guy!) Taylor-Pamola-Chimney Peak-knife edge-Baxter-Hamlin loop has virtually the same stats as the Wright-Algonquin-Iroquois trip (if you descend back past Wright.) (4400 vertical or so, approximately eleven miles). But Katahdin is far more spectacular. Once you leave Pamola, right off the bat you have a wild rocky scramble up the surreal little Chimney Peak...then the Knife edge...and the endless views...which you'll enjoy from Baxter, along the Tableland, over Hamlin, and back down the northern half of your loop. The weather will make it or break it for ya.

 

[roadtripper]

arriving at the gate...

it really depends on the weather and the day of the week as to what time you should arrive at the gate.

On a beautiful Tuesday (forecast: sunny, 72 degrees) in early August two years ago, we arrived at 6:10 in the morning, and the roaring brook parking area was FULL. We asked the ranger on duty how long it had been full, and she said we were the third car she had to direct elsewhere.

If you arrive and roaring brook is full, I'd do what that ranger told us to do...hike up Abol Slide & down the Hunt Trail. (note: this requires a 2-mile long walk along the dirt park road after you descend). I think the total loop is about 12 miles??

Even though we didn't get the chance to do the famed Knife Edge, the Abol/Hunt combination was STILL the best hike I've ever done (AND the best mountain I've ever climbed). We were a little disappointed when we learned we had to change plans, but that went away really quickly as the loop we did was still better than anything we had done before or expected. I can't even imagine how awesome the Knife Edge will be when I finally get there since the Abol/Hunt trip was so incredible.

 

[MichaelJ]

Even just going up and down Hunt isn't bad, either. Any route will make for a long day if you want Hamlin, too, but if you get an early start and the weather is good, you'll be fine.

Bring a filter and carry a *lot* of water. Do not count on Thoreau Spring, Saddle Spring, or Caribou Spring having water (though they may well, and if they do, top off your supplies). Dehydration is rampant up there, and easy to avoid just by topping off your water going up, and drinking heartily on the table land, knowing you can refill on your way back down.

Bob & Geri, and I, both recently posted trip reports and photos from Katahdin. Feel free to peruse them in the Trip Reports section. My photos from Baxter/Hamlin start here.

Be safe. If it's wet, I would think twice about trying to go up there. Any route up has ledges and slippery rocks that could be dangerous.

Above all, have fun!

 

[Hikerdad]

Tim:

Sounds like a great trip.....I'll keep my fingers crossed for the weather for you....please post details (even driving times, routes, trail routes, thoughts, tips, etc.) when you're done....Katahdin is on my "deam list" also and I've been staring at the map, dreaming...Good Luck...

Pat

 

[luv2hike]

We were up at BSP a couple of weeks ago on a Tuesday.They are now opening the gate at 5:00am during the summer months. We were there just at 5:00 and there was only one car ahead of us. If you arrive at the gate early and it is mid week you shouldn't have a problem.
Enjoy your hike!

 

[BorealChickadee]

Tim, I've always camped in Baxter Park so I can't give you any day tripping advice.

Just wanted to say that you and Nick will absolutely love this trip. Katahdin is a very special mountain in my eyes and you'll have memories like none other. As you can see Katahdin holds a special place in my heart.

 

[sli74]

Well . . . you have already gotten most of the advice I would have given so I will just say "Have a GREAT trip" and Hidden Springs Campground is a WONDERFUL campground.

sli74

 

[Raymond]

Random thoughts

I second the suggestion to have a back-up plan. I'm not so sure that "book time" applies on Katahdin, so be ready to alter your plans if it's getting late.

If the campground outside the park is anything like the campgrounds inside the park, expect a problem with mice. The last time we camped there, at Abol, two mornings in a row I opened the trunk of my car to get the food and there was a mouse sitting on my cooler looking at me.

The Perimeter Road is not made for fast driving, so the eight miles to Roaring Brook will probably take 20 minutes from the gate, which is itself a long drive from Millinocket. There isn't much in the way of scenery along the road, so don't think you're missing anything by not driving the entire length of it.

As said, the worst part of the Knife Edge is supposed to be the drop off Pamola. That's where I gave up (I was already an hour behind what my time should have been, and the trails were all officially closed anyway) and went down the Dudley Trail.

 

[percious]

Mavs,

I highly recommend heading up the Dudley trail to Pamola. This will give you 2 extra bonuses. First, you will get to visit Chimney pond, which has spectacular views, and a good water source, so you would only have to carry 1L of water for the first 3 miles. I would fill up at Dudley, because there is little water after that.

The second bonus is Pamola's finger. This is an interesting out-cropping that we all had the pleasure to climb. It definitely makes for a good photo op. Dudley basically goes straight up, and has impressive views all the way.

Some Pictures:

http://www.percious.com/hiking/HP - ME - June 2005 - P1/index.html

http://www.percious.com/hiking/HP - ME - June 2005 - P2/index.html

Good luck negotiating the red tape. I think you will find it is not actually that bad. The rangers are friendly. It is absolutely worth the drive.

-percious

 

[spencer]

Well, there is a lot of good info here already, so I won't add too much...

Last weekend, they opened the gate at 5am. Something unusual was going on b/c I got to the gate about 2:45 and I was the 2nd car. When they opened the gate at 5am, I was the 2nd (still ) of 4 cars.

This was abnormal for a Sunday morning. I commented about it to the gate rangers and they agreed and said that it was the same thing on Saturday morning. So, while every lean-to and campsite in the park was taken last weekend, something was keeping the day-hikers away.

the point is, that it's hit or miss. In general, plan conservatively and you shouldn't be disappointed.

IMO, for your first trip up the massif, take Helon (Heel-on) Taylor to Pamola, cross the Knife Edge and go down Saddle to Chimney and out to Roaring Brook. If you are feeling strong, keep on keepin' on to Hamlin and down Hamlin Ridge. You can't find a better loop for getting views above treeline in the park.

Don't forget about all the non-hiking things to do in the park, too... Last Sunday, I bushwacked 2 peaks before 10am, caught 2 medium-sized brookies in Nesourdnehunk, practiced my canoe-poling for a couple of hours lower down in Newsourdnehunk and spent a few minutes reading in the Kidney library. All in a days work

Have fun, Tim and wave when you pass exit 191!

spencer

 

[DougPaul]

If you arrive and roaring brook is full, I'd do what that ranger told us to do...hike up Abol Slide & down the Hunt Trail. (note: this requires a 2-mile long walk along the dirt park road after you descend). I think the total loop is about 12 miles??

Even though we didn't get the chance to do the famed Knife Edge, the Abol/Hunt combination was STILL the best hike I've ever done (AND the best mountain I've ever climbed).

You can still do the Knife Edge if you go up via Abol Slide or the Hunt Trail. You just get to do it twice... (We did Abol and the Knife Edge in winter--definitely worth while.) And you still have the option of summiting Hamlin if stamina and time permit.

Doug

 

[mavs00]

Up or Down?

You can still do the Knife Edge if you go up via Abol Slide or the Hunt Trail. You just get to do it twice... (We did Abol and the Knife Edge in winter--definitely worth while.) And you still have the option of summiting Hamlin if stamina and time permit.

Doug

Awesome info.................... thanks. I've been looking at pictures. Damn, may have to throw an extra pair of undies in the pack It's look a touch scary in spots. I sure hope I don't freeze up.

Also, Is is better Go up to baxter, or Down to Pamola? I personally prefer looking up to blue sky then bown to where my body will land when negotiating scary stuff.

Also, my 14 and 12 y/o (experienced hikers) kids are going too. The route borders on technical I read. We will of course only do it in very good weather conditions, but..... will the scrambling be too difficult for them and thier smaller frames (around 5')? AND, am I being a responsable parent taking them this way.

Its thier idea and the trip is pretty much a gift is for my son (as he requested for his 46er completion present). Right now, it's his Everest. Also, bare in mind, I am likely the only one the would be affected by heights, if any of us are.

Thanks, great info.

 

[Papa Bear]

Awesome info.................... thanks. I've been looking at pictures. Damn, may have to throw an extra pair of undies in the pack It's look a touch scary in spots. I sure hope I don't freeze up.

Also, Is is better Go up to baxter, or Down to Pamola?

Also, my 14 and 12 y/o (experienced hikers) kids are going too. It borders on technical I read. Will the scrambling be difficult for them and there smaller frames (around 5')? AND, am I being a responsable parent taking them.
.

I would say the Knife Edge is NOT technical. No ropes, protection of special moves are requirted. Occasional use of hands may be needed. It's mostly class 2 with a few class 3 spots. I would say it's less technical than going up Blueberry ledges on Whiteface (which I went down last week) or Tumbledown in Maine (ditto last week). As for exposure, you would be hard put to fall more than 4-5 feet unless you really worked at falling (more like diving) off a cliff.

In other words it's not as bad as it looks in pictures. That is not to say that high winds and/or rain or fog would not make things dangerous.

I've done it both ways and I'd say it doesn't matter which way you go. The so-called crux at the chimney is just a long reach. Going towards Pamola last year I had no problems there (I'm 5'10"). Just follow the blazes.

Kids will literally eat it up. I'm sure they will help you over the scary parts if you're nice to them.