BillDC
New member
It had been 20 years this August since I was last up Katahdin, so this visit was long over due. Upon arriving at the Abol campground parking lot, the day use area was nearly full, so we lucked out and got the last spot. As we meandered through the campground toward the Abol trailhead under the tree canopy, you could feel the humidity building. It was going to be one of those hot and humid climbs.
The trail starts at the back of the campground, which seemed nearly full. It starts climbing moderately up between 2 spurs of Abol stream. Several side trails allow water access here. As we climbed, we started to run into more rocks and boulders as we approached the slides. This part of the trail is a good warm up to the eventual slide and boulder negotiation. Just below the tree line, we started searching around for where the original Abol trail came in. There were at least 3 known lower sections of the Abol trail that all joined below the slide. We were looking for the most southerly one which was also the fire wardens trail back in the 1910's. Due to the age and past logging operations, we didn't find any evidence, but it was fun looking around for old treadways and possible watchman phone lines.
We continued to climb encountering more rocks and boulders as we entered the slides. We took a little time to check the left side of the slide for anything left of the old 1902 Garland Camp. This was an outcamp of the Debsconeag Outing Camps, known then as the highest elevation sporting camp. We located some very old rusty cans in the approximate area, but who knows if they were related. Continuing on, we were largely out of tree cover now and the sun and humidity were very evident! The slide is largely boulders, rocks and loose scree. Certainly no erosion control in this section! The climb is steeper and more interesting. The slide is pretty wide so you can make your own trail amongst the rocks and boulders. There were many visitors via this route today, and everyone forged their own path up the slide. We passed a side trail which led to a small brook used as a water source. On this day, it was completely dry.
We continued our climb in the hot sun amongst a busy slide where views were very good. There were several parties that were resting on the rocks and we stopped to share Katahdin stories with them. We had one last archeological mission while on the slide and that was to search around the site of the fire wardens camp. This site, known as the site of the Sewall Camp, sits on a ledge or terrace on the east side of the slide. The remains of the camp were burned in 1949 and we were not expecting to find much. The site today is socked in with tight growth and very tough to get into. Took a cursory look here but didn't find much. The old log platform fire lookout which resided on the slide itself did not reveal and artifacts to us either.
Continuing on the slide, we reached the boulder field at the end of the slide. This was a steep scramble up a field of boulders. Although blazed, it was easy to wander off track as there really isn't a trail here as much as just a marked route. At the top of the boulders, we reached the tableland. Looking over at the Hunt spur from here, we could see a line of hikers coming up the AT on their way to the summit. We continued on the Abol trail across the tableland until we joined the AT at Thoreau spring. The spring was largely dried up with some small puddles here and there, but no significant water.
The walk across the tableland was a welcome rest after the steep rock climb. Making the final moderate climb to the top revealed a very busy Baxter Peak. A small line was formed to get pictures at the Katahdin sign. Views were very good with only small durations where some directions were obscured with clouds. We had a late lunch and enjoyed the company of those that were sitting nearby. The summit was buzzed by a helicopter just as we were leaving. It wasn't a MFS or rescue helicopter, and quickly cleared out after it flew over the summit.
We started down and decided to descend via Abol. On my past trip I descended via the Hunt, so I wanted to try Abol to see what it was like. It was mid-afternoon and the views were great on the descent. The boulder field was pretty slow going and we kept having to search for blazes to stay on the route. Once we reached the slide, we realized how loose some of the rocks were. We needed to focus on our footing constantly and that made for some slow going at times. It was also feeling like an oven with full afternoon sun and full exposure. We eventually hit tree line and enjoyed the remaining walk out. Overall, it was a fun and challenging day!
Photos -
https://picasaweb.google.com/BillDC3/MountKatahdinME8132012?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Bill
The trail starts at the back of the campground, which seemed nearly full. It starts climbing moderately up between 2 spurs of Abol stream. Several side trails allow water access here. As we climbed, we started to run into more rocks and boulders as we approached the slides. This part of the trail is a good warm up to the eventual slide and boulder negotiation. Just below the tree line, we started searching around for where the original Abol trail came in. There were at least 3 known lower sections of the Abol trail that all joined below the slide. We were looking for the most southerly one which was also the fire wardens trail back in the 1910's. Due to the age and past logging operations, we didn't find any evidence, but it was fun looking around for old treadways and possible watchman phone lines.
We continued to climb encountering more rocks and boulders as we entered the slides. We took a little time to check the left side of the slide for anything left of the old 1902 Garland Camp. This was an outcamp of the Debsconeag Outing Camps, known then as the highest elevation sporting camp. We located some very old rusty cans in the approximate area, but who knows if they were related. Continuing on, we were largely out of tree cover now and the sun and humidity were very evident! The slide is largely boulders, rocks and loose scree. Certainly no erosion control in this section! The climb is steeper and more interesting. The slide is pretty wide so you can make your own trail amongst the rocks and boulders. There were many visitors via this route today, and everyone forged their own path up the slide. We passed a side trail which led to a small brook used as a water source. On this day, it was completely dry.
We continued our climb in the hot sun amongst a busy slide where views were very good. There were several parties that were resting on the rocks and we stopped to share Katahdin stories with them. We had one last archeological mission while on the slide and that was to search around the site of the fire wardens camp. This site, known as the site of the Sewall Camp, sits on a ledge or terrace on the east side of the slide. The remains of the camp were burned in 1949 and we were not expecting to find much. The site today is socked in with tight growth and very tough to get into. Took a cursory look here but didn't find much. The old log platform fire lookout which resided on the slide itself did not reveal and artifacts to us either.
Continuing on the slide, we reached the boulder field at the end of the slide. This was a steep scramble up a field of boulders. Although blazed, it was easy to wander off track as there really isn't a trail here as much as just a marked route. At the top of the boulders, we reached the tableland. Looking over at the Hunt spur from here, we could see a line of hikers coming up the AT on their way to the summit. We continued on the Abol trail across the tableland until we joined the AT at Thoreau spring. The spring was largely dried up with some small puddles here and there, but no significant water.
The walk across the tableland was a welcome rest after the steep rock climb. Making the final moderate climb to the top revealed a very busy Baxter Peak. A small line was formed to get pictures at the Katahdin sign. Views were very good with only small durations where some directions were obscured with clouds. We had a late lunch and enjoyed the company of those that were sitting nearby. The summit was buzzed by a helicopter just as we were leaving. It wasn't a MFS or rescue helicopter, and quickly cleared out after it flew over the summit.
We started down and decided to descend via Abol. On my past trip I descended via the Hunt, so I wanted to try Abol to see what it was like. It was mid-afternoon and the views were great on the descent. The boulder field was pretty slow going and we kept having to search for blazes to stay on the route. Once we reached the slide, we realized how loose some of the rocks were. We needed to focus on our footing constantly and that made for some slow going at times. It was also feeling like an oven with full afternoon sun and full exposure. We eventually hit tree line and enjoyed the remaining walk out. Overall, it was a fun and challenging day!
Photos -
https://picasaweb.google.com/BillDC3/MountKatahdinME8132012?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Bill
