| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Katahdin (Baxter Peak), Mt. Katahdin (Hamlin Peak), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Hunt Trail, Saddle Trail, Northwest Basin Trail, Hamlin Ridge Trail, Baxter Peak Cutoff, Abol Trail, Tote Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, September 21, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We stayed in a cabin at Daicey Pond x 3 nights so had no parking issues. Overnight campers do not need a separate parking pass. (This is the way to go if you can get a reservation!!) Parking lots were not crowded mid week in late September anyway. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Low & easy. Katahdin Stream crossing on Hunt Trail is bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
New section of Abol Trail is pretty nice and almost had a "Sierra feel" to it at times with the gravelly granite and smooth, wide path. Appreciate the switchbacks! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Not allowed in BSP |
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 | Bugs: |
No bugs but we did have a resident mouse in our cabin. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
My last visit to Katahdin was 12 years ago; it was great to be back. This was FP's first visit! Twas a beautiful albeit breezy day. Wore my shell w/hood up most of the ~5 miles above treeline. Supposedly 25-30 thru hikers finished this day so Baxter Peak was a bit crowded. No worries: we found lots of solitude over on Hamlin. :)
FP and I giggled our way up the monkey bars and craziness that is the Hunt Trail, relished the flat walk across the Tableland while taking in all the incredible sights, and congratulated the beaming thru hikers we encountered before making our way the ~2 miles over to Hamlin Peak. Visibility was far reaching this day, and much time was devoted to gawking and photography. Returning to Thoreau Spring, Baxter Peak Cutoff was especially lovely. We found ripe blueberries still (!) along with lots of bunchberries and low-lying leaves turning orange which made for quite the colorful carpet to traverse.
The top of Abol Slide--the "jumping off point"--was, um, steeper than I recall and required some of the same Hunt Trail acrobatics, upper body strength, and butt scooching. (I did this trail in winter 3 times??!!) Finally, where the slide gets less bouldery and more loose, we reached the new section of trail which takes the hiker quite a ways west in a huge switchback providing great views of the Hunt Trail ridge. The new trail gets nicer as one descends, in our opinion.
The 2.3 mile road walk between Abol and Katahdin Stream Campgrounds went quickly. 15 minutes later we were celebrating w/cold ones on our cabin porch. :) |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea & Fancypants |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-09-24 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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