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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Katahdin (Baxter Peak), Mt. Katahdin (Hamlin Peak), ME
Trails
Trails: Roaring Brook Road, Chimney Pond Trail, Saddle Trail, Hamlin Ridge Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Winter parking 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Ice Axe 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Right near the start of the Abol trail, a beaver pond made crossing with sleds tough - probably have to carry the sled and wade almost knee deep. Snow very unconsolidated on Saddle which made the top of the slide very challenging. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: More hikers followed, so trails should be broken out. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Abol Bridge to Roaring Brook, Chimney Pond, Saddle Trail, Hamlin Ridge Trail
Baxter and Hamlin (28th)

On December 26th we drove to Millinocket to aim for Kathadin as we needed both Baxter and Hamlin to finish our winter 115. The day we drove was perfect - warm and no snow - we probably could have used microspikes. But with snow on the way we had a feeling the next few days might bring challenges. The good news is that the snow on the 27th provided enough cover that we could drag a sled to Roaring Brook on our way to Chimney Pond. The bad news is that it was a bit too warm (20-30) with wet snow so after our 16.3 mile hike into Chimney Pond, we were pretty wet. A note to hikers - the Abol trail right after the sign in register has a 50 foot stretch of foot deep water that made it tough to carry a sled - Fiddlehead waded through with his overshoes carrying the sled in his hands. It took us close to 6 hours to walk to Roaring Brook (13 miles and then 3.3 to Chimney Pond). Good news is that we were the only 2 in the bunk house so we could crank up the wood stove and dry out all our wet gear. As we woke up at 5:45am, we could hear the wind - though the forecast had only predicted light winds, it was obvious this was not the case. Because we were up early, the ranger was not there yet so we decided to head up the Saddle trail knowing that the 8 or so inches of snow the day before would be challenging. We used snowshoes the whole time - definitely the right choice given so many drifts. The beginning of the Saddle Trail is very nice and we enjoyed the hike up to the slide.

The slide itself was tough especially the final .3 miles. With unconsolidated snow and the very steep final push, it was a bit scary (for me) and took a bit longer than we thought, but I was super psyched to see the sign at the top of the Saddle Col. We put on warmer clothes (the temp was zero at the Ranger station when we started at 7:45am) as soon as we crested the hill as we could see the spindrifts off Baxter from afar. As soon as we headed for Baxter we were basically in 40 mph constant wind that made it hard to stand up. It was a struggle to reach the peak as some of the wind gusts were close to 55 mph - enough to knock both of us over more than once even when bracing. It was cool to watch the snow blow across the tablelands - it looked like a desert storm only with snow. At times I thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to be up this high with this much sustained wind, but with our layers and goggles and good visibility , we were doing fine. Though we thought about microspikes, enough deep drifts made snowshoes a better choice. 3 hours later, we were on top for brief pics (I had to switch out my camera battery to even get a shot due to the cold wind chill) but we only spent a minute or two looking over at the knife edge before booking it down to head to Hamlin. We faced the same wind all the way until the back side of Hamlin which was a bit more sheltered.

Hamlin was easier to summit but with clouds looming, we didn't hang out much. Rather than try to descend the Saddle, we opted to descend via Hamlin ridge. Conditions were tough due to a lot of bare rock along with many steep drifts. Until you get down low enough this trail is slow going with tons of boulders to navigate. Finally we got back Chimney Pond at 2:30pm, packed our gear and slogged back to Roaring Brook. Again, we dried our clothes and rested for the hike out the next day before the blizzard. Well, not quite before the blizzard so we started at 7:15am with more snow. Hiking was slow as we re hiked 13 miles back to the winter lot - we finally got out at 1pm and then faced a 2 day drive thanks to the blizzard that dumped over a foot of new snow (more to come).
2 more mountains to finish the winter 115 - and finally, snow! Super fun 3 day trip to Baxter - we hit just the right window to summit both peaks before the next storm.  
Name
Name: Michele Bayliss 
E-Mail
E-Mail: michele@toptieradmissions.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2015-12-30 
Link
Link: https://goo.gl/photos/4iVRuG3kZF7cbaSw9 
Bookmark and Share 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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