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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Katahdin - Baxter Peak, ME
Trails
Trails: Cathedral Trail, Hamlin Ridge Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Monday, February 20, 2023
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Abol Bridge parking lot plowed and pretty full ... carpool if you can 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Traction, Ice Axe 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: bridged 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: trails were well maintained 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: cross country ski conditions in Baxter State Park featured plenty of hard packed snow on feb 18 on our way in to Roaring Brook ...

Chimney Pond Trail was packed by BSP Ranger snowmobiles, we snowshoed up to Chimney Pond on feb 19 ...

trails above Chimney Pond had a couple feet of mixed soft and packed snow, covered by a thin hard crusty top layer ... snowshoes were fine for reaching the first Cathedral on Cathedral Trail, but icy crusty top layer above that required crampons ... occasional postholes made for tough going and beat up the knees on our way up to Baxter Peak, down Hamlin Ridge ... for some reason we decided to whack down an icy slide on the south face of Hamlin Ridge instead of hiking over the lower Hamlin Ridge bump ...

over six days at Chimmey Pond we also climbed the gully east of Elbow Gully in North Basin (on our way down the ridge, we exited too early before reaching the east end of that ridge, our descent route grew scrappy negotiating rock bands with thin snow cover) ... some of our crew also climbed Chimney Slide, Piggy Wiggy, Practice Slabs and bc skied Saddle Trail > Brook ...

six inches fresh snow friday yielded excellent cross country ski conditions for our exit from the Park on feb 25 ... ski conditions and trail conditions should hold decent snow for a few more weeks until Winter begins to fade ...

Abol Pond was frozen enough that we could exit the Tote Road a mile early, through the small camp, across Abol Pond to Abol Beach ...

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Name
Name: arm 
E-Mail
E-Mail: gmail-winterhiker 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2023-02-28 
Link
Link: https:// 
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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