| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Katahdin (Baxter Peak), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Saddle Trail, Chimney Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, August 29, 2012 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Had overnight reservations (2 nights) at Chimney Pond, so no parking issues at the camping lot at Roaring Brook at 3PM 8-27. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged or easy rock-hops |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Good shape aside from some brushing-in needed on the closed/relocated sections of Chimney Pond Trail. They are easy to wander onto, and as such are not recovering well. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No pets allowed in Baxter State Park |
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 | Bugs: |
Nothing of note, a few mosquitoes overnight at Chimney Pond. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Spent our second night at Chimney Pond and planned to go up Dudley and over the Knife Edge. While the weather was far clearer than the prior day and no rain in the forecast, winds were in the low 20s at Chimney Pond, so we figured the Knife Edge would be a bad move (as winds would be far higher aloft). Figured we could always venture out onto it from the summit if that turned out wrong.
Took the "boring" route up Saddle Trail, which is still a fun ascent up a slide. About halfway to the summit from the Saddle we hit fog, and we would have about 100-foot visibility on the summit. Winds were solidly in the 30s sustained on the summit, with 40s gusts and a few very powerful blasts that were easily 50mph. Winds were cross-wise to the Knife Edge, and while we were on the summit we saw no one come from that way, everyone either came up the AT or the Saddle. Descent down Saddle Slide was slow, but we got back to the pond, grabbed the gear we left, and hiked out to the car. |
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 | Name: |
madmattd |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2012-09-01 |
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 | Link: |
 https://mattshikes.blogspot.com |
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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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