|
 |
June 15, 2001
Shana and I headed up to Millinocket on a Friday morning. We had a base
camp reserved for that night, a lean-to on the mountain Saturday night,
and another base camp reservation Sunday night. Our plan was to do a few
short hikes Friday, then hike halfway up Mt. Katahdin Saturday, stay on
the mountain Saturday night, then hike up to the peak and back down Sunday,
where we would again have a base camp lean-to. Then we could make our way
back home Monday morning when we woke up. At least, that was the plan. But
the best laid plans... |
 |
When we arrived to check in, we discovered that our reservations were not
for Friday, Saturday and Sunday- they were for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Luckily there was a lean-to available for Friday night at a different base
camp, so we headed that way. This moose was hanging out in Stump Pond, which
we passed on the way- my first moose sighting! |
 |
This is the basic lean-to, which provided shelter from the rain but NOT
from the bugs. |
 |
Our lean-to was right next to a stream, so the sound of rushing water lulled
us to sleep and acoustically separated us from our neighbors. |
 |
The weather was nice Friday and we had some time before dusk, so we headed
out for a short hike to Grassy Pond. The trail started by following a portion
of the Appalatian Trail, which is a 2,000+ mile path from Springer Mountain,
Georgia, to Mt. Katahdin. The tangle of roots on the path looked like snakes
writhing and twisting around each other. |
 |
One of many beautiful views of the peaks in Baxter... |
 |
A blue flag iris |
 |
Baxter State Park was creatd by Governor Percival Proctor Baxter, who dedicated
45 years of his life to fundraising and legislative efforts to protect the
land. Having met continuous resistance for his dream of a state park while
serving in political offices, Baxter began saving his own funds to buy the
land and create a trust fund to keep the park operating. In total, the park
covers 202,064 acres. |
 |
Shana took our watter bottles and a microbiological water filter out into
the stream near our lean-to when we got back. Moments after taking this
picture, I heard Shana say, "Um... help!" and saw one of the empty
bottles bobbing downstream. It got tied up in some sticks and I could recapture
it without problems. |
 |
Our options were limited by our reservation mix-up and by weather predictions
for thunderstorms on Sunday. Because many of the trails leave hikers completely
exposed, hiking to the peak in a thunderstorm is absolutely not an option.
We didn't want to lose our chance to reach the peak, so we decided to go
all the way on Saturday when we knew the trails would be open. |
 |
We got up around 6 a.m. to eat, pack up our camp, and drive to the base
of the trails. We got our start around 8:30 heading up the Chimney
Pond Trail.
Chimney Pond Trail; moderate; 3.25 miles; 2 hrs 40 min |
 |
We passed some lovely streams and waterfalls along the trail, and the chance
to dip our bandannas in cold water was welcomed... it was beginning to heat
up. |
 |
We became entwined with a third grade school group on its way to Chimney
Pond, so eventually we took a restful snack break to put some distance between
them and us. Here we had another chance to douse our bandannas. |
 |
Chimney Pond is probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen. It's almost
at treeline (the highest point normal trees can survive on mountains) but
is framed on three sides by the steep, towering peaks. As the snow melts,
it trickles down the mountainside and collects in the Chimney Pond basin. |
 |
It's hard to understand from these photos what it was like... it truly is
the kind of thing IMAX movies were made for. |
 |
While we were enjoying our lunch there, a mama moose and her calf came to
the water's edge and wandered around. At one point the mother grunted and the baby came right over and began nursing. Shana and I felt
like this was an absurdly perfect place... were we being set up? We almost
expected bluebirds to alight on our shoulders. |
 |
From Chimney Pond we could see our next challenge- Cathedral Trail. It would
take us from Chimney Pond almost all the way to the peak of Katahdin. (Roll
your mouse over the picture on the left to see the Cathedral Trail highlighted.)
Cathedral Trail; strenuous; 1.75 miles; 2 hrs 50 min |
Continue hiking...
|
