Baxter Bash 2023

9/27/23

Helon Taylor: 3.2 miles / Knife Edge: 1.1 miles / Saddle Trail: 1.0 miles / Northwest Basin Trail: 1.0 miles / Hamlin Ridge Trail: 1.5 miles / North Basin Trail: 0.3 miles / North Basin Cutoff: 0.7 miles / Chimney Pond Trail: 2.3 miles

11.1 miles (4,850' elevation gained)

9/28/23

Hunt Trail: 5.3 miles / Knife Edge: 1.1 miles / Helon Taylor Trail: 3.2 miles / Chimney Pond Trail: 3.4 miles / Dudley Trail: 1.4 miles / Knife Edge: 1.1 miles / Abol Trail: 4.0 miles / Tote Road: 2.0 miles

21.5 miles (9,250' elevation gained)

9/29/23

Chimney Pond Trail 3.2 miles / Cathedral Trail: 1.4 miles / Knife Edge: 1.1 miles / Helon Tail Trail: 3.2 miles

8.9 miles (4,150' elevation gained)

Trip Report

- Every September after Labor Day I start eyeing up lean-to and campsite openings mid-week in Baxter State Park during good weather windows. Summer vacation is over, bugs are long gone, leaves start to change colors, basically it's the perfect time of year to drive up to Millinocket and get into the park which for me is the cathedral of hiking in the northeast.

- Last year I was able to scoop up a lean-to during peak foliage the first week of October, this year I nabbed a lean-to during the last week of September just as the leaves started to change color.

- Joining me this year was my travel buddy, Strava Todd, we left his place in Jackson, NH at 4AM and made the long but easy drive up to the park, making it to the gate around 9:15AM and to the Roaring Brook Trailhead about twenty minutes later.

The painted boulder, a few miles outside of the park, a good place to take a tourist pic and stretch the legs for a minute

- Day one was a classic loop up Helon Taylor, across the Knife Edge, down the Tableland, over and down Hamlin Peak, and an easy hike out via Chimney Pond Trail.

- Temperatures were warm down low and a little crisp up high with some decent wind gusts. When we broke above treeline the clouds were slowly clearing off the Knife Edge above us as we made our way to Pamola Peak. 

- Helon Taylor is probably the easiest approach to the Knife Edge with moderate grades the whole way, no scrambling, and only some loose small rocks over the last hundred feet below Pamola Peak. 

- Once on the Knife Edge, the real fun began, this 1.1 mile stretch is second to none for hiking/scrambling in the northeast. Huge drop-offs and dramatic views!

Todd heading up to Pamola Peak

Classic Knife Edge shot

Knife Edge

- Halfway across the Knife Edge we entered back into the clouds and it mostly stayed this way until heading down Hamlin Ridge so no big views were to be had heading across the Tableland

View of the Knife Edge from Hamlin Ridge

Basin Ponds and South Turner Mountain

- Once back below treeline we hooked onto the slippery and moss-covered rocks of the North Basin and Basin Cutoff trails on our way to Chimney Pond Trail. We made quick work of the Chimney Pond Trail back to Roaring Brook Trailhead finishing around 2PM before making the hour drive over to our lean-to at Nesowadnehunk Field.

Lean-to #10 Nesowadnehunk Field

Day 2: Double Day on Baxter

- On Thursday, we started at dawn along the Hunt Trail (Appalachian Trail) for a big day of roaming around Baxter Peak. Hunt Trail is a bit of a grind to get to treeline but once it breaks into the open the views become huge and the trail itself is much more adventerous with a few spots where you have to maneuverer up and over some big boulders with the help of re-bar.

- Hunt Trail and the Tableland above treeline was windy and cold but once we started across the Knife Edge we were out of the wind for the most part and had the whole ridge to ourselves as we traversed it around 9AM. 

Todd heads up the Hunt Trail

Looking back down the Hunt Trail

Baxter Peak

Pamola Peak

- From Pamola peak we descended Helon Taylor Trail all the way to Roaring Brook Trailhead and then turned right back around and took the Chimney Pond Trail to Chimney Pond. At the pond we tried to filter water from my Sawyer Squeeze but it was barely working so we just scooped water from the pond without filtering. I had down this last year without any issues and luckily again we both had no problems with getting sick from not filtering.

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Todd descends Helon Taylor Trail

Beautiful outlook at Lower Basin Pond

Todd running over the old but sturdy bridge along the Chimney Pond Trail

Chimney Pond

- Now it was time to steeply head back up via the Dudley Trail. Trail crews worked hard cutting a new reroute a few years ago after a slide wiped out the lower section of the trail. We marveled at their handy work as we made our way through the woods along a long switchback up to treeline where we hooked back onto the old existing upper section of the trail. 

- Hunt Trail to Pamola peak above treeline is filled with huge boulders to climb up, around, and over but none of the moves are tricky and anytime you need to catch your breath you can just turn around and look at the views which will quickly re-energizes anyone.

Todd gets a pic of me picking my way up the boulders with Chimney Pond far below

View from Dudley Trail

- At the summit of Pamola we traversed the Knife Edge for the second time of the day, this time there were hikers scattered across the Knife Edge but it never seemed too busy. Along the way we even saw some interesting outfits on a few hikers!

Not sure what is going on here but they were all doing great!

- When we reached Baxter Peak we took a short break before going back down the Tableland to the Abol Trail where we made the steep descent back to the Tote Road. Abol Trail has also been rerouted making this a much easier trail to descend then before. Still, the upper half is steep and loose so caution is needed but once you leave the slide the trail becomes much easier. 

- After picking our way down the upper half of the slide we made quick work of the rest of the trail and ran two miles up the Tote Road back to the Jepp at Katahdin Stream Trailhead.

Todd makes his way back down the Tableland

Picking our way down the upper half of the Abol Trail on the slide

Day 3: Getaway / Get Away Day

- Friday morning we headed back over to Roaring Brook Trailhead to hike my favorite trail, Cathedral, and then one last traverse of the Knife Edge. On the way to the trailhead I got a flat tire, a rock went right through my tire, tires which are supposedly some of the best off road tires, so it was disappointing that a rock punctured the tire of my Jeep with these beefy tires. To add insult to injury a bunch of little sedans with regular tires were driving to the trailhead most likely laughing at me.

- Once we figured out how to use the jack correctly and where to place it correctly, totally different from my previous Jepp, we quickly switched out the flat with the full sized spare and drove the remaining few miles to Roaring Brook Trailhead and started up the mountain.

Bullseye, direct hit by this rock, a deep tire puncture that could not be plugged. 

- We trail ran to Chimney Pond and before we headed up we were asked to sign into the hiker's log book at the ranger's cabin. The ranger, who must have thought we were amateurs, started asking questions as if we have never hiked before. Even after informing her that we both live ten minutes from Pinkham Notch, she still was schooling me on a few things, always an enjoyable experience.

- After escaping the ranger we headed up the Cathedral Trail, what a beauty of a trail. It's rough and rugged as is sharply rises up to the first Cathedral, traveling through a boulder field just below treeline followed by some fun bouldering and slabby scrambles as it passes the three spires of the cathedrals.

- Just before treeline another hiker huffed and puffed to catch up to us. Not positive, but there was a 50% chance the ranger sent this dude to keep an eye on us, this hiker didn't think we knew what we were doing out here either. Our getaway day on the mountain was now quickly becoming a "Get Away From Me Day." After chatting with this fellow for a minute or two assuring him we knew what we were doing we zoomed up to the first Cathedral. 

- Once topping out and taking in the incredible view of the first cathedral we were treated with a pop quiz from an older hiker who also must have thought we were a couple of city-slickers. "Have you been here before", "you are on the first Cathedral", "Are you looking at the rock over on the Dudley Trail, that is Index Rock." I politely replied, "Yes we've been here a few times, yes the first Cathedral is great, Yes, I know where Index Rock is but we actually have been looking over there up to Chimney Peak because we have a map from 1948 that has an old trail called Chimney Trail and were wondering where that abandoned trail must have gone."

-  Finally after passing this hiker with all the answers to the test we got to enjoy the rest of the Cathedral Trail up to the top of Baxter Peak without interruptions while taking in the rugged views along the way. 

- At the summit we took a nice break and watched some thru-hikers finishing, always a great site!

Looking up at the first cathedral

Todd picks his way up the Cathedral Trail between the first and second spires

Perfect view of Hamlin Peak and the Great Basin

What a great moment it must have been for these two finishers!

Todd enjoying our last day on Mount Katahdin

- After our relaxing break in perfect weather we made our way across the Knife edge one last time, passing by many happy hikers along the way. We did run into one more hiker who made a sly comment about our attire, calling it "presi running kit." He later almost got his hiking partner cliffed out as he unwisely descended the Chimney off trail and she followed him and froze up, she had to turn around and crawl back up to where the trail was all the while he watched from below without helping out. We saw this spectacle from across the way as we were stuck at a choke point heading up Pamola while letting some nice but frightened hikers scoot down a tricky scramble.

- Once free of traffic we quickly summitted Pamola Peak and enjoyed the fabulous weather as we descended Keep Ridge along the Helon Taylor Trail. 

- Back at Roaring Brook we cleaned off and relaxed for awhile before making the drive back home to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  

- It was the second straight year of perfect timing for a mid-week adventure in Baxter State Park. I really enjoy the rules and regulations that the park has which keeps the number of hikers at bay while the park itself is very clean and pristine, a real joy, and I'm already looking forward to heading back again!

Todd with Keep Ridge in view

One last view of the magnificent Knife Edge!

The Cathedral of Winter Hiking in the Northeast . . . Mount Katahdin

“Man is born to die. His works are short-lived. Buildings crumble, monuments decay, and wealth vanishes, but Katahdin in all it's glory forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine.” - Percival Baxter

Date of Hike: 3/8/16

Chimney Pond Trail:  3.0 miles  /  North Basin Trail: 0.4 miles  /  Hamlin Ridge Trail: 1.5 miles  /  Northwest Basin Trail: 0.9 miles  /  Saddle Trail : 2.0 miles  /  Northwest Basin Trail: 0.9 miles  /  Hamlin Ridge Trail: 1.5 miles  /  North Basin Trail: 0.4 miles  /  Chimney Pond Trail: 3.6 miles
Total Miles: 14 miles (6,000 feet plus elevation gained)

Trip Report:
- There's winter hiking above 4,000 feet in New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, and then there is winter hiking in Maine, more specifically Baxter State Park and the summit of Mount Katahdin.  It's very remote and access to hiking it is very limited, so much so that requests for reservations have to be mailed in months in advance to try and land a spot in the coveted bunkhouse at Roaring Brook or Chimney Pond.  Once you secure a reservation then comes the planning and pulk sled building, yes a pulk!

- The Tote Road and Roaring Brook Road are closed between late October and early May, so there is a thirteen mile road walk from Abol Bridge off the Golden 'Pothole' Road to the Roaring Brook Bunkhouse, and sixteen miles if heading to Chimney Pond.  There are lean-tos at both sites but we took a chance and tried for the bunkhouses and I was able to land a spot for three nights in early March at the Roaring Brook Bunkhouse
- There ended up being six very strong hikers in our group (Whitney, Tim, Kyle, Jason, George, and myself) so we had the ability and experience, now we needed a little bit of luck weather wise as successful ascents of Mount Katahdin in winter are around thirty percent.
-  As it turns out our four days and three nights in the park brought all kinds of weather...sun, clouds, wind, rain, and snow, four to six inches.  Luckily, the hike pulling the sleds in was a beautiful day and our hike up Hamlin over to Baxter as an out an back was filled with a dramatic clearing and undercast giving way to abundant sunshine.  The following is how it all transpired.

Saturday, March 5th
- Whitney and I drive up from Gorham to meet Tim and Kyle for a night at Ruthies.  We both had time to kill in the afternoon so we drove the Golden Road to Abol Bridge to check out road conditions for the drive in to the winter trailhead.  For those not familiar with the Golden Road it's a 96 mile logging road that parallels the West Branch of the Penobscot River, it's said to be paved the 32 miles from the Millinocket side to Ripogenus Dam but that is hit or miss, there's pavement, which was half covered with ice, and then there is chewed up pavement and dirt/mud littered with potholes, it looked as if a field of mini mines went off creating small craters in the road.
- After what seemed like an eternity we made it to The winter trailhead and were treated to a spectacular view of Mount Katahdin from Abol Bridge.

Sunday, March 6th
-  The four of us had a big breakfast at Ruthies before heading back down Golden Road were we prepared our sleds for the hike in.  I made a pulk sled for both Whitney and I, our pulk was made from a Paris Company Expedition Sled, bright orange and five feet long.  I then purchased two six foot long fiberglass poles, anchor fasteners, u-bolts, joining the poles and anchors together with epoxy.  We both then packed our food and gear into big backpacks and wrapped them in tarp and into the sled.  Instead of pulling our sleds with a harness belt we both used smaller packs and clipped the poles to our packs.  The pulks worked fine, although I'm going to fine-tune it for next year by copying Tim's method of adding something underneath to stop the sled from moving left or right on the steeper down hills.
-  From the Golden Road we hooked onto the Abol Stream Trail for a mile and a half to the Tote Road.  Whitney and I started out on our skis but that didn't last long for me as I took them off after about a mile since I could hike faster without them because the trail and road was icy and choppy.  Whitney faired better and skied the flats and downs and hiked the ups for most of the way in.
- The weather was great for the pull in as it was mostly sunny skies with temps in the mid thirties.  On our way in we passed by a big group that summited the day before.  There were a couple of familiar faces in this group, Teresa and Beth who I have hiked / ran into previously.  They were all ecstatic from having a successful hike and great weather. M
- We made it to Roaring Brook around 2PM and made ourselves at home in the bunkouse.  The bunkhouse has a common area with two benches, a picnic table, a counter, and a wood iron stove.  There are two small rooms with six bunks at the far end of the common room.  The bunkhouses heat up extremely fast and can take on the feel of a sweat lodge.  Luckily for us we were able to maintain a decent temperature throughout our stay.  The bunkhouses can become cramped but we lucked out as the first night it was only the four of us and two ice climbers. (Jason and George were coming the next night).
-  The ranger (Greg) who is based at Chimney Pond came down twice to give us the run down, ask of our plans, and to play us the weather report over his radio.  Based on the forecast, Monday looked like wash while Tuesday looked promising so we kept our fingers crossed that Tuesday would be the day to go for it.

Monday, March 7th
-  Early in the morning the ice climbers headed off to Chimney Pond where they would be spending a few nights in a lean-to.  We relaxed for a few hours before heading up South Turner Mountain, a four mile round trip.  The trail past Sandy Stream Pond was not broken out and it started to snow, what was forecasted to be one inch turned into three to four, and four to six up higher.  So we broke trail as we got snowed on and then battle the wind up the final exposed quarter mile to the summit.  It was a grind of hike but luckily the short miles meant we were back to the bunkhouse early in the afternoon where we cranked up the heat to dry out our clothes.
-  After making lunch and relaxing for a bit, a group of three arrived for the night, Donna, Heather, and Joyce.  They were a great group to have in the bunkhouse, with lots of hiking experience, Donna was finishing her Winter New England Hundred Highest on Baxter.  Originally their plans were to head into Chimney Pond on Tuesday and spend a few nights at the lean-tos and make the attempt to summit on Wednesday or Thursday.  However, when the ranger played the weather report for us, Tuesday looked like the only good day to climb while Wednesday looked horrendous and Thursday was unsettling.  So they chose to change up their plans a bit and go for the summit from Roaring Brook on Tuesday and return and stay at the lean-tos here instead of Chimney Pond.
-  While all this was playing out Gerorge and Jason arrived, both looking to finish off their Single Season Winter New England 67 list, something that has only been completed six times.

Tuesday, March 8th
- 5AM we all head out along the Chimney Pond Trail in the dark hoping that the weather would be on our side.  The forecast for Baxter Peak at 5,267 feet was for the following; mostly cloudy skies becoming partly sunny, temperatures around freezing, winds 25 mph early with higher gusts while dropping throughout the day.
- The first three miles was an easy hike over the trail that had been packed down by the ranger's snow mobile.  The Chimney Pond Trail in the winter has a deviation here and there from the summer route, most notably is the really cool walk across Basin Pond where you get a real nice view of the North and South Basin below the peaks of Mount Katahdin (Pamola, South, Baxter, Hamlin, Howe).
- After passing the pond we made our way up to the North Basin Trail where we started to break trail over to Hamlin ridge Trail.  The trail breaking continued with Whitney and Kyle leading the way, luckily the trail emerges from treeline quickly and the while the trail breaking continued the ridge is wind swept so the snow wasn't that deep after the first half mile.
-  The Hamlin Ridge Trail is a steep boulder 'stair master' narrow ridge with dramatic views into the north and south basins.  As we made our way up we initially had no views as we were in thick clouds and high winds, the goggles went on, the crampons and ice axes came out, and we plodded our way up the ridge.  I was able to stay in my Dion snowshoes, which are quite small and have ice cleats on them, so I was able to maneuver between the snow, ice, and rocks without having to switch over to crampons until the descent.  If I was wearing my Tubbs Flex Alps I would have switched over right away as they're too big and clumsy for safe passage over that terrain.
- About a quarter mile from the summit of Hamlin Peak the clouds cleared off ever so slightly for a few seconds revealing the Knife Edge betweeen Pamola and South Peak across the South Basin.  It was quite the scene, and as we made our way to the summit of Hamlin Peak then turned towards the Tableland the clearing off of the clouds made for some of the most dramatic and phenomenal hiking experiences of my life!
-  The clouds kept breaking up as we approached the Saddle, shortly thereafter the sun was shinning abundantly above us while leaving a beautiful undercast to the south and west.
- Conditions were now perfect as we made the final ascent up to Baxter Peak over the steep snow fields past the Cathedral Cutoff to the summit sign.  The wind was whipping pretty good at the summit but the temperatures were warm enough that it was fine to stand around and snap a bunch of pictures and roam around for about twenty minutes.
- Views from the summit of Baxter Peak are out of this world, the Knife Edge looms just past the summit like a gothic sculpted masterpiece as its jagged rock walls fall steeply down into the South Basin to Chimney Pond.  In the winter the steep rock walls are a mix of behemoth ice bulges, snow fields, and wind swept slab and jagged rock.  It looks oh so daunting and intimidating.
-  Our time at the summit was filled with a special moment as we witnessed Jason and George finish their SSW67, and George also finished his winter NE111 (115).  Jason made a sign for the finish which was pretty funny as it got beat up by the wind as he held it, looked like someone chewed off the side of it!
- After taking it all in from the summit we retraced our steps.  We ran into Donna, Heather, and  Joyce about a half mile from the summit where Jason handed off the poster to Donna.  Jason made a NEHH Winter finish sign on the other side of the poster so Donna now took it with her for one of her summit photos.
- The descent back over the Tableland and Hamlin Ridge was magnificent, we went at a slow pace and kept taking in all the views which I will never forget.  The wind also became non-existent and it was so warm and sunny that it felt like summer, complete with some sun burn on our faces to boot!
- Unfortunately after a few hours we were back below treeline, but there was still one last big view to capture as we made a side trip to Chimney Pond to take in the powerful views from the bottom of South Basin.
- At Chimney Pond we talked to the ranger before making our way back to Roaring Brook.  It was a nice and easy hike back out as as thin layer of clouds slowly started to creep back towards Mount Katahdin.  We couldn't have timed our hike perfectly and we are all very lucky to have been able to share such a special hike with a very supportive group of hikers.
-  Mount Katahdin has always been a special place for me as it continues to build upon memories that will last a lifetime, from being a child scrambling across the Knife Edge with my mom, dad, and brother in 1992, to heading back in 2006 on an oppressively hot record setting summer day with my college friend Blindt, as we headed up the Cathedral Trail and across the Kinfe Edge, to 2013 with a group put together by Tim where I first met Whitney, followed by a return in 2014 for Whitney's Appalachian Trail thru-hike finish, to finally the most memorable winter hike of my life on March 8th, 2016. To say I'm very fortunate and lucky when it comes to hiking is an understatement, and there is not a day that goes by that I realize this and how happy it makes me. :)

 A beautiful late afternoon view from Abol Bridge of the mountain we hope to hike

Organizing our pulks from the winter trailhead off of the Golden Road

Pulling our gear in over the Tote and Roaring Brook roads

Togue Pond gate where the Tote road Roaring Brook road merge

Whitney heads down Roaring Brook Road on her skis

Walking along a clearing near the Helon Taylor Pond

  

 Roaring Brook Campground and the bunkhouse

Inside the bunkhouse.  Just behind the bunkhouse we pump water into a five gallon jug that Tim brought 

We start out on the Chimney Pond Trail as the sky slowly lights up and clouds start to break a low elevations but are still socked in above

View of the Hamlin Ridge from Basin Pond

Whitney breaks trail at the start of treeline as we head up into the clouds

The gang makes it's way up the ridge as the sun starts trying to burn through

Partial clearing between four and five thousand feet

Clouds breaking off revealing Hamlin Ridge and the valley below

  

Baxter and South peak clearing off quickly 

The Knife Edge in view!

Making our way up the final few hundred feet to the summit of Hamlin Peak

Hamlin Peak summit picture

Next stop is Baxter Peak

As we head toward the Saddle and Tableland we walk through the clearing off of the clouds

The sun is about to dominate the sky for the day!

Approaching the top of the massive South Basin

 Whitney hiking along the Northwest Basin Trail towards the Hamlin/Baxter saddle

The South Basin is now cloud free as the ridge line in the sky block lower clouds from the south and west from entering

 Taking a break at the Saddle Trail junction

Jason and Kyle enjoy the views 

Taking a break before our mile long ascent up to Baxter Peak

Whitney, Tim, and George make their way along the upper section of the Saddle Trail

Jason and Tim ascending as the clouds blow off of Hamlin Peak behind them

Kyle pulls ahead and picks his way up the steep snowfield below the summit

 Jason moves along the edge of snowfield thousands of feet above Chimney Pond

Kyle on the uppermost snowfield

The gang makes their way to the upper snowfield

Whitney digs in with her crampons while having her ice axe ready

 Snow blasted trail sign above the Cathedral Trail

One last snowfield to get by

Jason and Tim on the final approach

Untouched!

Summit of Baxter Peak

Jason and George celebrate an incredible accomplishment!

Looking toward South Peak

  

The Knife Edge!

The knife Edge (Pamola Peak is on the left, South Peak to the right)

 Looking down into the South Basin and Chimney Pond

Chimney Pond and the South Basin

The big summit cairn at Baxter Peak

 South Peak

The Knife Edge

Another view of the ridgeline that makes up the Knife Edge

Whitney loving life!

 Heading back towards the Saddle

Descending before ascending back to Hamlin Peak 

Pamola Peak and the eastern entrance to the South Basin from the Saddle

 The gang makes their way down from Baxter Peak

The Knife Edge

Tim and Kyle take it all in, what a day!

View from the summit area of Hamlin Peak

 Looking north to Howe Peaks

 George enjoying the super huge view into the South Basin

The Knife edge looming large above George

Down below us there are ponds in every direction, all frozen over and blanketed with snow

Chimney Pond

What a view!!

Looking towards Baxter Peak and the ridge as it slopes down into the Saddle

Tim glissading!

 Jason glissading and having a blast

Hamlin Ridge

One last view of the South Basin

  

The final descent back to treeline

 Approaching Chimney Pond and the ice covered walls of the South Basin

Chimney Pond Ranger Station

Chimney Pond

Blue Ice, rock, snow, etc

 Pretty impressive!

Making our way out over Basin Pond

Time with Hamlin Ridge and the North Basin behind him 

One last view of Hamlin Ridge and the North Basin

Final few miles out along the Chimney Pond Trail

The best sign around :)

Signs spotted along the way, part one

Signs spotted along the way, part two

Elevation Profile for the sled pull in, two hikes (South Turner & Katahdin), and the sled pull out.  I added South Turner in myself, I didn't keep a track of it so it's not 100% accurate but it's in the ballpark!

Route for entire trip, minus South Turner (click here for more info)

Katahdin Hike