Maine - AT Hike

Kim decided she wanted to do a bit more towards her goal of hiking the AT, so we did the segment from the Katahdin Campground, where we started the climb, back to Abol bridge, about a total of 12 miles.

It was a nice day, somewhat cloudy and foggy, but this seem to add to the beauty of the area.

Shortly after starting, we were joined by "Square Peg" (her trailname chosen because her Mom used to call her that as a child). She had just completed the entire AT (done in four major segments), with the exception of this small stretch. She also plans to climb Katahdin with some other thru-hikers tomorrow, which will be the celebration of the completion!

The trail was pleasant, offering some challenging crossings, interesting glacial rocks, and even a touch of those fall colors that we came up here for.

We noticed the colors seemed more intense on the drive back, with the late evening golden light illuminating their foliage.

Bob was particularly taken by this large painted rock laying aside the road on the way back to Millinocket Hidden Springs Campground.

As we pulled up to the trailer, my good buddy & camp guard "Socks" was waiting for his evening sip of fine wine! The perfect ending to a great day!

Maine - Penobscot River Paddle

The Penobscot River in central Maine is New England’s second largest river system. With Mount Katahdin as a stunning backdrop, this powerful river is a picture come to life. The river's West Branch is famous for its numerous falls and rapids which provide outstanding whitewater rafting and angling for landlocked Atlantic salmon.

Since Sam & I don’t paddle whitewater. We were assured by local paddlers & river guides that the section of the river that we chose was safe for anyone. We would meet a few rapids, made less threatening by low water levels this year, and there were easy portages around them. Of course, no story is ever totally true.

Bob and Joy were anxious to put their two Necky Manitou 13 kayaks to the test. The launch-point and take-out were close to our campground and luckily, Bob & Sam ended up hitching a ride from a fellow kayaker.

Our first hour on the river was breathtaking. Wide and clear, moving slowly through woods that were just starting to show their autumn glory. Mt. Katahdin towered above and behind us. We continued to glance back, hoping the view would miraculously appear before us around the next bend. Mt. Katahdin and Baxter Peak are the end of the Appalachian Trail. See Sam and I's account here on the Blog. It seemed amazing that we were actually had reached the top of the huge peak only days before.

As we approached the roar of the first rapids and spotting the portage was easy, reducing apprehension that we may have to run them. The half mile carry was wide, easy to follow and fairly flat. We snapped a few pictures of the rapids before putting in on the opposite end. Within a few leisurely miles the next set of rapids came into view. We zipped through the fast water, which proved more fun than threat!

Since the designated campsites either didn't exiet or were poorly marked, we pressed on and Sam discovered an unmarked camp on an island in the middle of the river. It had a nice fire ring, room for 2 tents and beautiful views of Katahdin.

Sam couldn't wait to wet a line on this great salmon stream. While he caught a few small ones, Joy ended up catching the only “keeper” of the trip.

Known for its large population of moose, we expected to see a few of the huge creatures. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any moose during the trip. While paddling we did see a few bald eagles, mergansers, kingfishers and osprey.
Morning painted a beautiful sunrise with a bit of fog and mist rising from the lake. What a start for another beautiful day. Lows in the upper 50's rising to the mid-70s by noon were perfect paddling and camping weather!

Although starting on a quiet, wide stretch of the river, it wasn’t long before we heard the somewhat louder roar of the next set of rapids. Looking for a portage on the left side of the river as we had been told, we were taken by surprise when we discovered an old deserted cabin.

Peering through the window, I noticed a journal on the table. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked, bearing a note on it's inner surface that had been left on birch bark offering it for use in an emergency. The wood stove evidently still worked and there were several pots & pans adorning the interior. If one dared, you could even sleep in the musty smelling bed. One wondered about the stories it's walls could tell of the numerous trappers, hunters, woodsmen and fisherman who had stayed there over the years.

During the 19th century, the Penobscot became the primary means of transporting logs out of the North Woods to Bangor--then the "timber capital of the world". Much evidence of this logging activity remained on the river.

After an hour or so examining the camp, looking at the next set of rapids and trying to figure out how we were going to make our way out at the other end of the portage. we braved a part-run through the back half of the rocky rapids.

As we approached Lake Ambajejus, the river was slowed & widened into it. The river had been dammed years ago to form the lake so that the logs could be gathered into booms. We found the old boomhouse there on the North shore of the lake. It is manned by a caretaker who also built birch bark canoes.

Just as we paddled up, he was returning in his tiny skiff after making a grocery run. He invited us to eat our lunches on the porch then visit the museum. The house was filled with all kinds of antiquities from the logging industry. It appeared that almost nothing had been changed since the day the last logger left it.

The last part of our paddle involved crossing the open water of Lake Ambejejus. We soon

discovered that the deceivingly short-looking paddle was an illusion. After three miles across open water, we finally arrived at our trucks. We were delighted to find these oddly named but ice cold refreshments across the street.

We all felt that this paddle had been one of the best. It was just the right combination of scenic views, great water, beautiful weather, history and companionship. Two days had not been long enough to soak it all in. I discovered a few weeks later that the River further north was more wild and scenic, being home to the largest concentration of moose in the state of Maine. We WILL come back!

We Climb Katahdin!

Up at 4:30am, temp is 31 degrees, forcast for clear & perfect conditions..we just had to do this!

Yes, make the final 5.2mile 4200' climb to the summit of Mt Kathdin, the most northern segment of the Appalachian Trail. With a hearty carbs-loaded breakfast, plenty of snacks & water, packs and hiking poles loaded, we drive from our "home" at Hidden Springs Campground in Millinocket, Maine to Baxter State Park, the home of the mountain. http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/

Kim has done several AT segment hikes over the years, but always felt this was the "ultimate challenge" of the Trail. It's certainly one to complete while physically able, and in favorable conditions. As it turned out, we couldn't have picked a better day. Moderate temps, virtually no wind, fall colors emerging, and all under a crystal blue-clear sky!

We arrived at Katahdin Stream Campground to find "The Greatest Mountain" (named "Katahdin" by people local to the peak and by the Penobscot Indians) waking in the early glow of a smokey dawn.

We signed in at the trailhead at 7AM, bundled for the chilly morning air, and up to the challenge that lay ahead. The first mile or so was typical of many other places on the AT. Cool dense forest, the babbling of nearby Katahdin Creek, a well-worn uphill trail marked with the familiar white blazes found throughout the AT.

Our map clearly indicated that things would start to change past Katadin Falls, which shown beautiful in the morning light. The trail turned rocky and upward signalling that our real journey to the top had just begun.

After a short segment through more & more steep, rocky, thick woods, at a short pause, our efforts are rewarded by our first look at surrounding mountains!

As we reached Cave Rock, and I looked straight up at the large boulders, and noticed the white blazes stacked vertically above, I remembered an old Army saying "when the goin' gets tough, the tough gets goin'. I just hoped with forty years difference in age, and a few worn out bones & muscles, the tough would still be there when needed!

Kim said I should go first, But I thought I should stay below and catch her if she fell. I guess she realized that she needed to be below to "catch" the insurance proceeds after the 200 plus foot drop "insured" their avaiability!

But, a few moments later it was her turn with me exclaining how "easy it was" to be first!

All joking aside this and much of the rest of the trip up was pretty tough, and required some climbing techniques that neither Kim or I had trained for. Many of the spots had near-vertical drops that would have resulted in a serious injury or death on a fall. Somehow in our reading and discussions with others we had missed this!

As Kim made it though the last of the "Boulder Field" (as labeled on the map), and things began to level out a bit, we were decieved into thinking that it would get easier.

The long ridge ahead gave the illusion that it wasn't too steep, and that the climbing would go much better. Actually we had another mile of climbing crevases, rocks and boulders that were just as demanding, and had many of the same open drops. The interesting thing is that that peak ahead is not the summit of Katahdin. It lay hidden off to the far right and another two miles away! The prize for all this effort were the spectacular views in every direction as we continued to gain altitude.

The ridge top brought yet another surprise, a long, almost flat plateau that stretched far ahead and to the left side. Cranberry colored low growth seemed out of place alongside the mostly green views below and the striking blue above. It was a welcome departure from the hand-over-foot slow climbing of the past couple of hours. And finally the elusive summit still laying far ahead. Although difficult, we agreed the climb through the Boulders was fun!

As Kim followed across the plateau, I looked back at the crest of the ridge we had climbed behind her, hiding all thoughts of what would greet us on the way down.

After what seemed like miles of travel across this broad plain, we reach yet another (but now the final - YES!) rocky climb to the summit....

And finally we actually see people on the top (those little dots way on top in the middle), and hear their cheers as the through-hikers celebrate having achieved the 2160 miles from Georgia.

Another twenty minutes at Noon, and we too are standing on what felt like the top of the world, celebrating the victory over mass and height like the others!

I'll let the pictures at the top speak for themselves...we had a nice lunch, talked with other day hikers, celebrated with the thru-hikers, and enjoyed the magnificant scenery!

By 1PM we had realized that what was so hard and vertical coming up would be harder and more VERTICAL going down. Needless to say not too many pictures were taken on the descent. We wanted to make it before dark, and knew the trip down would take longer!

Reaching the plateau was fairly easy and we were greeted with a beautiful view of the valley below.

It wasn't long before we reached the top of the long treacherous ridge. Beginning to get tired and a bit sore, it seemed to take forever to get down to the Boulder Field a mile below.

I'll never forget swnging over that iron handhold dangling, groping helplessly for the tiny footskeg 6' below, then having to work down gently with hands in small cracks and feet searching for a landing spot. Needless to say, this sequence was repeated many times on the trip further down.

We took our time, and tried not to focus on the steepness of the vertical views below us. But, there was no choice, descend or be trapped overnight in the cold with no gear to support us.

Finally reaching the wooded area. With only a couple of miles to go, it brought little relief for the aching feet & legs.

I paused for a few moments to catch the sun's final rays highlighting Katahdin Falls. Kim passed on by, too tired to divert the extra hundred yards to the view.

Finally at 6:30PM we reached the Campground parking lot. What a relief, and what a sight!
Perfect timing to see Katahdin glowing in the distance under the warm red dusk of the setting sun!