Mighty Mt. Katahdin!

Mt. Katahdin

   We woke up to a crisp, clear, and beautiful Maine morning. We double checked all of our gear and got ready for the ride to Baxter State Park.

   While waiting for our ride we decided to weigh our packs.

Tink:   35 lbs.

Off:    55 lbs.

T.P.:   65 lbs.

Gig:   67lbs.

  I know it’s a lot, but we were carrying ten days worth of food for four hungry hikers hiking through the 100 Mile Wilderness.

   The 100 Mile Wilderness is a section of the AT  that is 100 Miles long and has no way, on the way, to get resupplied. So one must carry all the food needed to hike the whole way; and we didn’t want to be too hungry.

   The shuttle driver loaded our packs on the roof the van.

Loading The Packs

    The drive to Baxter State Park was amazing. The whole forest on both side of the van sparkled in the morning sun.

   As we drove down the long road the driver pointed out a moose crossing the road and heading into a river we were passing. We could not see it since we were in the rear seats of the van. But we managed to get a glimpse of his head as he began climbing the opposite bank of the river.

There is a moose in there!

Well I thought, at least we got a glimpse, we’re not here to see the animals anyway.

   During the forty-five minute drive to Baxter State Park the driver gave us a very informative safety briefing. One thing he suggested was taking a blue blazed high water trail when leaving Baxter. I remember him saying, “The rain has been heavy lately and the water crossing may be dangerous. Your best bet is to take the high water trail.”

   The Appalachian Trail is well marked with what are called blazes. A blaze is a 6 by 2 inch strip of white paint on a tree about 5 or 6 feet off of the ground. Any trail that branches off of the AT — such as trails to shelters, water, roads, or shortcuts — are marked with blue blazes. Many people believe that to truly hike the entire AT you have pass each and every white blaze. Taking a blue blazed high water trail, what is called “blue blazing”, will cause us to miss some of the actual trail. That didn’t sit well with me. So I decided to make the decision when we got to that point.

   The shuttle brought us to the Baxter Ranger Station. There the park rangers locked up our packs and provided us with day packs for the hike up Katahdin. The rangers discourage hiking with a full pack due to the mountain’s difficulty. It was about 07:30.

Baxter Ranger Station

And so, at 07:30 on June 17, 2015 we started our 5.2 mile hike up to the peak of Mt. Katahdin.

To be continued…