Climbing Katahdin via stellar Cathedral Trail down Hamlin 7-12-12

[John in NH]

Cathedral Trail indicated in red, straight up the buttress dividing south basin of Katahdin, to the summit (x), as seen from Hamlin Ridge Trail later in day

My sixty seven in a single year quest (2012) has brought me to some great places. Finally getting up Katahdin has certainly been a standout highlight. For me, there is simply no other mountain that compares in the Northeast in terms of “real” mountain feel (in summer at least).

Looking up South Basin from Chimney Pond to the cliffs below the Knife Edge

Last year I was planning on going up the Cathedral Trail with a relatively inexperienced friend who said he was uneasy about heights. I saw that summit post rated it class 3 / 4 at the time so I sought advice here http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthre...rail-on-Katahdin-Question&highlight=cathedral . My friend never made the trip. I went anyway, only to be chased off the lower reaches of the Cathedral Trail by torrential rain. This year I had much better weather and couldn’t wait to see what I couldn’t last year.

My impressions of the Cathedral trail: Fun and one of the most spectacular trails in New England! Everyone seems to focus on doing the Knife Edge when they go to Katahdin, but that would mean skipping Cathedral if also going for Hamlin Peak. It’s a shame to miss this trail though.

A hiker starting the climb up the first Cathedral

The trail goes right over the 3 cathedrals

There really is minimal sense of exposure on this trail, so unless you were extremely, extremely sensitive to heights that wouldn’t be a problem. The scrambles are well marked, and its mostly just going over boulders 5 to 10 feet high, and that’s about the worst you feel like you would fall. It would be a terrible place to need rescue though, I would think a liter carry would be at an absurd angle down and a helicopter unlikely. The rock is super grippy when dry albeit sharper than in the whites.

This is one of the few routes in NE I would say “I climbed” versus “I hiked,” not technical climbing, but in the sense that you are using all fours almost constantly during the whole steepest 1.2 miles. So the Colorado Roach definition of class 3 “easiest climbing category ....'Scrambling'...you are beginning to look for and use handholds for upward movement” seemed most accurate. (I think it would be class 2+ in Yosemite/California definitions) There were only 3 or 4 trickier section of larger slab that took a little pause and thought.

Plan for more time than normal, I usually hike at least 2 mph going uphill on 4k’s including stoppages, but this trail took me 2 hours per mile (.5 mph), although I took 100 pictures and more than a few moments to enjoy being in this special place, so I could have gone faster.

On Baxter summit, looking across Knife Edge, hikers are huddled on Pamola summit at farthest left. See them?

Is the hump to the right of them the dreaded chimney on the knife's edge, or is that further along?

I would not recommend Cathedral trail for descent, though I suppose you could if experienced, but it would be brutal plus those 3-4 spots would be interesting. Smaller children under teenage (note: children 6 and under are forbidden to be on Katahdin per the rules) or adults for that matter might struggle with this route, as some of the moves require some good stretching. Would definitely not recommend in the rain.

Hamlin Ridge Trail is a real gem by the way.

Looking down Hamlin Ridge, the humps further down the trail become only 8-10 foot wide in spots

I didn’t see a soul out there descending it, and you can look into both basins simultaneously.

The undeveloped/untrailed Northwest Basin and headwalls

Back to south basin and Katahdin over a field of blooming blueberry bush

An interesting thing my conversations with other hikers revealed was that almost no one on the mountain knew what a “4000 footer” was—most were there just because of what Katahdin was, not because of a list or spreadsheet. People were from all over: Wisconsin, Texas, Canada, Germany, Illinois, etc.

Katahdin is the gem of the East Coast. It felt like a Western mountain and almost like I should have had to buy a plane ticket to get to such a place.

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

Drool. Awesome pics and report. Great info too. Certainly not a mountain to underestimate. Kudos on the great hike/climb.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Is the hump to the right of them the dreaded chimney on the knife's edge, or is that further along?

Yes. That is the crux of the hike, IMO. After that, it's just walking along an exposed, narrow path. But none of this stuff scares me...

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Nice timing, John. I need only those 3 "4000 footers" plus the 3 NEHH peaks to finish both lists I was thinking not more than 3 hours ago, how one could do both the Cathedral Trail and the Knife Edge. Maybe it's a week-long affair and one takes a few trips. Tough I know

Tim

 

[brobichaud]

Great pictures! I was up there the following day, it was quite a nice stretch of weather, a bit hot for my taste. Glad you had an awesome time!

 

[DMOutdoors]

Great pictures and hike. The Chimney was definitely the most interesting part of the Knife Edge.

I was also slowed way down by the terrain, as it was much more difficult that some of the steep trails in the Whites. I would also agree on your description of "scrambling" and using all fours. Beautiful and impressive, and while scrambling up the trails, it definitely adds a wow factor that is not often experienced in the Whites.

 

[Amicus]

I was thinking not more than 3 hours ago, how one could do both the Cathedral Trail and the Knife Edge.
Tim

Up Cathedral and down Knife Edge/Helon Taylor is not too tough a loop. I did that on a sunny day in early October and the cool air and good visibility really put a cap on it. I took the first 22 pix in this album on that hike, to give you an idea. You can get Hamlin the next day (or make it an out-and-back detour from the top of Cathedral, for a long day) and the Brothers, Coe and Fort on the following day. I got all of those List peaks but Fort in two days, when that was all I had available, in '06, and didn't find that to be too much. I could have added Fort as well, but my companion was not a bushwhacker, was wearing shorts and flatly refused. I think Fort is worth its own trip anyway, to give you the time to find and explore the '44 plane wreck.

Cathedral Trail is spectacular, and I agree with John in NH that it makes much more sense to climb than to descend it.

Two days after his hike (this Tuesday), I climbed to Baxter Peak from the west side, which I hadn't before, up the Abol and down the Hunt Trail. It was still muggy in the hot sun, which we felt a lot more scrambling up and down all the exposed rock that dominates both of those Trails. Lots of water required, but they too are spectacular, if rough, in their way.

 

[DougPaul]

Is the hump to the right of them the dreaded chimney on the knife's edge, or is that further along?

The Chimney proper is the gully leading down from the notch just to the right of the peak with the people. (The Chimney is a technical climbing route. There is/used to be a chockstone in it that one had to climb under, thus the name.) The peak immediately to the right of the notch is Chimney Peak.

The crux of the Knife Edge is the short section between Chimney Peak and the Notch.

Doug

 

[allison88]

Great trip report! Looking forward to getting some Maine hiking in

 

[ow2010]

These are some of the best pictures I've ever seen from Katahdin...thanks for posting!

 

[John in NH]

Thanks all. The pictures don't do it justice, as is always the case.

Tim-- Yeah, unfortunately its not really possible to do both Knife Edge and Cathedral in one hike if you want Baxter and Hamlin, but Amicus suggestion up Chimney pond--Cathedral, over Knife Edge, down Heylon Taylor (versus going down dudley, which is nearly as rough as Cathedral, though not as steep from what I hear) sounds like a good way to experience both if day hiking. Good luck finishing up the NEHH, hopefully this year? Looks like Big Earl just posted another timely report for you on the other peaks. I did only North Brother while there since solo and didn't want to head to Fort, though a line of cairn exists at the top of North Brother to point you in the right direction.

It was hot indeed when I did North Brother the next day-90 degrees, as well day after that, when a big t-storm hit Katahdin at 3pm. I was camped at Katahdin Stream and talked to many soaked hikers coming down near dark, a few who had been on the actually summit when it hit, saying they thought it was the end.

Tom and Doug-- Thanks identifying the Chimney for me. Knife Edge will be on the itinerary for my next visit, and I think I'll come up Helon so I can hit what sounds like the toughest part of the Knife Edge first.

As DMOutdoors mentioned, this hiking is slower than the whites, but more spectacular too!

 

[DougPaul]

Knife Edge will be on the itinerary for my next visit, and I think I'll come up Helon so I can hit what sounds like the toughest part of the Knife Edge first.

The crux is probably easier in that direction because you will be ascending the pitch rather than descending. However, it isn't that hard... It is short and you can take your time.

Doug

 

[bikehikeskifish]

The Brothers, Fort and Coe, if done in one day, don't leave one much choice (clockwise or anticlockwise). Hamlin + Baxter make things interesting , and assuming I want to finish the NEHH on Baxter, it would seem that Roaring Brook/Chimney Bond/North Basin (or cutoff)/Hamlin Ridge Trail/Knife Edge is the obvious way to go. Now if I want to visit Chimney Pond, that suggests either a 0.6 mile detour on the way to Hamlin Ridge, or coming down Dudley. Or, I can do the peakbagging trip next chance, and return later for a more casual visit.

Tim

 

[Amicus]

Hamlin + Baxter make things interesting , and assuming I want to finish the NEHH on Baxter, it would seem that Roaring Brook/Chimney Bond/North Basin (or cutoff)/Hamlin Ridge Trail/Knife Edge is the obvious way to go. Now if I want to visit Chimney Pond, that suggests either a 0.6 mile detour on the way to Hamlin Ridge, or coming down Dudley. Or, I can do the peakbagging trip next chance, and return later for a more casual visit.

Tim

If your goal is to tag Hamlin and Baxter for List purposes in that order, I wouldn't bother with Chimney Pond, but would take (as I did in the other direction) Chimney Pond Tr./No. Basin Cutoff/No. Basin Tr./Hamlin Ridge Tr., then south along the plateau to Baxter, Knife Edge and Helon Taylor Trail. The Pamola tight bit may be a little more challenging in that direction, but really only if you're short, which would require a bit of a drop. I found it about the same both ways.

If you're looking for a great day-hike from Roaring Brook to Baxter with Hamlin not a factor, my favorite is Chimney Pond/Cathedral/Saddle/Knife Edge/Helon Taylor.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I'm 6'3" Thanks - good information.

Tim