Coe / Brothers / Fort - inquiry

[Damselfly]

Friends and I have a reservation in Baxter for late July.

Weather permitting, how feasible would it be to make a circuit of No. Brother, Fort, (No. Brother), So. Brother, and Coe, via the Marston & Mt. Coe Trails?

We're all experienced hikers and bushwhackers.

Mileage wise it looks feasible, but when I read trip reports, I have some questions.

Any advice appreciated.

Beth Zimmer
btzimr at gmail dot com

 

[nartreb]

I haven't done the Fort bushwhack, but I've done the Brothers-Coe loop, it's a fine outing. Adding the bushwhack makes for a longer day, but should be quite feasible.

I'd avoid the Mt Coe slide if it rains.

One upon a time I couldn't find maps that showed the correct trail routes; not sure whether that's still true, but, the page linked below shows a map I corrected myself.

http://www.summitpost.org/marston-trail-mt-coe-trail-loop/164790

The old trails are still pretty visible on the ground, or were a couple of years ago, but it's faster to stick to the maintained trails.

 

[MichaelJ]

I've done it twice, both the dry route and the wet route.

The dry-weather route is a full day, somewhere in the 12 mile range if I recall correctly. Go out and up the Coe slide, then come over Coe and S Brother, then from the junction N Brother and Fort as an out-and-back, and down. When I did this route as part of a group of four, it was 9 hours from the start to the final descent from N Brother. I don't have a total time, unfortunately.

If it's wet it's still do-able but you should avoid the slide, meaning a longer day by a few miles. Just go up to the ridge and do a "T": hit N Brother and Fort as an out-and-back, then S Brother & Coe as an out-and-back, and down. When I did this route with Sabrina, it took us about 12 hours, though we lost some time on the Fort bushwhack when we lost the herd path in the dense fog conditions. We both started and finished in the rain, though it cleared while we were on Fort and the summits were beautiful. It's your choice, of course, which to do first, but we figured we'd start with the whack and end with the easier summits.

Do not step on the black lichen on the Coe slide, even if it looks dry. It's like teflon. Step only on grass/vegetation tufts, or bare dry rock.

 

[Raymond]

I haven’t done the complete loop either, but in 1997 my friend and I did the Coe-South Brother loop without hiking the North Brother spur. Unfortunately, while I recorded that we began hiking at 9:02 a.m., and wrote down many intermediary times, I didn’t record every intermediary time, nor the time we got back to the car, so I don’t know how long it all took. It was October 7, and still fairly bright when we finished — though the sun was behind Doubletop — so it couldn’t have been too late.

Nine years later, by myself, I climbed North Brother and Fort and thought about doing the loop, but I went down Fort’s summit ridge and found the plane crash, then on my return to North Brother, met some men who were honoring their brother and friend who had been killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks five years earlier, and I talked with them a while, so, worried that I’d be hiking in the dark if I did the entire loop, I just went back down the Marston Trail. That hike began at 7:43 a.m. and finished at 5:05 p.m., so 9⅓ hours in all.

There was a pretty clear herd path to Fort. It was a little vague in the middle, but I’ll bet it’s only become more well-beaten in the last 5½ years. However, as Poison Ivy wrote in a post that I read here just before I left home to drive up to Baxter State Park, if you lose the path, just look down and you’ll find it again. It worked for me.

 

[peakbagger]

I am no speed demon and have done the loop in a day. Its a long day but very doable if dry. When wet skip the Coe slide. The closest approximation to it in the whites is the trypryamid North Slide although I am remember the Coe's slide is wider but less steep. To bad the old Marston Slide trail wasnt still open, it cuts off a couple of miles and the Coe slide. I also remember its a fairly dry hike in September with no water sources on the ridge, the last good water was ascending the Marston trail after the pond and then there was water down in the valley between OJI and Coe.

Note I went to the then recognized summit of Fort which is on the west end of Fort. (Some folks have stated over the years that the East summit is higher)If you want to visit the plane wreck, that is off the east summit and would add an hour at a minimum.

Do remember the road limitations when making reservations, Unless you are are Kidney, Daicey of Katahdin Stream, its a long drive from the other sites, about the closest would be the group site for Katahdin Stream. Nesowadnehunk is the next closest site. If you are Roaring brook plan on an hour drive.

You are technically supposed to ask permission from the rangers for bushwhacking in the park, I think it common courtesty to check in but most folks just note that Fort is part of their hike at the trailhead sign in board.

 

[Damselfly]

Thanks all, for the advice. If the weather is dry... we'll be fine.

Our reservation is at Daicey Pond... so our drive is pretty short.

thanks again, Beth

 

[Bigfoot]

4 mtns

My advice watch the weather and go for it. I did it along with some young guys I met at the trailhead. Mistake #1---do not hike with very young men. I stayed with them until we got back to the junction with nothing left to do but return to our cars. They kicked my butt on the way back.

Actually it was a good day. Just wish I could have counted N Brother twice.

Bigfoot

 

[Amicus]

I cast my vote against this hike, having done it and having visited Fort twice, both times with the trip to the WWII wreck. The 'whack/herd-path to Fort from No. Brother can be readily followed if you look down, but you'll be poked and prodded most of the way, as it is thickly grown in (and my most recent trip was last Oct.). It is tedious and I don't think you'll make great time. The wreck is inspiring, and I can't see going to Fort without making that visit. It is not so easy to find, however - less so last Oct. than on my first visit in '06, which I respect. I would allow an extra 90 minutes, to find it and do it justice, and then you have a very long day indeed.

Coe and So. Brother are both great, without the tedium of the heavily eroded No. Brother Trail, and I think they deserve their own hike.

I haven't seen any strong argument that the east bump of Fort is higher, however, which the topo maps seem to contradict.

 

[king tut]

I did this hike 6 1/2 years ago, and posted a trip report. Quick summary, about 11 miles for all four mountains, 4600 or so vertical, and it took me about 8 hours, two of which was lost hiking fort and destroying my clothes on the herd path and trees. Good hike, just don't descend the Coe slide in the rain like I did.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

My wife and I did it from the Roaring Brook campground in 2008. We went up to North Brother and then to Fort and back, and then down the Coe slide. It took us about 12 hours, plus the driving which was about an hour each way. With the right weather I would go that way again in order to get the bushwhack over in the morning.

Coming down Coe slide wasn't as bad as we feared, although rain clouds moving in made us uncomfortable. The one issue we hadn't anticipated was that the blazes are really for ascending, not descending, so finding the proper route took time. The slide can be really slippery, which slowed us down. We also took our time getting back to the North Brother trail, which added to the total amount for the day.

We also spent a lot of time on the Fort and South Brother summits, which I would probably cut short if we returned. We really liked the hike a lot and would do it again, but our next trip to Baxter is reserved for Doubletop.

 

[Mike P.]

another warning for the lichen, it's slick even if dry, I thought I was in trouble when I went for a ride but my slide was short & I landed on my pack. I'd agree, not as steep as North Tri. As far as the lichen, the only thing i found close to the same slippery quotient would be the purple slime on Allen along Allen Brook above the falls.

 

[RoySwkr]

My mother & I did it in a previous century, as it was Sept and she walks slow we finished in the dark

A real bushwhacker like yourself will consider Fort a trailed peak

I vote for doing all 4 together and using the other day for a different fine hike in Baxter but it should be good weather, in rain go elsewhere

 

[IQuest]

My friend and I did your described loop about 8 years ago. We drove up in the mornind and after and 8 hour drive we were on the trail around 10:30 and i think we finished a little after 6pm. It was a dry day and the slide gave us no problems. I do remember that on the way up N Brother? it was like a brook running down the trail. The whack over to Fort was not too bad. Our destination was almost always in sight and other than a few spots in the middle not too thick.

 

[Stan]

I'd say it is certainly doable in a day for most people. We did it in well under 24 hours several years ago after making a last minute decision upon arrival in the Park to do it that day because the weather outlook for the rest of our stay was dismal. Consequently, we were dropped off at the Marston Trail after the crack of noon anticipating that the 12 mile loop would probably get us back after dark but we lost the trail at the bottom of Coe and decided to hunker down rather than seek to descend via OJI to go back to Kidney Pond ... in the light drizzle that had moved in. We got up at first light and continued back to the Marston Trail, down the tote road and back to Kidney Pond in time for breakfast.

There is more to this story in a funny vein but you should be aware that Park rules don't provide for overnight bivuoacs though it was accepted as the safer alternative under the circumstances and that it clearly hadn't been our intention.

The "bushwhack" to Fort was not difficult and is probably no more difficult now but budget your time carefully ... that is, allow yourself only the minimal time to search for the plane wreck on Fort and gawk at the Klondike from Coe etc.

Enjoy, happy hiking and respect that this is not a trivial location for things to take a turn for the worse.

 

[Damselfly]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply to this thread.

Peace on the trails....
Beth

 

[Paradox]

I knew nothing of the slide and went up when I got to it, even though it had been raining quite hard the previous couple of days. Yes, it is slippery, and follow all the caviats listed above, but it is a lovely slide with great views.

Here is my GPS track on Wikiloc, IIRC it was Fall 2007.

 

[RoySwkr]

Here is my GPS track on Wikiloc, IIRC it was Fall 2007.

What I think is neat is the way this photo shows the S Brother slide, the route of the trail before the wide loop to N Brother was built

If you don't like the Coe slide...

 

[nartreb]

And if you do like slides, the old trail to the OJI north slide is easy to find too. Be warned, the slide is very exposed and steeper than most.

 

[spencer]

If it's raining, don't bother. Go elsewhere. Not b/c it's slick, but b/c the views are stupendous. There are plenty of excellent rainy day hikes in the Park, but the Katahdinough is not one of them.

have fun!

 

[spencer]

What I think is neat is the way this photo shows the S Brother slide, the route of the trail before the wide loop to N Brother was built

Roy, here's a shot of the Marston Slide from near the summit of Doubletop. It's on my winter to-do list.