BIGEarl
Well-known member
August 19, 2014: Katahdin – Baxter Peak and Hamlin Peak via Hunt Trail
Trails: Hunt Trail (aka Appalachian Trail, final few miles), Saddle Trail, Northwest Basin Trail, Hamlin Ridge Trail, Baxter Peak Cutoff
Summits: Mount Katahdin – Baxter Peak & Hamlin Peak
Hikers: Marty Emmick, Larry Donoghue, Jason Berard, Brent Toth, Mike Gaffney, and me
We expected this third hike day to be the best of the bunch and weren’t at all disappointed. Hunt Trail is a tough trail with a very difficult but fun section of boulders and ledge approaching a large relatively flat area known as Tableland. The conditions were perfect for the hike. As it turns out, Hunt Trail was a pretty crowded place with a large number of hikers finishing their hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Hunt Trail starts from Katahdin Stream Campground and goes to Baxter Peak. Along the way is a great variety of terrain to enjoy. Down low was the pleasant warm-up to the junction with The Owl Trail. We all settled into a comfortable pace and made our way to and past this trail junction. Soon after we crossed Katahdin Stream and then came to Katahdin Stream Falls. We stopped briefly for a couple pictures and were soon on the climb to Baxter.
Leaving Katahdin Stream Falls is a long set of stone stairs (erosion control). We made our way to the top and on to slabs of ledge. As we gained elevation the trail slowly became rocky; and then the rocks slowly became bigger. Eventually we made out way to the boulders. We were entering an area where we would spend an extended period working our way through a boulder field, around and over boulders that in some cases were as big as a house. Some boulders had steel handholds mounted to assist in getting past the obstacles. We all just took our time and worked our way along the route that was most comfortable, at times following one behind another, and at times following our own route. After a while we all managed our way through the boulder field and to the bottom of the section of ledges. The climb ahead is pretty steep and completely exposed; in other words, fun.
We all slowly made our way through this steep climb to the Tableland. From there it was a mild walk across a generally flat area and on to the summit of Baxter Peak. We reached Baxter Peak, also the north end of The Appalachian Trail. It was time for a break from the action for refreshments, pictures, and just to watch the gathered crowd of hikers, many having just completed their hike of The Appalachian Trail. While there we made decisions concerning the remainder of the day. Larry and Brent decided to head back to the campground. Marty still had Hamlin Peak to complete his NE4Kx3 list and the rest of us headed there; a little over two miles away.
The walk to Hamlin Peak was completely exposed but we enjoyed ideal conditions for the hike and terrific views all the way. We descended from Baxter to the col and started the long and easy climb to Hamlin Peak. Occasionally we stopped for pictures including many shots to Knife Edge. Views in the opposite direction were also terrific including Coe, The Brothers, Fort, and much more. We had plenty of outstanding scenery to enjoy as we made our way to Hamlin Peak and Marty’s NE4Kx3 finish.
We reached the trail junction with Hamlin Ridge Trail; Marty made the turn and led the approach to the summit. What an outstanding day to be hiking Katahdin! Soon we reached the summit, got the usual summit pictures and view pictures, enjoyed some refreshment, and soon set off for our exit hike.
We returned toward Baxter Peak but before climbing to the summit we reached the Baxter Cutoff and made the turn heading straight to the Tableland saving a full re-climb of Baxter. Baxter Cutoff is a generally level route that passes a very active spring and heads across Tableland to Hunt Trail at Thoreau Spring (also a very active spring). Back on Hunt Trail all we had was a straight shot to Katahdin Stream Campground; after descending the steep and open ledges and boulder field of course. We slowly made our way through all of that without a problem and continued down past Katahdin Stream Falls. A little over thirty minutes later we were walking back into the campground.
Marty needed to work the next day and was in a hurry to pack and leave. He was mostly packed before starting the hike. He finished packing, got a jump-start to assist with his dead battery, we all said our goodbyes and Marty was on his way. The rest of us made our way through a third Charred Beast Feast. We sure ate well on this trip.
Congratulations Marty for your NE4Kx3 completion and thanks for sharing the day.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Hunt Trail (aka Appalachian Trail, final few miles), Saddle Trail, Northwest Basin Trail, Hamlin Ridge Trail, Baxter Peak Cutoff
Summits: Mount Katahdin – Baxter Peak & Hamlin Peak
Hikers: Marty Emmick, Larry Donoghue, Jason Berard, Brent Toth, Mike Gaffney, and me
We expected this third hike day to be the best of the bunch and weren’t at all disappointed. Hunt Trail is a tough trail with a very difficult but fun section of boulders and ledge approaching a large relatively flat area known as Tableland. The conditions were perfect for the hike. As it turns out, Hunt Trail was a pretty crowded place with a large number of hikers finishing their hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Hunt Trail starts from Katahdin Stream Campground and goes to Baxter Peak. Along the way is a great variety of terrain to enjoy. Down low was the pleasant warm-up to the junction with The Owl Trail. We all settled into a comfortable pace and made our way to and past this trail junction. Soon after we crossed Katahdin Stream and then came to Katahdin Stream Falls. We stopped briefly for a couple pictures and were soon on the climb to Baxter.
Leaving Katahdin Stream Falls is a long set of stone stairs (erosion control). We made our way to the top and on to slabs of ledge. As we gained elevation the trail slowly became rocky; and then the rocks slowly became bigger. Eventually we made out way to the boulders. We were entering an area where we would spend an extended period working our way through a boulder field, around and over boulders that in some cases were as big as a house. Some boulders had steel handholds mounted to assist in getting past the obstacles. We all just took our time and worked our way along the route that was most comfortable, at times following one behind another, and at times following our own route. After a while we all managed our way through the boulder field and to the bottom of the section of ledges. The climb ahead is pretty steep and completely exposed; in other words, fun.
We all slowly made our way through this steep climb to the Tableland. From there it was a mild walk across a generally flat area and on to the summit of Baxter Peak. We reached Baxter Peak, also the north end of The Appalachian Trail. It was time for a break from the action for refreshments, pictures, and just to watch the gathered crowd of hikers, many having just completed their hike of The Appalachian Trail. While there we made decisions concerning the remainder of the day. Larry and Brent decided to head back to the campground. Marty still had Hamlin Peak to complete his NE4Kx3 list and the rest of us headed there; a little over two miles away.
The walk to Hamlin Peak was completely exposed but we enjoyed ideal conditions for the hike and terrific views all the way. We descended from Baxter to the col and started the long and easy climb to Hamlin Peak. Occasionally we stopped for pictures including many shots to Knife Edge. Views in the opposite direction were also terrific including Coe, The Brothers, Fort, and much more. We had plenty of outstanding scenery to enjoy as we made our way to Hamlin Peak and Marty’s NE4Kx3 finish.
We reached the trail junction with Hamlin Ridge Trail; Marty made the turn and led the approach to the summit. What an outstanding day to be hiking Katahdin! Soon we reached the summit, got the usual summit pictures and view pictures, enjoyed some refreshment, and soon set off for our exit hike.
We returned toward Baxter Peak but before climbing to the summit we reached the Baxter Cutoff and made the turn heading straight to the Tableland saving a full re-climb of Baxter. Baxter Cutoff is a generally level route that passes a very active spring and heads across Tableland to Hunt Trail at Thoreau Spring (also a very active spring). Back on Hunt Trail all we had was a straight shot to Katahdin Stream Campground; after descending the steep and open ledges and boulder field of course. We slowly made our way through all of that without a problem and continued down past Katahdin Stream Falls. A little over thirty minutes later we were walking back into the campground.
Marty needed to work the next day and was in a hurry to pack and leave. He was mostly packed before starting the hike. He finished packing, got a jump-start to assist with his dead battery, we all said our goodbyes and Marty was on his way. The rest of us made our way through a third Charred Beast Feast. We sure ate well on this trip.
Congratulations Marty for your NE4Kx3 completion and thanks for sharing the day.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
