Double Bow
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On Friday, Giggy and I played hooky (not hockey) and went on a roadtrip up to Millinocket. At the motel, we saw and talked to John Swanson for a bit before we met up with Spencer, Hiker Ned, Nadine, and Mike for dinner and brews before hittin' the sack. We actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep before we met up with the group at 4:30am on Saturday.
The group of nine of us loaded up and headed off on the Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion). While Giggy and I didn't see that girl barefootin' along,
whistlin' and singin', we did see a couple of deer as we were getting our gear together at the trailhead, so that was pretty cool. We headed off on the trail and we got our first view of Katahdin in the early morning light as we passed by the stream. Very cool. A little under two miles later, we hit the tote road. It's kinda funny, I was in there on that road in July and I didn't notice the road all that much now, as we were hiking on it, I became aware of how rolling and hilly it is in the winter. The going was very good so far as the initial trail was also used for xc skiers and the road is packed by snowmobiles. After 3.5 miles on the tote road, we reached Abol Campground. There, some people ditched some stuff and we put on snowshoes.
We snowshoes to the base of the slide and then stashed our snowshoes as the slide is so steep that not a lot of snow accumulates on it. It mostly bare rock and ice. We saw the snowshoes of other parties there as well as some of their helmets (BSP requires you to bring a helmet when climbing the slide in winter). Up we went, amazed at how blue the sky was, considering rain was in the forecast and we weren't sure we'd get anything for views. Looking up to the tableland, I was really impressed with the steepness and I was really having a good time climbing it. Unfortunately, Mike was not. He had been fighting something, taking antibiotics for a week, and he was sapped of all energy. We tried slowing the pace for him and letting him set the pace, but he was spent. Wisely, he made the decision to turn back and Nadine went with him.
The rest of us continued on, enjoying the bright sunshine and stripping off layers as we went. It really felt like it was May, not March. The top of the slide was the trickiest area and I bumped my head though no further damage was done. it was a fun scramble and provided a good challenge. When we topped out, we were at Thoreau Spring and were 1mi from Baxter peak. It was windier there, though Spencer measured it and it was only sustained at about 22mph. Partway to Baxter Peak, we came across John Swanson and his group and chatted a bit and congradulated him on his accomplishment. Then, we continued on,carefully avoiding the iciest spots and trying to stay on the trail, which was a little hard to follow. The cairns aren't as plentiful as perhaps they ought to be and this would really pose a problem in conditions with low visability.
We reached the summit and saw another group there. They soon took off and we took pictures, ate snacks, and admired the view. it was truly amazing, some of the most incredible sights I've seen in winter. This place is special enough in the summer to be moving but in winter... amazing. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera kept dying throughout the day and I would need to breath life back onto them to take a picture, so I didn't get that many. Sadly, I didn't get Spencer's Superman impersonation.
Still, the views of the Knife's Edge and surrounding peaks was simply incredible. We enjoyed our break there but we then we had to head down. We had originally planned to do Hamlin Peak as well, but delays earlier in the day took that option off the table. Normally, I would have been upset with leaving a "straggler peak" but, the rewards that came with getting to Baxter Peak were so great, I couldn't possibly be disappointed with them!
The way back across the tablelands was windier. It had picked up to over 40mph. Going back down the slide was trickier than the way up had been as ice and mush on the steep terrain and, at times, loose rocks many the scrambling parts dicey and the other parts have questionable footing. Still, it was good and we reached our snowshoes without incident. From there, we looked up and saw the dark clouds starting to move in. The hike back to the campground and out on the road and other trail were uneventful, aside from the fact that near the campground it started to rain lightly.
Back at the cars, we found that it took us about 12hrs (including breaks) to go the 17mi. It was a great day to be up there and it was a hike I know none of us will soon forget.
Here are some pics.
The group of nine of us loaded up and headed off on the Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion). While Giggy and I didn't see that girl barefootin' along,
whistlin' and singin', we did see a couple of deer as we were getting our gear together at the trailhead, so that was pretty cool. We headed off on the trail and we got our first view of Katahdin in the early morning light as we passed by the stream. Very cool. A little under two miles later, we hit the tote road. It's kinda funny, I was in there on that road in July and I didn't notice the road all that much now, as we were hiking on it, I became aware of how rolling and hilly it is in the winter. The going was very good so far as the initial trail was also used for xc skiers and the road is packed by snowmobiles. After 3.5 miles on the tote road, we reached Abol Campground. There, some people ditched some stuff and we put on snowshoes.
We snowshoes to the base of the slide and then stashed our snowshoes as the slide is so steep that not a lot of snow accumulates on it. It mostly bare rock and ice. We saw the snowshoes of other parties there as well as some of their helmets (BSP requires you to bring a helmet when climbing the slide in winter). Up we went, amazed at how blue the sky was, considering rain was in the forecast and we weren't sure we'd get anything for views. Looking up to the tableland, I was really impressed with the steepness and I was really having a good time climbing it. Unfortunately, Mike was not. He had been fighting something, taking antibiotics for a week, and he was sapped of all energy. We tried slowing the pace for him and letting him set the pace, but he was spent. Wisely, he made the decision to turn back and Nadine went with him.
The rest of us continued on, enjoying the bright sunshine and stripping off layers as we went. It really felt like it was May, not March. The top of the slide was the trickiest area and I bumped my head though no further damage was done. it was a fun scramble and provided a good challenge. When we topped out, we were at Thoreau Spring and were 1mi from Baxter peak. It was windier there, though Spencer measured it and it was only sustained at about 22mph. Partway to Baxter Peak, we came across John Swanson and his group and chatted a bit and congradulated him on his accomplishment. Then, we continued on,carefully avoiding the iciest spots and trying to stay on the trail, which was a little hard to follow. The cairns aren't as plentiful as perhaps they ought to be and this would really pose a problem in conditions with low visability.
We reached the summit and saw another group there. They soon took off and we took pictures, ate snacks, and admired the view. it was truly amazing, some of the most incredible sights I've seen in winter. This place is special enough in the summer to be moving but in winter... amazing. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera kept dying throughout the day and I would need to breath life back onto them to take a picture, so I didn't get that many. Sadly, I didn't get Spencer's Superman impersonation.
Still, the views of the Knife's Edge and surrounding peaks was simply incredible. We enjoyed our break there but we then we had to head down. We had originally planned to do Hamlin Peak as well, but delays earlier in the day took that option off the table. Normally, I would have been upset with leaving a "straggler peak" but, the rewards that came with getting to Baxter Peak were so great, I couldn't possibly be disappointed with them!The way back across the tablelands was windier. It had picked up to over 40mph. Going back down the slide was trickier than the way up had been as ice and mush on the steep terrain and, at times, loose rocks many the scrambling parts dicey and the other parts have questionable footing. Still, it was good and we reached our snowshoes without incident. From there, we looked up and saw the dark clouds starting to move in. The hike back to the campground and out on the road and other trail were uneventful, aside from the fact that near the campground it started to rain lightly.
Back at the cars, we found that it took us about 12hrs (including breaks) to go the 17mi. It was a great day to be up there and it was a hike I know none of us will soon forget.
Here are some pics.
