BIGEarl
Well-known member
August 15, 2012: The Owl
Trails: Hunt Trail (aka Appalachian Trail), Owl Trail
Summits: The Owl
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
This is hiking day 3 of 3. The first two were very warm and humid. I expected more of the same. We got started a little later than planned, which had me concerned there might not be parking space available at Katahdin Stream Campground in the Day Use lot. The previous day we got the last available space and arrived an hour earlier. On this day there were very few vehicles in the lot; parking wasn’t a problem. The forecast for the day wasn’t good, which may have kept a lot of people in other areas. We pulled in, grabbed our things, and set off.
The initial part of this hike was Hunt Trail, the same as the previous day. We stayed with it for 1.1 miles where Owl Trail came in from the left. We made the turn and started to climb. Except for a small section at the top, this trail is open and very well brushed out. From end to end there were no blowdowns.
Most of this trail is not particularly rocky and it’s very comfortable walking. There are a few small sections of erosion control to climb on the steep pitches. I don’t recall any mud all the way up. The trail has a couple surprises along the way. Most of it is a mild climb but there are a couple steep pitches that will make you sweat.
The first steep pitch included many boulders similar to the climb on Hunt Trail below the treeline. Some were pretty big but they all generally had an indication of the flow of traffic; we didn’t lose much time on this section trying to figure out how to proceed.
The middle steep pitch was a little more interesting. There were a few places that required hands and feet to make progress. In one spot there is a large boulder that seems to completely block the trail. Partially climbing a tree on the right of the boulder will get you high enough to swing around the boulder and not be forced to remove your pack. It’s tight, but fun.
The upper half mile is where the mountain tries hard to kick your butt. It’s steep, big rocks, and ledge. This section really made Sue smile. Sue enjoys this kind of climbing (I do too). It was hands and feet for most of it. As we approached the summit there was a little disappointment and satisfaction all together combining “it’s over” with “finally, it’s over”. We stepped onto the top only to see it was a false summit and the actual summit was further on, and up.
Not quite finished, we continued on and up the final rock climb to the summit. We reached the top with a nice cool breeze blowing through. We were in broken clouds that were also blowing past; at our elevation, above, and below. They made for beautiful gray views and a special kind of reward for the effort.
In front of us was the ridge we climbed the previous day on Hunt Trail, to the left was The Klondike, back over our left shoulders were our first day’s targets of Coe, South Brother, North Brother, and Fort. The Owl is a small mountain but the view rewards are tremendous. The trail leading to the rewards is also a real treat.
We relaxed there for a while enjoying the views, near and far. Eventually we decided it was time to head back out the way we came in. Back down through the rocks we went, over the false summit, and on to the large boulder that seemed to block the trail. As we worked our way around the boulder and down the tree that we used as a ladder, another couple that appeared to have turned around and started back down seemed to hear us and start back up. Perhaps they didn’t see a good way past the boulder. We briefly visited with them, explained they were within thirty minutes of the summit and we all went our separate ways. They started back up. A little further down we met a couple others on their climb. This was definitely not the kind of traffic we ran into the day before.
Below the upper steep section the rain started and we stopped to pull out the rain gear. I was hoping to make it into a sheltered area to get the rain gear out but the rain came hard and fast; we stopped in an open area of trail to cover up. Roughly three quarters of the way down the rain stopped and we got rid of the rain jackets in favor of some cool air.
A short time later we were back on Hunt Trail and headed for Katahdin Stream Campground only 1.1 miles away.
Good choice Sue. The Owl was a lot of fun.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Hunt Trail (aka Appalachian Trail), Owl Trail
Summits: The Owl
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
This is hiking day 3 of 3. The first two were very warm and humid. I expected more of the same. We got started a little later than planned, which had me concerned there might not be parking space available at Katahdin Stream Campground in the Day Use lot. The previous day we got the last available space and arrived an hour earlier. On this day there were very few vehicles in the lot; parking wasn’t a problem. The forecast for the day wasn’t good, which may have kept a lot of people in other areas. We pulled in, grabbed our things, and set off.
The initial part of this hike was Hunt Trail, the same as the previous day. We stayed with it for 1.1 miles where Owl Trail came in from the left. We made the turn and started to climb. Except for a small section at the top, this trail is open and very well brushed out. From end to end there were no blowdowns.
Most of this trail is not particularly rocky and it’s very comfortable walking. There are a few small sections of erosion control to climb on the steep pitches. I don’t recall any mud all the way up. The trail has a couple surprises along the way. Most of it is a mild climb but there are a couple steep pitches that will make you sweat.
The first steep pitch included many boulders similar to the climb on Hunt Trail below the treeline. Some were pretty big but they all generally had an indication of the flow of traffic; we didn’t lose much time on this section trying to figure out how to proceed.
The middle steep pitch was a little more interesting. There were a few places that required hands and feet to make progress. In one spot there is a large boulder that seems to completely block the trail. Partially climbing a tree on the right of the boulder will get you high enough to swing around the boulder and not be forced to remove your pack. It’s tight, but fun.
The upper half mile is where the mountain tries hard to kick your butt. It’s steep, big rocks, and ledge. This section really made Sue smile. Sue enjoys this kind of climbing (I do too). It was hands and feet for most of it. As we approached the summit there was a little disappointment and satisfaction all together combining “it’s over” with “finally, it’s over”. We stepped onto the top only to see it was a false summit and the actual summit was further on, and up.
Not quite finished, we continued on and up the final rock climb to the summit. We reached the top with a nice cool breeze blowing through. We were in broken clouds that were also blowing past; at our elevation, above, and below. They made for beautiful gray views and a special kind of reward for the effort.
In front of us was the ridge we climbed the previous day on Hunt Trail, to the left was The Klondike, back over our left shoulders were our first day’s targets of Coe, South Brother, North Brother, and Fort. The Owl is a small mountain but the view rewards are tremendous. The trail leading to the rewards is also a real treat.
We relaxed there for a while enjoying the views, near and far. Eventually we decided it was time to head back out the way we came in. Back down through the rocks we went, over the false summit, and on to the large boulder that seemed to block the trail. As we worked our way around the boulder and down the tree that we used as a ladder, another couple that appeared to have turned around and started back down seemed to hear us and start back up. Perhaps they didn’t see a good way past the boulder. We briefly visited with them, explained they were within thirty minutes of the summit and we all went our separate ways. They started back up. A little further down we met a couple others on their climb. This was definitely not the kind of traffic we ran into the day before.
Below the upper steep section the rain started and we stopped to pull out the rain gear. I was hoping to make it into a sheltered area to get the rain gear out but the rain came hard and fast; we stopped in an open area of trail to cover up. Roughly three quarters of the way down the rain stopped and we got rid of the rain jackets in favor of some cool air.
A short time later we were back on Hunt Trail and headed for Katahdin Stream Campground only 1.1 miles away.
Good choice Sue. The Owl was a lot of fun.
Pictures will follow.
