Baxter State Park - Four Peaks for the Hundred Highest

Our trip to Baxter State Park featured two full days, with light rain forecast on day 1 and heavier rain on day 2. We took our time getting up on day 1, having returned from our Katahdin summit late and skulking into the Roaring Brook bunkhouse at 11:15 AM. If I felt bad about potentially waking up the other denizens, it was wiped away when one of them had a very loud alarm go off at 5:45 AM, and struggled to locate where he had put it. At any rate, those few in the bunkhouse cleared out by 6:30 and Pete and I dozed for another hour or so. Upon getting up - or rather trying to - I quickly became aware of the damage I had done to my quad the previous night.

I had smashed my thigh into a sawed off down tree with about a mile to go on the Chimney Pond trail and it proved a costly mistake - I had significant pain just trying to pull that leg out of my sleeping bag. Putting my boot on was a painful affair and I walked with a slow tentative gait down the bunkhouse steps. How would I be able to hike today?

It loosened up a bit with some movement but it definitely wasn't great. However the forecast was looking up with no rain on the immediate horizon and I was committed to at least attempting our day's hike. Which would be a big loop to go over four peaks - Mt. Coe, South Brother, North Brother and finally, a bushwhack from North B to Fort Mountain. An hour drive was ahead of us as nothing is close up there and I was glad Pete was willing to get us there.

There was plenty of discomfort immediately but it was manageable. A bigger issue was the lack of mobility. I couldn't lift the leg as high. And it was hard to put pressure on that leg, making the water crossings extra difficult. Thankfully there was nothing like the previous day's water to contend with. We started on the Marston Trail for the first 1.2 miles and then veered off onto the Mt. Coe trail, which featured some nice open areas and views of the interesting rocks atop Mt. Oji. Soon though the trail turned up towards the Coe Slide and here the real challenge began.

Much of the slide, especially towards the bottom, had a sheen of water running down it. Pete handled it well but I struggled for purchase and was choosing my route extra carefully. As we ascended into the open, there was much more dry rock and I climbed confidently but we still had to contend with a very tricky spot near the top where wet rock and steep slab left little room for error. Finally I reached the top of the slide and a few hundred feet further led to the summit of Mt. Coe which offered tremendous views of Katahdin.

Upon descending from Coe to South Brother, a new discovery - going down felt much worse than going up. Often I'm the faster hiker, waiting for my compatriots but on this day I was the one lagging behind, taking my time and managing the discomfort. I took more aspirin which helped and was thankful when the trail began to climb again. The short 0.3 spur to South Brother is a nasty bit of work, with a couple bouldery section which are really tricky to navigate. At the summit, a few scattered raindrops threatened and we didn't linger long as the cold wind soon chilled us.

The climb up North Brother was a stream, not too difficult but care had to be taken. By now the quad pain retreated to a dull ache and I had more confidence in my steps. The summit of North B is a cool alpine zone and we debated our next move. We were both feeling the hike already. Should we call it a day or press on to Fort Mountain? I was in favor of continuing and soon we were pushing our way through dense scrub bush - there was a path to follow, if you could see it through the scrub. Regretting our choice of shorts now, there trail opened up and was easier to follow as we reached the low point between the peaks. Then we were fighting the scrub again. The summit of Fort seemed to have two cairns fighting for supremacy. One had an old steel radio until built into the cairn, suggesting legitimacy but my watch indicated the other peak was the true summit. We visited both for good measure.

It began spitting in earnest and we slogged our way back to North Brother. Now it would be all downhill. It was slow going for me down to the trail junction. Well, I guess it was slow going for me the rest of the way but thankfully there was a long easy section of trail for awhile past the junction. The rain thankfully was pretty light for the rest of our hike and (not) soon enough we were back at the truck, done for the day. A tough hike but I'm glad we did it in the end We got back to the bunkhouse (which would be ours and ours alone for the next two nights), grilled up some burgers and ate like kings. This would be the last major hike of the trip (I'd explore the Roaring Brook Nature Trail the next day because I'm a glutton for punishment) and we'd spend the following rainy day relaxing and enjoying the dry bunkhouse.

With this hike, it brought my NE67 count to #59 and my NE 100 Highest to #71. I didn't make it up Hamlin on this trip but my friends are already planning a Baxter trip for 2024.

Mt. Katahdin Night Hike - September 2

I made the long drive up to Baxter State Park by myself from Rhode Island, meeting my friend Pete at the gas station right off I-95.  Oof, that's a haul of a drive.  Hadn't been to this area since I was passing through on the way to the last Maine Phish festival in 2001.  Pete and I planned to have lunch at the Big Moose Inn before heading into the park but it turned out it wasn't open yet which would provide fortuitous.  Having never been to Baxter before, I found it an interesting experience coming in through Millinocket.   It hardly feels like there are mountains nearby since the elevation is so gradual until you get close to Katahdin.  The dense forest provides few views of the mountains within.

Hurricane Lee passed east of Maine the day prior and the tree folks had already done stellar work of clearing several large trees that had fallen on the road to Baxter.  The 8 miles of dirt road to Roaring Brook campsite were wonderful compared to the choppy mess we recently experienced on Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun road (there the initial 9 mile stretch was being redone to lay lines and every day brought different conditions).  We arrived at Roaring Brook at 4:15. 

The weather was absolutely splendid for this driving day.  Unfortunately more rain was forecast for the next two.  Standing outside Big Moose Inn, I had said we should just go for it and hike Katahdin today, with the forecast so dreary for the remainder of our trip.  After all, we were staying at the bunkhouse there next to the trailhead.  What's a little night hiking between friends? Pete had initially laughed it off but by the time we reached the Roaring Brook campsite, the seed I planted had taken root.  He got out of his truck ready to make a go of it.  That was all the prompting I needed.  We quickly got our packs ready and were on the trail by 4:30 PM.

We passed several groups heading down as we made our way up the Chimney Pond Trail.  They didn't mention anything about the water levels to us which was just as well- if we had known we may have thought better of this idea.  There was a good amount of flooding and more than one dicey crossing but we made it through fairly dry.  We kept a good pace and were hoping that we would reach the summit not long after sunset.  At the Chimney Pond campsite the ranger seemed a little dubious of our hike and asked probing questions to make sure we had the necessary gear.   We signed the logbook at the ranger station there and continued on, dealing with a few more water crossings.

Then we were at the bowl, looking up at the steep craggy walls of Katahdin.  Pete had really hoped to do Knife Edge on this trip but it was not to be.  Instead we choose the Cathedral Trail, all giant boulders and scrambling.  Poles were pointless here and I stowed them soon enough.  I really enjoyed this trail - there were definitely some tough lifts and a few times I opted to divert from the blazed sections which seemed cruel in there difficulty.  I found easier routes.  As we ascended it was clear we were losing the race against sunrise.  A gorgeous sliver of pink and orange lit up the ridge and I imagine it would have been stellar if we were higher up.  The wind began to cool us off and as dusk settled, seeing became difficult, especially for Pete.

Once darkness fell in earnest it got much easier.  I had a bit of unease climbing up there in the dusk but now that my world was limited to the spot of my headlamp, I felt better.  It's interesting how that works.  We saw another headlamp way down below in the bowl - apparently we were the only crazy ones hiking at night.  Soon the boulders ended and we were hiking on loose stone and not long after that we reached the summit.  It was cool seeing the Katahdin sign I've seen so many times, especially since we were alone in the dark.  It would have been sweet to have caught the sunset but we were probably 30 minutes too late.

We planned to take the Saddle Trail down - it's trailhead was about a mile away from the summit.  The wind died dramatically as we left the peak and it was a really pleasant, quiet experience being up there.  Almost as soon as we hit the Saddle Trail, we were welcoming by streams of water also using the trail.  It required care to descend this way with all the wet stone, though I still think it was better than going down Cathedral, however dry that may have been.  I hadn't thought bugs would be an issue on this trip but suddenly they were all around us, drawn by our headlamps.  They seemed to think my nose a cave.

By the time we reached the Chimney Pond campsite, the joy of this hike was all but gone.  Pete had lost his sunglasses only to find that someone left them at the ranger station - a happy development.  The rest of the hike out was tiring as we navigated those tricky water crossings in the dark.  With less than a mile to go, I opted to switch headlamps though the other one wasn't much better.  This ended up being a major mistake.  Attempting to skirt a muddy patch at speed, I did not see a sawed off tree poking out of the woods.  I ran into it full bore with my left thigh and the pain was great.  After a minute I began moving again with a significant limp and knew I bruised it badly.  It would prove to be a real problem for the rest of the trip (it still isn't great now, a week later).

We made it back to our cars at 10:45 PM.  A few minutes of relaxing, a change of clothes and then we quietly entered the bunkhouse with our sleeping supplies and settled down for the night.  Hopefully we weren't too loud.  There were a few other people there but they woke us up when they made an early exit so I suppose it evened out in the end.

Top 10 Trails in Rhode Island

Grinnell Glacier Trail

On our family trip to Glacier National Park, we planned one big family hike during the day we were at Many Glacier. This area of the park is accessed from the east side of the park. Outside of the park things are much more rural than over on the west side, which has much more in the way of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and amusement. On the east side, the land immediately becomes prairie and it is sparse.

Amanda booked us a little cabin which was a bit of a chance as it wasn't yet finished when we made the reservation in the spring. But it was done only a few weeks before our trip and was a very cute, very new place to stay. It was also only 10 minutes from the Many Glacier entrance which was a nice change from the longer drive we dealt with on the west side. The morning started off great when a big black bear crossed in front of us on the way in. Many Glacier requires road reservations like Going-to-the-Sun, but whereas GTTS reservations are good for three days, Many Glacier road reservations are only good for one. And we actually weren't able to get it on the day we planned to go. Luckily, if you have other reservations (boat/horse/lodging) that also allows you access to the road. So we book a boat tour which served multiple purposes. It got us into Many Glacier, it provided enjoyment on its own and it also cut 2.5 miles off our hike.

We would actually take two separate boats (with a 1/4 hike between them) over two lakes (Swiftcurrent and Josephine). The first boat wasn't until 11 which gave us plenty of time to get into the park and check out the fancy Many Glacier Hotel. But it also meant we'd be hiking at midday and it would be another hot one. As we began to climb, the trail offered little shade and the thermometer was reading 85 degrees. Unlike my Gunsight Pass Trail hike where I enjoyed a lot of solitude, we knew this one would be a different story. There were tons of people on this hike, and unlike here in New England where the forest gives the illusion of solitude, out there in the open expanse you could see people all along the trail.

Being midday there were just as many people coming down as up but it wasn't an issue. Everyone was in good spirits and the trail climbed very easily throughout with few steep or technical sections. It was mostly an easy dirt path. My daughter pushed on ahead while my wife was behind going at her own pace. On another hike I'd have wanted us to stick close together (being bear country and all) but with a hike this congested the danger felt minimal. The view is spectacular throughout, just getting better and better as you climb. Animal sightings were mostly relegated to squirrels and chipmunks, though we did briefly spy big horn sheep high up on the hillside through our binoculars.

After 3.8 miles we reached Upper Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier. Truly unlike any other place I've been. Large (or I guess small depending on your perspective) chunks of ice floated in the lake while waterfalls lined the cliffs on the far side. That water was cold. People were relaxing and picnicking everywhere and a few brave souls ventured in for a quick dunk. I didn't because, uh, I was wearing my kilt and it would have been heavy had it gotten waterlogged. Yeah, that's it.

After a half hour or so, it was time to leave. We had a boat to catch. The nice thing about the boat reservation is that it entitles you to one trip each way, so you can go off and hike and then take a later boat. The last one being at 5 PM. I had a feeling there would be a line but the boat folks assure everyone that they'll take as many trips as necessary to bring everyone back. Still, I'm an antsy man and the line was pretty deep when we arrived. Ultimately Amanda decided to wait with Ezri's bag and Ezri and I jogged the trail back to the hotel. I was surprised Ezri wanted to run. And it was going well until she tripped and got laid out. Always a danger when you trail run - this was her first digger and she got pretty bloodied but she bore it well. We cleaned her up in the lake, cleaned her up some more in the hotel and Amanda arrived not long after showing us that patience arrives not long after impatience. We enjoyed a fancy dinner in the hotel (marred by the amount of flies that swarmed during our meal - gross. But a common occurrence we would find in these old buildings) and then returned to our cabin. A great day, though Ezri's wounds would annoy her for the rest of the trip.

Glacier NP's Going-to-the-Sun Road and Three Falls Trail