After many months of preparation, my south bound (SOBO) thru hike of the Appalachian Trail began at Baxter State Park in Maine. With the goal of hiking to Georgia in six months, this route offers several advantages of walking in the cool, summer weather of New England and no park closure deadlines. However, the rock and roots terrain of Maine and New Hampshire remain the most difficult sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT).
Mount Katahdin is the highest point in Maine at 5,269 feet and the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Northbound thru hikers (NOBO) who start in Georgia end their journey here and only 25% complete the journey from the thousands who traveled from Springer Mountain. Fewer hikers begin on Mount Katahdin, usually several hundred go SOBO.
High winds and precipitation create treacherous situations above tree line. Penobscot Indigenous peoples believed an evil spirit named Pamola lived on Mount Katahdin and did not climb the mountain to anger it. When Henry David Thoreau got lost while climbing Mount Katahdin in the fog in 1846, his indigenous guide, Louis Neptune, advised leaving a bottle of rum to appease Pamola.
We would not have such an option due to another force called the Baxter State Park regulations, which forbid alcohol. Pamola was not angry on our summit day, but seemed like in a grumpy and slow to wake-up kind of mood. Grey, overcast skies greeted us in the morning.
We started the day at the Appalachian Trail Lodge and shuttled into Baxter State Park (BSP). After getting our summit cards, hanging out bear bags, and filtering water, I began the summit to Mount Katahdin at 8:13 am with Squarepeg on the Hunt Trail, the BSP trail that part of the AT. We truly were in the green tunnel for the first 2.5 miles, a term meaning the tree branches make a canopy blocking the sky. Ocassionally, a break in the trees provided views of Owl Mountain. At tree line, we began mountaineering up a steep and rocky slope. In three places, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club put rebar for helpful places to grab. Getting to the top of this slope required climbing with 3 points on the rocks and some hand-over hand maneuvering.
The Hunt Spur provided a short, flat ridge before more rock scrambling. This part of the climb seemed never ending. After reaching one summit-like point, another stretch of rock scrambling challenged us. Finally, we reached the Tableland and saw people on Baxter Peak. The hikers we stayed at the AT Lodge began returning down the Hunt Trail. Each said the visibility was poor with the over cast conditions. On our ascent, I said to Squarepeg that maybe the weather will improve and the sun will burn off the overcast weather. That indeed did happen!
Our visit to the summit had spectacular views making the 8 hour ascent worth it. At the Mt Katahdin sign, some other hikers took our photos. First Squarepeg and I posed for a few shots. For my solo shots, I did an imitation of Reckless Abandon’s posed from last year when he held his backpack and trekking pole. My next pose was pointing my trekking pole south and saying “Onward to Georgia!” On the final pose, I raised my hands in the air at 45 degree angles. Also, l took a few with the Pennington Traditional logo.
Now it was 5:30 pm and we began our descent. Initially, I wanted to take the ABOL trail down like last fall, which is steeper for the first .3 mile, but shorter. We agreed to return on the Hunt Trail. The rock scrambling seemed faster since having a lot of practice. A beautiful sunset greeted us after reaching the end of the Hunt Spur. The journey finally ended at 3am when we reached the campsite feeling exhausted.
Starting the thru hike was difficult, but not impossible. My conditioning prepared me for the strength and endurance necessary for the climb. Regaining confidence with hiking over a rocky terrain and rock scrambling took most of the ascent, but Squarepeg said my footing seemed more confident and getting in trail form on the descent.
So I leave it to you dear reader to determine if the summit story is part “Tortoise and the Hare” or pleasing the Spirit Pamola. Until next time, Turtleback will keep moving along.
Turtleback’s AT Journey 