on tuesday, june 19, 2007 my husband and i made it to the summit of katahdin. it was spectacular! we stayed at the big moose inn, which was very very nice. at 5:40am we drove to the gate of the park, about a 15 minute drive from the inn. the ranger was just opening it and we were the fourth car through. the route we took was chimney pond to saddle side to the summit and returned the same way. the weather was perfect, clear blue skies and about 65 degrees. around 6:40 am we hit the trail for chimney pond and arrived around 9am. we relaxed at chimney pond for about an hour and then headed up the saddle side. wow, that was a difficult climb. once we made it to the plateau things got much easier....well, nothing about the saddle side to the summit was easy! the summit was great. we could see for miles and felt it was quite an accomplishment to summit katahdin, but we knew the hard part of the hike was ahead of us. around 1:45 pm we started our descent. going down the saddle was slower than going up and if you are afraid of heights this hike is not for you. we arrived at chimney pond around 5:45pm used the toilet and continued on roaring brook to our car. by 8:30pm we checked out of the ranger station and were driving out of the park. it was a really long day, but completely worth it. we encountered only a few people on the trail and most of the hike until the summit was ours alone. if you are lucky enough to hike during the week and hit a perfect day the mountain will be yours.
i think my husband and i both underestimated the time it would take to hike katahdin and also we had no idea of all the boulders and scree that were present throughout the hike. the rocks really slowed us down. two days after this hike my thighs are still very tender, but i wouldn%26#39;t trade this experience for anything.
some things to remember if you hike katahdin; bring lots of water, plan for the hike to take longer than you think, don%26#39;t spend too much time relaxing at chimney pond, get ready for granite granite and more granite, and the most amazing view in maine!
katahdin hike/climb
Great post. Just one question that several people have asked as of late that maybe you could answer.
What was your opinion on the condition of the roads going into the park and inside the park. I have not been up in that area for a couple years but have basically told peopel who have asked that they may be a little bumpy in places and are gravel but overall they are fine.
Specifically people have asked if they can drive to the trailheads in a small car and if they would do any damage to a nice new SUV. So far no one who has very recently been there has answered any of the posts.
katahdin hike/climb
the road to baxter state park from millinocket was perfect, all blacktop. Once inside the park it was gravel. we drove to the roaring brook parking lot in a brand new hertz rented volvo hatchback without any problems. the gravel road seemed to be recently graded and was smooth with a few places of that washboard effect. you do not need an suv to make it to roaring brook. i think even one of those smart cars could easily make it to roaring brook. have a great hike and watch out for moose!
Thanks so much, hopefully some of the people asking will see this post. I did not know that the road was paved right to the park entrance. I did however know that for the most part the roads were decent. The ';washboard'; you speak off can be interesting at times if you do not slow done. For someone who is not used to gravel roads and the washboard effect it can be an brief moment of concern.
I keep trying to get a weekend to get back up that way myself but so far no luck, but at least now I can tell people who ask me about the roads.
ooh, my knees hurt just reading your report!
We did what you did, only we took Cathedral up. My knees ached for weeks!
Congrats on your accomplishment and on hitting such a great weather day.
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