Robin's Rural Rides: Katahdin

Looking towards South Peak and the Knife Edge (to the left)

Last weekend, Kim and I, with two friends Cheryl and Ginger, succeeded in our year-long goal: reach the summit of Katahdin (the "Mount" is superfluous although officially part of its name). At 5267' (almost a mile high), Katahdin is the highest point in Maine and the 6th highest in New England. It's also the second most prominent mountain in New England and third most prominent East of the Mississippi. See my previous blog An Achievable Goal? for an explanation of prominence.

Being from Maine, Kim of course has a special reason to climb Katahdin and it was her goal, established last year, that we were fulfilling. At the start of the year, I didn't think I would want to go all the way up myself. But a funny thing happened on the way... As Kim puts it, I got "summit fever" and became determined to get to the top.

What is it about these mountains that makes us want to climb them. Mallory famously said of Everest "Because it's there." And I think there is something in that. A mountain as tough as Katahdin represents a challenge that we feel, to some extent, compelled to meet. While there are probably more difficult trails in New Hampshire and elsewhere for that matter, what is unique about Katahdin is that there is no easy trail to the top. All of the trails are difficult. This contrasts with, say, Mt. Washington (6288') where there are some trails which are relatively easy. There's also the auto road and the railroad to the summit! But, if you want to stand on the summit of Katahdin, you must do it by your own not inconsiderable efforts.

I've written up the details of our hike here, but suffice it to say that our route requires just under 4000' of actual climbing and a total round trip of 11 miles. The hike took us 15 hours all told, including rest stops and a three-hour exodus in the dark. You can also see more photographs here and there is a video here.

Planning for the trip was considerable. First, there were all of the training hikes, starting back in April and totaling 35000' of climbing and 110 miles for Kim and a little less than that for me. Then the logistics of the hike itself: it's over six hours driving from our house to the parking area at the trail-head, but of course we needed to stay overnight both before and after the hike. Then there's the little detail that only Maine residents can reserve parking spaces (there are only 35!) more than two weeks ahead of the day. When Kim logged in at midnight two weeks ahead, there were three spaces available! Then of course, there's the worry that the weather will turn out to be bad, or the mountain will be cloaked in clouds affording no views. We would have rescheduled under those conditions.

So, it is with a great sense of achievement and relief that I write this. The best time to climb Katahdin is when you're young and fit. Three of our party are significantly past our sell-by date and that doesn't bode well for fast hiking. But we did it. And we also have a great sense of gratitude, especially to Percival Baxter, for whom the State Park containing Katahdin is named. He was Governor of Maine 1921-25 and spent his life and fortune buying up the land around Katahdin. Then he donated it all to the state together with an endowment to pay for its upkeep, requiring that it remain a wilderness in perpetuity.

As it turned out, the weather was absolutely perfect: cool and dry. The only problem was that it was slightly too cool -- with patches of ice up on the summit (you can see the ice - rime to be precise - in the photo at the top). Several trails were actually closed, making our chosen trail much more popular than it otherwise would have been. But the views, and the feeling of elation at the top, were just incredible. Unforgettable!