Katahdin 2013 - Part 2: Trip Plan

Our adventure to Baxter State Park is now two weeks away. This winter trip is going to be four days and three nights, and we will be attempting to reach the summits of Baxter and Hamlin Peaks. With an above tree-line excursion such as this, there is absolutely no guarantee that we'll get to accomplish any of our goals if the weather is unfavorable. The exact weather conditions are also going to dictate the routes we take. Our time is pretty squeezed into this 4-day weekend, but of course, we're hoping from great weather, and for the best chance of reaching our goals.

Our primary goal is to reach the summit of Baxter and Hamlin peaks in winter, and our secondary goal is to accomplish this by including a traverse of the Knife Edge (conditions permitting). The base goal is to simply take in all Baxter has to offer in the winter. I KNOW that if we are not going to get a shot at the summits, we're going to have a blast doing just that.

What you see below is the base plan for our adventure. We are still having group discussions on possible routes of ascent and descent and back-up plans for weather scenarios.

Day 1:

• Hike/ski into Roaring Brook Campground from Abol Bridge parking area. Stay in two (2) Roaring Brook Lean-Tos for night 1.

Day 2:

• Get an early morning start, and hike into two Chimney Pond Lean-tos for night 2.
• After a quick gear drop, summit attempt of Baxter & Hamlin Peak with a Knife Edge Traverse (conditions permitting only)
• Routes: TBD based on conditions
• Return to Chimney Pond Lean-tos

Day 3:

• Hike back to Roaring Brook Campground, and the two (2) lean-tos for night 3.

This day will be used to take time to explore the Roaring Brook area by snowshoeing or heading back up into the ravines for back-country skiing or exploring. If conditions on Saturday do not allow for safe above-treeline travel, we would attempt the climb on Sunday, if still possible.

Day 4:

• Hike/ski out to the parking area at Abol Bridge.

Since I've been climbing every weekend this winter, this trip is coming at me faster than I could have imagined. We've been super busy making lists, reading lots, researching, building our pulks, looking at gear reviews, buying gear, and in general talking about how epic this trip could (and is hopefully going to be!) It's been tough to keep up with, but we're in the full swing of things, and somehow, someway, we're going to be we're going to be ready to go in about 12 days!

In the next entry, you will be able to meet the team taking part in the adventure, and just before go-time, I hope to be able to post a final pack list. Stayed Tuned, folks!