Maine has a special place in my heart as I’ve been visiting Acadia National Park since I was a wee babe. My more recent obsession with Katahdin followed a circuitous path of family discovery and growing interest in hiking. In July 2014, at a family reunion in Culpepper Virginia, Billy and I took a short walk on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Shenandoah National Park. I loved the Blue Ridge and that day launched my curiosity about the history of the AT.
My admiration for the AT continued to gather steam the more I explored. From Benton MacKaye’s conceptualization of the trail through the formation of the local AT clubs, the planner and organizer in me was captivated by the development of the trail. “The trail was designed to have no end, a wild place on which to be comfortably lost for as long as one desired” (Montgomery, p.61).
I found Walk With Spring, Earl Shaffer’s account of hiking the entire trail from Georgia to Maine compelling, both in his experiences on the trail, and in his reasoning for hiking. Suffering from depression following WWII, Shaffer walked off the war on what was to be the first complete through-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1948.
The flowers bloom, the songbirds sing
And though it sun or rain
I walk the mountain tops with Spring
From Georgia north to Maine
At the conclusion of his solo expedition, Shaffer wrote, “Already it seemed like a vivid dream, through sunshine, shadow, and rain – Already I knew that many times I would want to be back again – On the cloud-high hills where the whole world lies below and far away – By the wind-worn cairn where admiring eyes first welcome the newborn day – To walk once more where the white clouds sail, far from the city clutter – And drink a toast to the Long High Trail in clear, cold mountain water.”
In 2018, Aiyanas suggested we summit Katahdin on our trip to visit my mom. The timing seemed daunting for a day trip, so we hiked Niagara Falls in Baxter State Park. I fell absolutely in love with Baxter; what a special park! I set my heart on combining a family visit with a hike to the summit of Katahdin the following year.
In preparation I read trail guides, reviews, and watched videos of people’s summit hikes. I concluded that despite my obsession, the AT which follows Abol Trail wasn’t going to work for our family. Although we had hiked longer, higher day hikes before, this hike would be hard for us as we were emotionally and physically fatigued. Rather than a slog, our hike on Katahdin should be fun, adventurous, and a chance to reconnect. To break the hike into bite sized sections, I booked us a lean-to at Chimney Pond for two nights, turning our summit hike into a backpacking adventure.
After an epic journey of a red-eye flight to Montreal, a morning flight to Boston, a very tired drive to Millinocket, and a pleasantly revitalizing sleep at the Katahdin Inn we double-checked our gear, loaded our backpacks, and headed into Baxter. Baxter does not disappoint! The Ranger at the Togue Pond Visitors Station was enthusiastic about our 8 year old doing the summit hike, and equally enthusiastic about two nights at Chimney Pond. She suggested we should hike Cathedral Trail up Baxter Peak, across the saddle to Hamlin Peak, and take Hamlin Ridge trail for our descent. Following this circuit we would be treated to challenging trails and sweeping views into both the South and North Basins. This lovely Ranger who’s name I’ve forgotten said Cathedral Trail was just within Jimmy’s skill level; a lot of bouldering but not too exposed. Sounded great!
We dumped our rental car at the Roaring Brook Backpackers lot, registered at the Ranger Station, and set off for the 3 mile hike up Chimney Pond Trail to the campsite.
It was so beautiful! The first part of the hike runs alongside —- Roaring Brook tucking in and out of forests following the occasional boardwalk. Then it starts to climb, and climb, and climb. About 2/3 of the way we caught our first panoramic view of Katahdin!
Chimney Pond campground is beautiful!
That first night it was freezing and very windy. I was hoping the wind would settle overnight and the rain would hold off so we could summit. Just as I was drifting to sleep, Jimmy sat bolt upright and shouted “bear!” but it was just the wind rustling our tarp. That got my adrenaline pumping, and after shivering in my sleeping bag for an hour I put on my rain gear which did the trick. I made Jimmy sleep in his raincoat and Aiyanas wrapped his raincoat around his feet. Finally we all slept. When I woke at 5:30 there was frost on the ground. In hopes of seeing moose I walked a loop of the campground, appreciating the still beauty of the pond. The wind had calmed and the sun was rising in a clear sky. We couldn’t ask for a better day!
Aiyanas had dehydrated his home-made dahl for this trip so we had a hot delicious breakfast to fill our bellies. After registering at the Ranger station, we set off to Cathedral Trail. Boulder after boulder, incredible vistas opening as we climbed higher. Daunting but not terrifying. Katahdin is a mighty powerful mountain so we weren’t surprised by the difficulty of the climb; challenging and exciting. It was slow going, requiring all of our concentration to choose our foot and hand holds. As you climb you can’t carry any emotional or psychological burdens; your mind focusses in on the process in a feeling of peace and union with the mountain. It was a stunning ascent.
After the ladder-like climb of the Cathedral Trail, the final leg up Saddle was smooth sailing to the summit. We shared a bottle of sparkling water to celebrate our success, and of course, we indulged the traditional summit sign photoshoot. Looking down the slide into Chimney Pond 2,300 ft below was vertigo-inducing! True to Katahdin lore, the clouds gathered, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped. Out come the puffy jackets and rain shells.
The saddle trail across to Hamlin was quiet after leaving the crowd behind us. Hamlin peak was pretty and peaceful. We didn’t see another human soul on the remainder of our hike that day. Walking the ridge down Hamlin and catching amazing views into North Basin was awesome!
Back at Chimney Pond, a dinner of hot pork and cheese burritos a la Aiyanas was warming and delicious. Thankfully because of the rains which started just after bedtime, it was warmer that night. We slept pretty well and departing the next morning for our family visits was bittersweet.
Under the Frosty Sky 