As a quick reminder, we decided to switch up from being northbound hikers to heading south. We left Pennsylvania, with only 30 miles left in that state, and drove to Maine.
To get to Katahdin summit, you start your hike at Baxter State Park, or what I now refer to as WE DON’T LIKE DOGS State Park. It’s a 5 mile hike and climb, and the great thing is you get to hike it back down. No roads to the top of Katahdin.
Mount Katahdin from a distance.
WaterBoy summited Mount Katahdin on June 16th. He was not the only one summiting that day.
A commencement photo at the Katahdin summit. I don’t have the words for how extraordinary that is.
This lengthy plaque essentially states that in 1931 Mount Katahdin and the immediate surrounding land was gifted as a public park, to be used for recreational purposes and as a wild animal sanctuary, that no roads be constructed into the park. This was initiated by a former governor, Percival Baxter, which the park is named after.
It was a surprise to see a Henry Thoreau marker along the climb. It prodded me to go investigate him a bit. I knew of him as a writer, but he was so much more. He was also an abolitionist and something of an adventurer. Providing his Wikipedia page for those interested.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau
Lovey views from the top.
This rock art isn’t actually on the trail, but it was photographed on the drive to Baxter State Park.
After you leave Baxter(and have completed your Katahdin climb) you begin your trek through the 100 Mile Wilderness. This photo was taken when we first entered the wilderness, and it helped generate a sense of…well, um,…despair, respect, anxiety? Now, after WaterBoy and the dogs have completed this section, we look back and feel it might be a little overkill. There are a hand full of logging roads where you can access or exit the trail, and on these roads you can be resupplied. That being said, it’s not a particularly easy region to access.
Here is link to more specifics about the 100 Mile Wilderness. It’s a great article.
Hats of to the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. They do really good work. Here is a link to their site.
This is Gear Magnet and Landline. These were the first NOBO hikers I saw as we entered the wilderness. They are literally about 15 miles from completing their thru-hike.
WaterBoy saw his first moose.
This frog was massive, and gorgeous.
WaterBoy came across this plane crash wreckage.
There is no shortage of water in the wilderness. You’re often in swampy, muddy terrain. The MATC maintains miles and miles of plank walkways.
Due to the heat and bugs, we kept Warrior Princess and CornDog off of some wilderness sections, so this post is a bit “dog lite”. Throwing this one in to add some dog flavor.
I didn’t see many flowers in the wilderness, but I came across some very colorful mushrooms.
I saw my first moose of the hike at this road crossing. If you look real close, you can see a young moose.
There isn’t actually any 100 mile marker that we saw for southbounders, so WaterBoy solved that.
The 100 Mile Wilderness ends at Maine Route 15, which leads to the small town of Monson, where a hiker can resupply.
Something has Warrior Princess’s attention, here at Bell Pond.
Trying out the Noir filter on my camera. meh 🫤
I love ending this post with the bottom of WaterBoy’s foot. This blister caused a 4 day delay in the hike. It was the size of a silver dollar, one of the old ones.