Joe & I did a rigorous hike this past Sunday up good ol' Mt. Katadhin. For those outtastattahs, BIg K is the highest peak in Maine at exactly 1 mile, and sits in Baxter State Park- a huge park of millions of acres that's managed very tightly, and very well, to be a true wilderness area. Access is extremely limited.
We camped Saturday night and Katadhin Stream Campground and rose at 4am to be on the trail by 5. We climbed the formidable Pomola, and I do mean climb as the sun rose. This was no hike up the last mile, but a nail-biting scramble. Once at the top we caught out breath and began the precarious 1.2 mile traverse across the Knife Edge.
Now this trail is described as "not for the meek-hearted". Its 3-6 feet wide all the way across- in some places a steep scramble of rocks drop away from the trail, in other places sheer cliff. Here's a picture.And here's a picture from the reverse side.
This is from Baxter South Peak looking back the way we came. The two tiny people are on the summit of Pomola. The steep outcropping to their right is "The Chimney" This was definitely the hardest part of the trail. It was full-on rock climbing with a pretty morbid punishment for falling. After the third precarious climb I decided that if there were any more, I would turn back because the fear was starting to take over. Thankfully, the grueling climbs were over and the trail became what I had expected- a moderate hike across boulders with a heck of a breathtaking view.
More on this hike later.
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