A Short Description
of a
Baxter State Park Weekend
(photos links at bottom)
When:
Thursday September 24 through Sunday September 27, 2008
Getting to trailhead:
1) Boston to Millnocket - 300 miles, 5 hours
2) Stop in town for gas if needed.
3) stop at Hannaford's for last minute groceries/supplies. Drive a few
miles through town, it's on right.
4) note pretty drive by lake, etc
5) drive to Park entrance, sign in, be there by 2:30pm (Sep/Oct). Before
the entrance is a visitor center on left.
6) continue to Roaring Brook trailhead
Millinocket to Roaring Brook Trailhead via Park Gate - 20 miles, 45 minutes
Clothes
Clothing should cover all possibilities including shorts-warm-weather to rain to below freezing. Typical is fine fall weather; there has never been a weekend when the weather prevented a hike to the summit .
Hike to Bunkhouse
From the trailhead is an easy 2 hour walk (even carrying three days of supplies) to Chimney Pond bunkhouse. The new (2007), roomy bunkhouse holds up to ten on double or triple bunks. It also has a woodstove, cooking area and table. In the meadow on the route to the cabin we often see moose basking in the early morning sunlight in the morning. Drinking water is filtered from gorgeous Chimney Pond a short walk away. Food is dry or heated on a camp stove. There is an outhouse nearby. For body cleaning there is small secluded pond nearby for those braving the higher latitude / altitude climates, others use cleansing wipes.
Day Hike
The reason we do a three night trip is 1) it's far and 2) three nights allows two full days on the mountain in case of Inclement weather.
The most popular, but not only, hike is up Cathedral across the Knife Edge Trail and down Dudley as detailed in the map below. This hike affords great exposed views on every segment above Chimney. The Knife's Edge is the main attraction, a fun walk along undulated churned glacier granite from the terminus of the Appalachian Trail to Paloma Peak.
As an alternative, the ridge toward Hamlin Peak is an easy stroll through heather and lichen.
