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I spent his past weekend in Baxter State Park. This was a trip to spend a couple of night camps camping with friends, and hike to Baxter Peak—Maine’s highest elevation—at the top of Katahdin.

Friday afternoon we stuffed my car with gear and the bodies of the five people making the trip, and headed up to the Park from Augusta. After three hours of travel, we finally arrived at the park gate to check in. At this time we were informed that the trails at the top of Katahdin were closed due to the presence of snow and ice. (I was not able to see this clearly on the drive in because the top of the mountain was obscured in clouds). Although it was only the first weekend of October, cold air coming down from Canada and moisture moving up the East Coast had combined to create sleet, snow, and freezing rain at elevations above about 4,000 feet. We were not discouraged, however, as most of the Park’s remaining mountain trails were still open, leaving many options for the next two days.

On Saturday morning we made our way to Sentinel Mountain. From the top there are views of Katahdin, Mt. OJI, and Doubletop Mountain on the northern side, and views of the North Branch of the Penobscot from the South side. It was cool and damp that day, and we were caught in a couple light showers. After, we headed back to the campsite for hot drinks and a shorter walk to Little Abol Falls. After dark we enjoyed a camp fire for a couple hours.

Sunday morning was clear and cool. A Perfect day for hiking, and we decided to hike up to Chimney Pond. It was a just over three miles from Roaring Brook to Chimney Pond. As we made our way up, the peaks began appearing through the trees, and the snow and ice was very obviously present. Before we started the hike I had suggested we should go up anyway, at least until it became to treacherous. Fortunately, the others were able to convince me why this was a bad idea. When we arrived at Chimney Pond, which is almost completely surrounded by the mountain, the ice-coated peaks, slopes, and cliffs encompassed almost the entire field of vision. This was a very spectacular view.

After stopping for a very chilly lunch (the wind was blowing down off the mountain), we made our way back down by way of Blueberry Knoll. There was a brief shower of sleet, which was brief enough at 10 minutes to be exciting, but not bad enough to make us hurry back down the trail. I spent about 15 minutes at Blueberry Knoll, completely alone, viewing my surroundings. It was probably one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve had in many months.

We finally made it back to my car around 3:30, and began the 3 hour drive home, which seemed very tedious. Although there was a feeling of melancholy when we arrived home, the satisfaction of having made this trip and seeing some beautiful scenery was the dominant emotion.

I’m looking forward to doing this again next year!