October 1, 2022

Start/End: Roaring Brook Campground

Peaks: Baxter (5,267')

Elevation Gain: 3,850 ft

RT Mileage: 10.6 mi

Duration: 8 hours, 54 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 2

There's no better birthday present than a good hike. So for my birthday this year, I decided to complete Mt. Katahdin's Baxter Peak. I initially wanted to do the classic Hunt Trail, but heard from some others that the slightly easier Saddle Trail was very scenic in the fall, so ended up doing that instead.

I started up from Roaring Brook Campground just before 6:30 AM. I stopped briefly at a viewpoint of Hamlin Peak at 7:30, where the "clash of seasons" theme between summer and fall provided some great photo opportunities. Continuing on, I arrived at Chimney Pond just before 8:30, at which point my phone's battery life died and I had to unfortunately stop the AllTrails recording.

Continuing past Chimney Pond, I took the fork at the right for the Saddle Trail, though in hindsight I probably would have had a lot more fun if I had gone left and done the Cathedral Trail instead. After some standard New England hiking on rocky trail, the first sections of scrambling presented themselves starting at 3,600 ft. These bits of scrambling below treeline weren't too bad at all, and if this was the only scrambling on the entire route, I would have rated this a Class 1.

The trail broke treeline at 3,800 ft with the start of the infamous Saddle Slide, a 400 vertical ft slope of scree, very similar to what are called "couloirs" in the Western US. This section is only 0.2 miles, but it took me a little under a half an hour to navigate it. Progress was slow because for every step, I had to make sure the rock was stable before placing my weight on it. Standing at just 5'3, I'm also quite short, and I needed more upper body strength than lower body for much of this section. I still rated this route a Class 2 though because it wouldn't have been nearly as bad for people of average height.

At the end of the Saddle Slide, I gained the col between Hamlin and Baxter at 4,200 ft. The last 1,000 ft of elevation gain over 1 mile was relatively easy hiking. However, it was quite cold and windy, being quite a bit above treeline. The last couple hundred feet to the summit was again rocky, so progress was slow, but still unexposed Class 1. I summited a little after 11:30 AM.

There are few other peaks even close to the elevation of the Mt. Katahdin massif in the area, making for some impressive uninterrupted views in all directions. This was enhanced as a result of the foliage. My phone's battery percentage must have been messed-up because it turned back on at the summit with a solid 15% battery left, and I was able to get some photos.

The descent to Chimney Pond was pretty easy except for the Saddle Slide. The descent along the Saddle Slide was even slower than the ascent, and in some areas I had to blindly take a step down. The rest of the way was very easy, and at Chimney Pond I went to see the actual pond during the descent.

After leaving Chimney Pond, the rest of the descent was very fast, taking less than an hour across 2.5 miles. I was back at Roaring Brook Campground before 3:30 PM, concluding a very nice birthday hike.