Have decided to take the plung and will be starting-out in June. Any advice on reservations at Baxster and getting through the AMC's hut system in NH?
Have decided to take the plung and will be starting-out in June. Any advice on reservations at Baxster and getting through the AMC's hut system in NH?
www.baxterstateparkauthority.com should tell you everything you need to know.....or you can call them.
Good luck!
Everyone has their own opinion on the huts system. You can form yours when you get there, but i would plan on staying in the $8/night campsites. I did end up staying at Lake of the Clouds hut, on a work for stay, but there were far more thorugh hikers (nobos) going through than there were work for stay positions. And after doing work for stay once, I didn't want to ever do it again. The work is hardly onerous, it was the culture clash of how the AMC is commodifying the outdoor experience with the through-hikers extra-intstitutional experience of the same that got me. Going through the whites, I stealthed one night (maybe should have stayed back at Imp tentsite), stayed at Osgood tentsite (free), lake of the clouds hut (next time I'd go on to the tentsite near Mizpah hut), Ethan Pond tentsite, Garfield Ridge and Kinsman Notch tentsites. Yeah you have to pay for most of the tentsites which sucks, but this is the only time in 2175 miles that you HAVE to pay for your bed. The Green Mountain Club's pay sites in Vermont are easily avoidable.
-Laces
I have already made my res. at Baxter from May 30 to June 2, I plan to leave one of those days. Its really easy, just download the res. form from the site, send it in with the money and about 3 weeks later you get conformation in the mail. (if they have space for your days and site stay). The AMC system is something I'll have to deal with when I get there. I just plan on staying in the campsites, maybe Lake-Clouds, but will see when the time comes....When do you plan on starting?...later
I still need to make my reservations for BSP. I've been saying I'm hiking, I've been buying things for the hike, I've even taken to using the stairs to go to class when I'm not running late, but making the reservation is so official. I found it scary and exciting. I do have a question about staying at BSP. So you stay at the park, climb the Big K early, then go down, and spend the night at camp again? Then what do you do? I guess what I'm asking is how do you get onto the trail?
"I learned long ago that the most important and valuable of acting techniques is the exit...Keep them asking, and exit clean and sharp."
- Travels with Charley
That's not a problem. The trail runs thru or by Katahdin Stream Campground and it is a little over 13 miles to the first shelter from there
As soon as my reservation comes through. Hopefully the same time that you are
I already have res. for BSP from May 30-June2. I have two spots up for use its 9pp for anyone over 2. I had to pay the 18pp a night because I didn't have anyone to go in with me, so if you haven't sent yours in or if anyone else needs a place? I think one other person might be staying right now, but like I said there are two more places for these dates. Later...
While you're hanging out at KSC, walk up the road to the Birches site and check it out. You might see a bear.
After you climb and spend the night cozy in your lean-to you can continue your southbound hike by heading out right down the campground road (it's the AT!). The Trail leaves the campground, (About 25 years ago it headed straight across the road toward Grassy Pond) goes to the right following the gravel Park road for a little bit before it ducks into the woods and runs beside some might-see-a-moose ponds. Crosses another small campground road which leads left to Daicey Pond - go up the road (the old AT route) less than 100 yards and check out the library porch overlooking the Pond with Katahdin rising above it. Maybe the best view of the Mountain you'll ever see. You can take the trail opposite the library and reconnect with the AT in about 30 yards, or head back down the campground road to the Trail. Where the new privy is is where the two old AT lean-tos stood up until a few years ago. Then the Trail runs beside a noble stream that descends down to the West Branch of the Penobscot River. You'll have a ford, or two, before the outlet into the river. A nice flat bit, that'll be wet in June, leads you out to a large logging road (called The Golden Road) and to Linda's store at Abol Bridge(beer! ice cream! fresh subs!). Take a photo from the new walkway on the bridge. The campground is on the exact spot Thoreau camped before climbing Katahdin). Some MEGAs camp on the riverbank in the State campground here their first night out of the Park. Hurd Brook lean-to is only about 3 (3.5?) miles past the 'Danger! 100 Mile Wilderness!' signpost, if you keep pushing ahead. Tank up at the sweet spring just before the shelter. And then...
Wait... I've typed enough! Go find out for yourselves!
Last edited by TJ aka Teej; 03-11-2007 at 01:28.
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
Thanks TJ ake Teej for the info, and for all the bonus points of interest tips.
"I learned long ago that the most important and valuable of acting techniques is the exit...Keep them asking, and exit clean and sharp."
- Travels with Charley
I dropped my reservation request in the mail box before I read your reply. If the dates that I requested: 1st-2nd, 2nd-3rd, or 3rd-4th for Katahdin Stream Campground are booked I will definitely take you up on your offer and share the expence for the campsite. Thanks
Tortuga
that was cool Teej.
I agree with wolf stealth it.
I appreciate any advice that one of experence cares to impart but I wasn't born yesterday. Wolf's comment "don't forget to ford the Kennebec" according to all I have read is not a wise move. I am not so annal that I have to have a strict itenerary with every move pre-planned and every item in my pack carefully weighed and thought-out. I do however want to enjoy my adventure completing my goal with as little hardship as possible. For me stealthing it is not an option.
I could only hope that Wolf was joking. If not that is really irresponsible advice and hopefully no new hikers were at all influenced by it. Anyone who has crossed the Kennebec would recognize it as such.
Steve "the Ferry Man" has a wealth of knowledge on that rivers history and the absolute dangers of trying to ford it.
As for the Prez Range, I had the same worries about the hut system. By the time I left them I had stealthed except for one work for stay at Madison Hut where the crew made the experience a good memory of the trail. If you use a tent everywhere else, there are plenty of places to do so in this range.
If you need to rely on a work for stay or two, remember that you probably won't get on the trail until 9:30 AM at the earliest. 3:30 pm seems to be the optimum time to first seek a work for stay. Any earlier and they'll probably ask you to move along except for Madison and Lakes of the Clouds in bad weather.
And if you get stuck in either of these Huts in bad weather, read one of their copies of "Not Without Peril." Kind of makes the experience even more thrilling.
Peace
Don't sweat accomodations in the Prez Range. It works itself out and stealthing is easily doable.
no, i'm not joking. i prefer to ford. it's fun and safe if you do it early in the morning.
That may work for you but there are a lot of hikers out there who are not Lone Wolf (great name by the way).
There are kids that just got out of high school. Smaller folks. Less certain or robust folks and certainly less confident people. That would be a horrible way to end a thru hike let alone a life. And it is irrisponsible to not consider these things when putting that out as advice from a recognized name at WB.
Fording the Kennebec is dangerous and can end your thru hike or worse.
The fact that it has been done does not make it a challenge that everyone should be advised to try.
Take the ferry (actually a nice canoe ride) and enjoy your through hike. There are plenty of other fords that at worst end in bruised bones or egos if other hikers happen to see your mishap.
I went over every boulder in the Mahoosuc Notch rather than around, under or through. It was dangerous but fun for me and I'll porbably do it again. But I would never advise a group of people I've never met to do it.
Same should go with fording the Kennbec.
One more over to the Dark Side. Congrats, and best of luck on your SOBO hike!