View Full Version : Katahdin approach trail
I have a question for those of you who have been up Katahdin a few times... probably mostly people from Maine or the New England states :
I've been up there a few times but always from the other side of the mountain (Chimney Pond/Cathedral), when comparing those trails with the Hunt trail would you say that they are fairly similar or would the hunt trail be easier? Cathedral has a lot of boulders and lose rocks, making it a fairly tough trail. I realise that the Hunt trail will NOT be easy but considering it's on the other side of the mountain, I'm just curious as to its level of difficulty.
peakbagger
09-05-2017, 16:42
The Hunt trail is a better trail bed than Cathedral while in the woods with some very nicely built recent relocations. The trade off is there are much bigger boulders on the Hunt than Cathedral. Not as many loose rocks but plenty of very large car and truck sized boulders to negotiate up, around and over. You do need to use your hands for climbing in places and there are a couple of steel bars set in rocks to assist you in climbing over boulders. The Hunt is fully exposed to westerly winds compared to Cathedral which tends to be sheltered until the last stretch to the summit. There really is no easy way up the mountain, the Saddle is the least interesting but even it has to traverse a long loose gravely section that I dislike due to the potential for rock fall from above.
AllDownhillFromHere
09-05-2017, 17:17
Have you tried the Helon Taylor trail? I did it as part of a loop up to and over the Knife Edge (which really isn't all that knifey), then hit the peak, then came down Chimney.
peakbagger
09-05-2017, 19:44
Wow not many folks would represent Helon Taylor and Knife Edge as an easy option up Katahdin. Helon Taylor is well graded to Pamola but the first third of the knifes edge is definitely a tad more technical than most hikers like.
Thanks peakbagger, that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I want to do the Hunt trail first because I'm tired of always doing the Cathedral or the Saddle but I also want to do it to check off another (tiny) section off my AT list. Like you said, there's no easy way up the mountain, I just wanted an idea for comparison. The Hunt being longer in distance I wanted to know if I should plan for a much longer hike.
And thanks for the suggestion AllDownhillFromHere but I heard so many contradicting things about the Knife Edge that I'm scared of it. I know... big wimp! Maybe one day.
AllDownhillFromHere
09-05-2017, 22:35
Wow not many folks would represent Helon Taylor and Knife Edge as an easy option up Katahdin. Helon Taylor is well graded to Pamola but the first third of the knifes edge is definitely a tad more technical than most hikers like.
Seriously? I did that in a full (although only 2 days food supply) pack.
@peakbagger - the Knife Edge is _feet_ wide - you'd need to start running and get up some speed, trip, and then fall, into the wind, just as a 75mph gust hit you in order to fall. It's also only knife-edgy on 1 side, on the other its the gradual rocky slope of the peak. It's not like you're on this 1000' tightrope. I guess what I'm saying is - don't believe the fearmongers.
Hunt Trail (the AT) struck me as the easiest and most straightforward of the three approaches mentioned. Of course it's all relative.
The middle third of Hunt Trail is still steep as get-out and will involve scrambling. Definitely will need to stash one or both poles.
Knife Edge, to me, was kinda spooky, and that was decades ago when I was young and spry.
My thoughts on the Hunt Trail are similar to what you've already heard. It's a relatively "easy" Katahdin trail except for a .2 mile stretch where you are hand over hand climbing up and over and down very large boulders. The beginning of that stretch has some bars to help out. I'm around 6 feet tall and there are a couple parts where I really have to stretch out to get up the boulders. With that being said I never thought that I wouldn't be able to do it. It just takes a bit of patience.
Other than that you are faced with "easier" hiking (relatively speaking). The first part is hiking up a steep trail in the woods. After the boulder section you are climbing up the spine of the Hunt Spur (which is really, really neat). And once you are up to the Tableland it actually IS easy hiking all the way to Baxter Peak (1 mile or so).
For me the hardest part of the Knife Edge was harder than that boulder section of the Hunt Spur. Navigating Chimney Peak required more technical hiking than the Hunt Trail will.
Best of luck.
peakbagger
09-06-2017, 06:45
Seriously? I did that in a full (although only 2 days food supply) pack.
@peakbagger - the Knife Edge is _feet_ wide - you'd need to start running and get up some speed, trip, and then fall, into the wind, just as a 75mph gust hit you in order to fall. It's also only knife-edgy on 1 side, on the other its the gradual rocky slope of the peak. It's not like you're on this 1000' tightrope. I guess what I'm saying is - don't believe the fearmongers.
I just was on the Knife Edge trail on Saturday and have brought many a small group of newbys over it, I expect I have done it 10 or 15 times including twice in a 3 day span and have hauled a backpack with a couple days of gear in it across it. When I take first time folks over it, I get to see the spots where folks who havent done it get concerned. I also have over the years assisted many folks that are stuck who were unable to make it past certain points and also have met a few who had decided to turn back.
When I give my opinion on an open forum I assume the OP is probably low on the experience level and tailor my reply. Note I referenced hikers not folks with technical skills. My dividing line between a hiker and someone with technical skills is if the individual needs to routinely use their hands to hike the trail. There are numerous points especially near the Chimney where both hands and feet are required to down climb,upclimb and traverse near vertical slopes, there is plenty of texture and features to the rock making it easy for folks with even basic technical skills and the confidence to use them but not to someone expecting a walk in the woods. I also have done Cathedral trail numerous times and find it requires less technical moves than the Knife Edge.
I do disagree on your hyperbole regarding wind speed, perhaps along the seashore in RI where there is minimal surface turbulence, its possible to hike in sustained winds over 20 to 30 MPH. The reality is on a typical summit with a lot of surface features, the wind is quite turbulent with the wind speed and direction varying significantly. This substantially drops the wind speed where someone can comfortably walk without the potential for getting blown around. Generally folks confuse the wind speed that is typically measured well above ground at an elevated point (like the Observatory Tower on Mt Washington) with true ground speed which is far less due to the boundary layer effect. Folks with handheld anemometers generally find that a measured 20 to 30 MPH at ground level in turbulent conditions means they can get blown around. In a flat field it can be fun, but add in steep slopes and a 2 foot wide trail and its probably a bit too intense for a hiker.
I do agree that in many locations there are bypasses over the most interesting spots, but there are several points especially on the first quarter to third of the trail from Pamola that require potential exposure with no bypass route available. Since you have an error in your post I cant read the width that you stated. It does get wider in the last 2/3rds as a hiker approaches South Peak and from South Peak to Baxter Peak it becomes a rock hop.
I dont see where my prior post was fearmongering but perhaps you are referring to some other post?.