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View Full Version : All Katahdin Trails Closed on 10/23/2018.



TJ aka Teej
10-24-2018, 15:01
It was in the 20s at KSC on the 21st and 22nd, snowed a bit both days. Rangers closed the mountain early on the 23rd, snowstorm hit last night, too. #youtooktoomanyzeros

T.S.Kobzol
10-24-2018, 16:02
nice hashtag TJ ;-)


It was in the 20s at KSC on the 21st and 22nd, snowed a bit both days. Rangers closed the mountain early on the 23rd, snowstorm hit last night, too. #youtooktoomanyzeros

Slo-go'en
10-24-2018, 16:06
Got some serious snow here in the Whites over night. Heavy wet stuff which took down a tree limb over my driveway and narrowly missed my car. Mt Washington got more then a foot, on top of what was already there. It's been snowing on and off most days this last week. Now they say a Nor'easter is in the works for this weekend, with another foot coming. Good start to the winter this year!

LazyLightning
10-24-2018, 18:22
I summited on the 19th as did a lot of others and many went up on the 20th. I tried on the 18th and had to turn around right when I got above tree line cause winds were strong enough to blow me right off the mountain. Only one other person tried on the 18th (a day hiker) that I warned on my way down and he also turned around. I hung out until getting picked up on the 22nd southbound on the AT, doing a couple day hikes in and out of Baxter. From Sat morning to Mon night I saw only 1 other thru hiker (Sat) and only the same one who signed up for the birches or a trail register on the way in any day.

I thought they close for camping in the park but that they you can usually still summit with a ride in/out, is this early for them to "close the mountain"?

also a ranger told me that generally the mountain is only closed for about 1 month a year and that many people do still summit in the winter... not necessarily thru hikers but more extremist with special gear checking off a bucket list type thing.

Slo-go'en
10-24-2018, 19:04
I thought they close for camping in the park but that they you can usually still summit with a ride in/out, is this early for them to "close the mountain"?

Late in the season they can open/close the trails depending on conditions but after a certain point they shut it down for good until there is decent snow pack. There is an in between time when the access road is too dangerous to drive on, but not enough snow yet to snowmobile on. I believe the winter season starts around Dec 1st. They again close the park during mud season, which can last until the end of May.

Sounds like you finished just in the nick of time.

T.S.Kobzol
10-25-2018, 04:54
Congrats on your completion and summitting!

Yes winter in BSP is awesome, I go 3-4 times per winter but there are many years between my summer visits. The winter winds on Katahdin are fierce. I have abandoned my summit attempt several times when I crested the plateau.


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Lauriep
10-25-2018, 14:47
Thanks for posting this info, Teej.

Deacon
10-26-2018, 10:10
Congrats on your completion and summitting!

...The winter winds on Katahdin are fierce....


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Indeed, they are. When I summited on August 7th 2017, I needed face mask, gloves, long pants.



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peakbagger
10-26-2018, 10:32
NH Fish and game rescued a southbound section hiker from Florida trying to get through the whites "before the bad weather hit". He was in up to 3 feet of snow on Oct 25th. I expect he was not equipped or expecting this.

Slo-go'en
10-26-2018, 19:49
NH Fish and game rescued a southbound section hiker from Florida trying to get through the whites "before the bad weather hit". He was in up to 3 feet of snow on Oct 25th. I expect he was not equipped or expecting this.

Do you know where he was? That slush storm Tuesday - Wednesday would not have been fun to be out in. Lots of tree limbs down and folded over trees. Does it look like winter around here yet?

43901

T.S.Kobzol
10-27-2018, 06:26
He was huddled under Madison hut

It was a gorgeous winter day on the range yesterday. I went up to Hermit Shelter for a first ski of the season.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181027/19cf5c7cae608d0165a6cdcb3c6fc89d.jpg


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Slo-go'en
10-27-2018, 08:57
He was huddled under Madison hut

It was a gorgeous winter day on the range yesterday. I went up to Hermit Shelter for a first ski of the season.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181027/19cf5c7cae608d0165a6cdcb3c6fc89d.jpgSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lucky he didn't die. I wonder when (and how) he got up there. There was already significant snow up there before the Tue/Wen storm.

It did look like a nice day up there yesterday - if you were equipped for it.