View Full Version : Ice and Snow on Katahdin
Baxter SP reported snow and ice already up on Katahdin (yesterday). I hope all those thrus are safe and warm. Good luck to all.
http://www.katahdincam.com/
Pedaling Fool
10-10-2010, 11:23
There was ice on Katahdin when I summited on 14 oct 06. The night before I summited got very cold; I don't know how cold it got, but cold enough to freeze nearly solid (except a little bit of water at the bottom) a pot of water I had set up for morning coffee.
If there were any humidity it definitely would have snowed, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I remeber answering the "call" around 2 a.m. and looking up at all the stars in the crisp cold night dry air.
Ended up being a perfect day to hike Katahdin.
Pedaling Fool
10-10-2010, 11:47
Ended up being a perfect day to hike Katahdin.
Today's hikers are not so lucky, almost no wind when I summited and temps warmed to ~50 degrees -- perfect:) http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/
Trails and Parking Update:
Please be advised that today, Sunday ,October 10, is a class III hiking day on Katahdin. We are experiencing high wind gusts 35+ above tree line. There is also an accumulation of ice and snow at the summit. As a result the Dudley, Cathedral and Knife Edge trails are closed today. The Togue Pond Gate opens at 6:00 am on weekdays and 5:00 am on Saturday and Sunday. Katahdin access parking lots still have space for Monday Oct 11th - check our DUPR page for more info or call 207-723-3877 for details. The cut-off time for a DUPR is now 7:00 am. Days are shorter and cooler now - on long hikes be sure to carry warm clothing.
Current as of 10/10/2010.
Yikes! I've only been up there in the summer months and I remember waking at 5:00 am with extremely cold weather....my summit photo shows me dressed head to toe as if it was the middle of January.
Slo-go'en
10-10-2010, 12:57
Yep, thats why my friends and I stopped going to Chimmey pond every Colombus day weekend. Conditions were always "iffy", but that never stopped us from getting to the summit! (though we occasionally had to bribe the ranger to look the other way..)
The summits of Adams and Madison also have a little frosting on them now - not too much though. Can't be too long now before we're knee deep in snow.
I think ATTroll was planning on summiting today... hope he did fine!
Baxter SP reported snow and ice already up on Katahdin (yesterday). I hope all those thrus are safe and warm. Good luck to all.I think a guy was supposed to begin his Southbound thru-hike yesterday starting at Katahdin:http://www.trailjournals.com/about.cfm?trailname=11214
4eyedbuzzard
10-10-2010, 20:03
We have some snow at roughly the 5000' level here in the Whites today.
peakbagger
10-11-2010, 07:27
I ran into some ice on the steep ledges going up the AT on Wildcat on Saturday (10/9). I would guess it was at around 3500 feet. It was kind of "interesting" in spots as there are foot holes cut into the ledges and the ice tended to be concentrated in them.
In general its time to get out the winter gear in NH an ME
Hoop Time
10-11-2010, 17:18
It's not just in Maine -- here is an excerpt from an Accuweather bulletin I just recieved about a potential nor-easter the end of this week. Sounds like potential for significant blowdowns in addition to the snowfall in the Smokies:
"Despite the unusual warmth of late in the mid-Atlantic, the storm will tap into chilly air. There is the potential for wet snow to fall over the highest elevations of the Appalachians with this storm.
The Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina and the ridges in West Virginia are the most likely candidates Thursday night into Friday.
The storm would have to manufacture out its own cold air furiously for snow of consequence to fall on the Poconos and Catskills as well as the mountains of New England. However, stranger things have happened.
While some weather weenies would relish an early-season wet snowstorm, the destruction caused by the weight of wet snow on partially leafed trees could be disastrous."