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  1. #1
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    Default Steepest part of the AT

    Hello Whiteblaze friends! Just got back from hiking the Presidential Range and Katahdin in early September. Fantastic weather all 6 days of my trip and awsome pictures. My question is this: I have hiked all the AT from Springer to Damascus and now from NH 302 at Crawford Notch to Pinkham Notch as well as the AT trail up Katahdin. Does anyone know where the steepest part of the AT is? I thought it was the south side of Roan Mountain but am now thinking it must be either Katahdin itself, going up Webster Cliffs or coming off Mount Madison toward Pinkham. Are there any places steeper than those I have mentioned? Thanks, Jay B.

  2. #2
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    I haven't made it to N.E. yet, but I want to say that Katahdin is much steeper than Roan Mountain, though I could be wrong.

    I remember a pretty nasty climb out of Stecoah gap though.

  3. #3
    Super Moderator Marta's Avatar
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    Beaverbrook Falls on Mt. Moosilauke gets my vote.
    If not NOW, then WHEN?

    ME>GA 2006
    http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277

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  4. #4
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    A few of the stretches in southern ME - like Mahoosuc Arm and Speck Mtn.







    Hiking Blog
    AT NOBO and SOBO, LT, FHT, ALT
    Shenandoah NP Ridgerunner, Author, Speaker


  5. #5
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OSUBCS#1 View Post
    I remember a pretty nasty climb out of Stecoah gap though.

    All right, a Stecoah fan! I've complained about that 30 miles from NOC to Fontana a lot. Really tough part of trail (esp mentally) when you are new at the game. But not the steepest.







    Hiking Blog
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  6. #6

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    South Kinsman

    geek

  7. #7

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    katahdin
    webster cliff trail
    lehigh gap
    mahoosuc arm
    beaver brook trail
    the climb out of georgia into N.C. kicked my ass a few times

  8. #8
    Trail miscreant Bearpaw's Avatar
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    Ive heard they've built switchbacks, but Old Blue Mountain would get my vote from ten years ago.
    If people spent less time being offended and more time actually living, we'd all be a whole lot happier!

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bearpaw View Post
    Ive heard they've built switchbacks, but Old Blue Mountain would get my vote from ten years ago.
    yeah thats a good choice. ten years yesterday for me 10-08-99 wow seems like yesterday.

  10. #10
    Peakbagger Extraordinaire The Solemates's Avatar
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    i'm fairly certain that geek wins the prize...rise over run, I think statistically speaking south kinsman is truely the steepest.

    here are some others that came to my mind:

    katahdin
    albert mtn
    lehigh gap
    speck mtn

    I dont remember stecoah or beaver brook being that bad...
    The only thing better than mountains, is mountains where you haven't been.

    amongnature.blogspot.com

  11. #11
    Registered User Ramble~On's Avatar
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    South Kinsman, Mahoosuc Arm, Old Blue & parts of the climb down from Dragon's Tooth, Moody Mountain comes to mind too! I renamed that one...Mt. Kick My Ass.

    The steepest climb on the trail though....my vote goes to the stairs at the Doyle! Especially 15 minutes after last call.
    "Going to the woods is going home" - John Muir

    "Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truely get into the heart of the wilderness" - John Muir

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ramble~On View Post
    South Kinsman, Mahoosuc Arm, Old Blue & parts of the climb down from Dragon's Tooth....and climbing the steps at the Doyle! Moody Mountain comes to mind too! I renamed that one...Mt. Kick My Ass.
    Yep. Moody Mt. (or Hall), I forgot which was the tough one. I hiked them about 8 years ago.
    I haven't been on the Trail between NJ and Ga. yet, though, except a little bit of Pa.
    Mahoosuc arm is a good climb, too, especially right after the notch (and the descent to it).
    As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11

  13. #13
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    Descending Garfield on a rainy morning! Webster Cliff wasn't too steep (I didn't think) it just kept going on forever.

  14. #14
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    I agree with Jim Adams, Kinsman gets my vote.

  15. #15
    •Completed A.T. Section Hike GA to ME 1996 thru 2003 •Donating Member Skyline's Avatar
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    I vote for the middle section of the climb up to Baxter Peak starting at Katahdin Stream Campground via the Hunt Trail / AT.

    There are a half-dozen or so that rank near it but IMHO this 1.25 miles or so is the toughest and steepest climb on the entire AT. A lot of hand-over-hand stuff. A few places where you can see the next white blaze but scratch your head and ask, "Now what were they thinking?" The fact that there is often really dicey weather here makes it all the more challenging.

    NOBOs could consider it their Final Exam. It's all do-able though, and the prize is well worth the effort.

  16. #16
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    I haven't done Maine or North Carolina, but South Kinsman gets my vote.

    I reached Eliza Brook Shelter at 3 pm on a mid-September day, amazed at how long it took me to get there from Kinsman Notch. My plans had me stopping at Kinsman Pond for the night, but the guidebook made it clear that the next 3 miles were "not to be underestimated". Feeling a little tired (it was only my second day out), I did the smart thing and stayed put. The two miles up South Kinsman is clearly the hardest ascent I've done, and it was at the beginning of my hiking day!
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  17. #17

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    Stecoah Gap, for sheer surprise. Short but calf-busting. The climb up Webster Cliffs is brutal. Funny, I don't remember any part of Katahdin being steep at all. This is northbound, of course.
    Yahtzee

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bearpaw View Post
    Ive heard they've built switchbacks, but Old Blue Mountain would get my vote from ten years ago.
    Old Blue is one of those Mountains that doesn't get talked about alot, but it's definately a hard one whether you are climbing it or going down it. It's a steep climb going NOBO, and if you're coming down it SOBO, your knees are shot by the time you get down to South Arm Rd.......then you have to cross the road and climb Moody Mt. Definately a tough little stretch of trail that I always dread.

  19. #19
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yahtzee View Post
    The climb up Webster Cliffs is brutal.
    That one didn't bother me at all. Hikerhead and I were restarting after a zero. I dropped him off at the trailhead at 6:10 am, then parked the car back up the Notch at the AMC lodge to wait for the shuttle at 8 am. I started the climb at 8:10 under overcast skies on a cool day.

    Perhaps it was the pursuit, or perhaps because I was rested and well-fed, but I powered up the Cliffs, catching Hikerhead about two-thirds of the way up at 10:10. It was a magical climb with all the clouds moving about.

    I also took two of my favorite PC wallpaper shots on this climb:

    Looking east across Crawford Notch to fog in adjacent Bear Notch

    Blaze atop Webster Cliffs
    Last edited by Kerosene; 10-10-2009 at 15:41.
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  20. #20
    Registered User Big Dawg's Avatar
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    north of Stecoah Gap, & part of the climb up Katahdin get my vote,,,,, so far.

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