5/21 - Baxter reports all Katahdin trails to remain closed for at least another week.

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05-21-2019, 15:46
TJ aka Teej

5/21 - Baxter reports all Katahdin trails to remain closed for at least another week.

From the Park:

Quote:

KATAHDIN TRAILS UPDATE
Spring conditions (snow melt, rain, saturated soil) prevail on our trails. To preserve and sustain the resource, all Katahdin trails will remain closed for at least another week.
Abol is basically a stream bed that's sending a lot of sediment to lower portions of the trail. Sections below tree line are either covered by fast moving water or have a large body of standing water.
Abol Slide is usually the first trail up to open. The Hunt Trail (The AT) is usually next.
05-21-2019, 15:59
Dogwood

Good! Two thumbs up for Baxter SP management. Baxter prioritized maintaining the natural beauty of the SP to a specified standard even if that meant curtailing human usage. Great someone is getting it right over the long term with accountable responsible environmental stewardship.
05-21-2019, 21:30
Thrifty Endurance

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ aka Teej

From the Park:

That sounds about right to me. I called them a few weeks ago and confirmed they don't plan to open until sometime in June. #1, #2, #3 and #4 AT thru-hikers are all taking a break from the Whites also...until further notice. Sometimes, it is better to go SOBO. ATSTrong.
05-21-2019, 22:26
TJ aka Teej

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrifty Endurance

I called them a few weeks ago and confirmed they don't plan to open until sometime in June.

Campgrounds open tomorrow, 5/22.
Tote roads open except from Trout Brook to Foster Field.
Off-Katahdin trails have been open to dayhiking since least week.
Yesterday was the first time in over a month a Ranger had assessed any Katahdin Trails.
05-22-2019, 08:53
Thrifty Endurance

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ aka Teej

Campgrounds open tomorrow, 5/22.
Tote roads open except from Trout Brook to Foster Field.
Off-Katahdin trails have been open to dayhiking since least week.
Yesterday was the first time in over a month a Ranger had assessed any Katahdin Trails.

Thank you but Mt. Katahdin is what we are all waiting for right now. If NOBO AT thru-hikers can't summit, well they have to wait it out until they can...and at least two I know of are keeping busy trekking another trail.
05-22-2019, 12:04
egilbe

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrifty Endurance

Thank you but Mt. Katahdin is what we are all waiting for right now. If NOBO AT thru-hikers can't summit, well they have to wait it out until they can...and at least two I know of are keeping busy trekking another trail.

It's just Katahdin, like Denali
05-22-2019, 13:30
Thrifty Endurance

Quote:

Originally Posted by egilbe

It's just Katahdin, like Denali

True, but I use the "official" name given by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. It's a mountaineering thing. As you are aware Denali was formerly known as Mount McKinley, before the name officially was designated as Denali in all Federal Records by the Secretary of the Interior. It's only fitting, since Natives of Alaska always referred to it as Denali and so did the state.
05-23-2019, 11:31
TJ aka Teej

Also closed: Owl, Black Cat Mt., Horse Mt. Lookout Trail, and Sandy Stream Pond Trail.

Reminder: When Katahdin trails are closed, they are closed at the trailhead.
So no, you can't just walk past the sign to see a waterfall.
05-23-2019, 12:11
LoneStranger

The HMLT is closed? Hopefully not for long. Hitting the summit of Horse Mountain is of course always a majestic moment, but the Lookout Trail is a wonderful place to eat cheese either before or after the arduous climb.

Baxter Peak access is important to some I guess, but it isn't the only thing in the park. :p
05-23-2019, 13:10
Dogwood

Quote:

Originally Posted by egilbe

It's just Katahdin, like Denali

That is so simple sometimes it escapes us ...me.

Mahalo. ;)
05-23-2019, 13:48
Captain Blue

It's just Katahdin. It's only fitting, since Natives of Maine always referred to it as Katahdin and so does the state.
05-23-2019, 13:55
TJ aka Teej

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Blue

It's just Katahdin. It's only fitting, since Natives of Maine always referred to it as Katahdin and so does the state.

Gov. Baxter used 'Katahdin' almost exclusively in his writings and in the Deeds of Trust.
05-24-2019, 07:34
LoneStranger

I see the closure on Horse Mtn is for nesting falcons TJ. Are they a recent arrival? Most of my trips over that way have been in June/July and I don't recall seeing notices before.
05-24-2019, 10:14
Thrifty Endurance

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ aka Teej

Also closed: Owl, Black Cat Mt., Horse Mt. Lookout Trail, and Sandy Stream Pond Trail.

Reminder: When Katahdin trails are closed, they are closed at the trailhead.
So no, you can't just walk past the sign to see a waterfall.

Thanks for that! I don't think people realise that...it means ALL trailheads...nada, can't do, can't go, don't even think about it. :p
05-24-2019, 10:23
Thrifty Endurance

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Blue

It's just Katahdin. It's only fitting, since Natives of Maine always referred to it as Katahdin and so does the state.

Are you talking about NATIVE Americans or EUROPEAN Americans to Maine? Because the Tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy still refer to it as "Mount Katahdin."
05-24-2019, 10:39
Thrifty Endurance

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ aka Teej

Gov. Baxter used 'Katahdin' almost exclusively in his writings and in the Deeds of Trust.

Deeds of Trust is a localised legal "Real Estate" transaction, thus, you have Katahdin Region and even Katahdin Iron works, which the AMC purchased, as part of their MaineWoods Initiative. It has nothing to do with "Federal Records" which is completely different.
05-24-2019, 13:00
Captain Blue

Quote:

Are you talking about NATIVE Americans or EUROPEAN Americans to Maine?

Keep Googling. You'll get to the right answer. The Penobscot Indians named it Katahdin (or a variation of it) long before they met any white man or ever heard the word "mount". Also, check out what Katahdin means.
05-24-2019, 13:19
Thrifty Endurance

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Blue

Keep Googling. You'll get to the right answer. The Penobscot Indians named it Katahdin (or a variation of it) long before they met any white man or ever heard the word "mount". Also, check out what Katahdin means.

That's the issue with Googling...the internet is not always your friend or best resource. You actually have to talk to "live" people who know more than Google. ADDED (15:05) - Here is the "official" entry of the name Mount Katahdin SEARCH HERE: https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:1:1093735119492 I also spoke with a live person at USGS and there is no issue with me using Mt. or Mount Katahdin. Don't know why I got "slapped" down for using the name correctly and YES, I do know what Katahdin means. I was brought up in Maine.;)
05-24-2019, 15:23
TJ aka Teej

Quote:

Quote Originally Posted by TJ aka Teej View Post
Gov. Baxter used 'Katahdin' almost exclusively in his writings and in the Deeds of Trust.

Quote:

Deeds of Trust is a localised legal "Real Estate" transaction, thus, you have Katahdin Region and even Katahdin Iron works, which the AMC purchased, as part of their MaineWoods Initiative. It has nothing to do with "Federal Records" which is completely different.

The Deeds of Trust:

Quote:

"A four volume annotated compilation of original sources, collectively conveying Governor Percival P. Baxter's intent and vision for Baxter State Park, his unparalleled gift to the people of Maine. The volumes include the Deeds of Trust, legislative interpretations, opinions of Attorneys General, appellate court opinions, and Baxter's voluminous speeches and correspondence."

Nothing at all to do with KIW or the AMC. In the Deeds of Trust, Gov. Baxter uses 'Katahdin' almost exclusively.

The name of the mountain is Katahdin.
05-24-2019, 15:28
TJ aka Teej

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneStranger

I see the closure on Horse Mtn is for nesting falcons TJ. Are they a recent arrival? Most of my trips over that way have been in June/July and I don't recall seeing notices before.

Been going on for several years, I think.