Hiking Katahdin to see my NOBO thru-hiker husband summit....

[amaniktalya]

My husband is expected to summit Katahdin in mid/late september. I did a few section hikes with him during his thru-hike and trying to see if I can join him to see his summit in person. Is Katahdin too rough for a non-regular hiker to join for a climb up and down the summit? I would hate to miss this accomplishment of my husband. Please advise!

What will be the best way to make that happen!

Many thanks to the Whiteblaze community in helping this wife's dream come true.

Cheers,
amaniktalya

[Miner]

The climb to the top of Katahdin isn't a hiking trail for the largest part of the elevation gain that happens in the middle of the climb. Its a rock scramble where you are climbing up large boulders. It isn't an easy hike up or down and the down part is hard on the knees. I climbed it as part of a SOBO attempt and was pretty out of shape and overweight (by my standards), but I suspect that I was still better off then most Americans. It took me 8.5 hours round trip. I didn't bring my hiking poles and my knees were killing me by the time I reached the bottom. I also fell off a rock in the middle and dropped 2-3 feet onto my back (my pack absorbed the impact). So yes, it is difficult. But that said, at the top, I saw plenty of women and men of all ages and some children.

On the hike down, I ran into several thru-hikers coming up with a family member (usually a father) who were going pretty slow compared to me and I wondered if they'd make it back to the bottom by the time it was dark. If you think you might be up for it, start EARLY (before dawn if possible considering how short the day gets that far north in late September). Give yourself plenty of time to do the hike so you can rest as necessary and not have to worry about scrambling down those rocks in the dark. Bring a headlamp just in case.

These photos is what I mean by rock scrambling.
AT2012-15.jpg AT2012-14.jpg

[amaniktalya]

Thank you so much! It does look tough but good to know that it is doable. It is possible for me to just join directly at the hunt trail that leads to the summit. I was planning on going to the hunt trail head and starting from there. Any other optimal/fun options will be highly appreciated. Someone suggested to also brings gloves as it is all about four points of contant (through hands included) when crossing those rocks.

Many many thanks!

[kayak karl]

i found no trouble going up. neither did the cub scouts that hiked that day. it rained on the way down and i slipped and slid 30 ft. Scouts helped me up and walked down with me. i think they wanted their helping the elderly patch!
you will do fine. i saw a few family hiking to the top. have fun. take lots of pics. post at least one on this thread.

My sister lives in Petaluma. i have walked San Fransisco, THAT hurt! My legs were killing me the next day. Katahdin, my legs didn't hurt.

[lemon b]

Make it happen. In this world of cell phones I'm certain you two can time the arrival. You've already done sections, this is just a climax. Let your husband make the call as far as the uncontrollable such as the weather. By the way sounds like your lucky to have each other. Sure he'll advise on what to wear and the hiking end of things.

[overthinker]

I've hiked Big K a couple of times as a day hike. If you like to hike, this will be a lot of fun. If you don't like to hike, you're going to hate life for awhile.

I'd recommend reserving a site at the Roaring Brook campground. There are more trails from that side of the mountain, and it's a pretty nice place to stay anyway. Of course, if you want to meet up with your husband before he summits, Roaring Brook is the wrong side.

As for the trails. Going up, I prefer to take the Chimney Pond Trail, then get on the Cathedral Trail for the summit. I've only ever come down Helon Taylor, and I really dislike that trail. Lots of drops that are just the perfect distance to destroy your knees. I've always wanted to take the Saddle Trail down, just never made it over there.

If you do the Knife Edge (it's fun, really!), just be prepared for the light climbing you need to do at the notch. There's a down climb and an up - not difficult, just good to know you have to do it.

Dudley is an okay way to the top, but I think Cathedral is nicer.

Remember to bring a flashlight, the rangers keep an eye out for people without lights. And water - might be smart to fill up along Roaring Brook before you reach Chimney Pond (I think you're not allowed to touch the pond water). I've come down off that mountain really dry before.

Best advice: start EARLY, it'll take awhile.

[Kerosene]

If you are comfortable walking the San Fran hills (and running up Nob Hill like I (successfully) attempted!), then you should be fine on Katahdin if you like to hike based on what I've heard from other non-AT dayhikers. I would be thrilled if one of my family members decided to join me at the summit.

[Nooga]

As others have stated, start early. BTW, be sure to wear long pants to save your knees as you scramble up the rocks.

[ChuckT]

Your husband is a lucky guy!

[flemdawg1]

I just did it last Thursday at the end of my 150 mile section hike. It took me 8 hours (started at 6am) and I'm much slower going down than up (and not fast going up either). And as others have said the the middle 2.5 miles is rock scramble I didn't use gloves and it was ok. Slid down a 8ft rock crevasse and got a couple of stinging abrasions. Saw lots of kids and older folks doing it.

[HeartWalker]

My wife had sectioned with me in Virginia and is in decent shape. She joined me to climb Katahdin and went halfway. When we got the climbing with the big dropoffs she said I'll do dangerous but I won't do death and she turned around. It is arguably the toughest section of the trail. At least one of the scariest.

[kidchill]

If you're at least in decent shape you should be fine. It's not a race, so you don't have to push really hard. I'm not sure if the idea is to actually hike/summit with your man, but if it's not or he wants something different, I would recommend Abol trail to go up. It's much more of an upper body workout then lower, you're pulling yourself up rocks/boulders. It was a really cool hike. There were some people that were definitely not in shape, and they made it. That being said, there were some excessively obese people, that had no business being up there, and they turned around between 1/4 to 1/2 the way up Abol. If you decide to take Abol up, just take Hunt down and that knocks out the AT there. I was just starting a SOBO thru-hike, so I wasn't in great trail shape, and I was taking my sweet time to enjoy the views. I spent a little less then 2hours climbing, spent 2 hours on the summit, and a little less then 2hours coming down. At no point did I feel stressed. My legs were a little wobbly coming down, but it went away as soon as I hit level ground. Also, in terms of water, don't take water from the top! There's kind of a false summit, well, more like a saddle area with water on the ground. I've heard it's not good from multiple people.

[Migrating Bird]

Abol was closed last I knew. Notice: All Park campgrounds, roads and trails are now open with the exception of the Abol Trail. The newly relocated OJI Trail is now open for hiking. Revised trail info available at HQ, Park Visitor Center and Togue Pond Gatehouse. Landslide activity has resulted in dangerous hiking conditions on the Abol Trail. The Abol Trail is closed for at least the 2014 season. See the Home Page for more info. Hot summer weather can make a Katahdin climb harder - we recommend at least 3 quarts on warm days. Katahdin hikes can take longer than you expect - be sure to bring a flashlight and extra food and water. www.facebook.com/baxterstatepark (7/8/14)

If you want to hike with your husband you are going to go up the AT/Hunt trail. There is only a short section which is tough maybe a tenth of mile and I do not believe one could fall off the mountian following the blazes although it is possible to fall 6-8 feet which would be painful. Just start early - even before daylight and just take your time.