Baxter Trip #4 - Chimney Pond 10/11-10/12 2009

SHUT DOWN

Three trips to Katahdin this fall just weren't enough - I hadn't done the Knife Edge yet this year and wanted to get back one more time before winter set in. I had made reservations for two nights in a lean-to at Chimney Pond back in August.  I had Lean To #9 (the nice woman at the office in Millinocket said it was a really nice one) which slept four. The foliage was at it's peak and I hoped for a good holiday weekend. We had Sunday and Monday night so we hoped head up to Chimney Sunday afternoon and then get up early and do "the big loop" - up Dudley across the Knife Edge to Baxter Peak, then walk all the way around the cirque to Hamlin peak and back to camp for another night. Well, it didn't work out that way.

Our cast of characters this trip consisted of my brother Aaron, my long time hiking buddy Pete (Pete and I hiked all of ME & NH on the AT together in sections) and Kris, my friend and band mate. Kris & I had been on a day trip up to Chimney Pond earlier in the year and he was excited to return to stand on top this time.

Kris, and Pete met at my place, where I made a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, polenta, toast and plenty of coffee. We all piled into my car and drove north together. We had a great time - Peter and Kris didn't know one another and Pete was in rare form, telling hilarious stories about his job as an ER nurse. Pete, along with my brother is among the funniest people I know and we were bound to have a lot of laughs on this trip.

We were meeting my brother Aaron at Shawn's camp on the Golden Road - we went to Millinocket and up the Golden Road, past the park about 23 miles to Shawn's camp. The weather had been pretty sketchy and the mountain itself was currently engulfed in a large black cloud - we had driven through some serious cold rain as we passed the mountain. We stayed and talked with Shawn & Carlene for a awhile, none of us in any hurry to get up to the lean-to. The weather was supposed to break and become clear tomorrow.

Aaron had borrowed my father's truck - it is a 4x4 with four doors, good for the Golden Road and plenty of room for 4 guys and all our crap. Kris told me on the ride home he had cracked up as Aaron told us the story of borrowing the truck: "...so Dad said, don't take my truck we might need to take us and the dog to town - take Debbie's truck. Her truck has a bumper sticker that says Lookin' For A Cowboy! I'm not driving that thing! So, if you need to take the dog to town - DON'T!) We loaded up and drove back through the cloud - the lower reaches of the mountain we looking frosted with rime. Oh my.

We pulled into the Togue Pond gatehouse, we passed through without incident but were told that all the trails out of Chimney had been closed today due to snow and ice, but Abol and the Hunt Trail (trails on the west side of the mountain) had been open.

We had a brief discussion of the plan, in the end we chose head up to Chimney and hope for the best in the morning. We set out from Roaring Brook at about 3:30 or so, headed up the 3.3 mile trail to our lean to. The wind was howling up on the mountain and we had no problem staying cool on the hike in. It was pretty much dark when we arrived and VERY cold - the sound of the wind was incredible. It was as if the entire Basin were a big pan flute - I've experienced some insane winds on Mount Washington but never heard it like this before.

We found our lean to, it was fairly new an situated away from the rest - it indeed was a nice spot as the office lady had said. I headed down to the ranger's cabin to check us in. Ranger Rick was on the radio with HQ and I stood in the office across the desk from him for about 10 minutes as he discussed the weather forecast and conditions. It must have been 85 degrees inside with the wood stove roaring. He ended his conversation and said "Phelps, eh? - I've been waiting for you.  Where have you been?" Let me just come out and say that Ranger Rick ACTS like a dick head. Yes. A condescending tool. I'm not saying he IS a dick head, I don't know him personally - he could be the greatest guy in the world.

Now, I understand that they have to deal with a lot of people up there, and there is no real way to tell and experienced hiker from Joe tourist. I understand that if someone is injured that it's the rangers that but go save them. Regardless the message they have to deliver is the same and there is absolutely no reason do be a jerk about it. It's the attitude, tone and body language. We'd experienced it once before on a winter trip with Ranger Rob. Ranger Stuart was the old pro - he enforced the parks rules and policies, but did it without preaching or posturing.

I explained that we were in no hurry to sit around in the lean to it was going to be a 12 hour night as it was. "Well I'm shutting down the mountain - you're not going ANYWHERE tomorrow - understand? If you want to walk over to Blueberry Knoll you can I guess but that's it."

I said not another word and turned around and walked out of the cabin. Ok then - better have fun tonight because we're not doing anything tomorrow I thought. I was disappointed but really not surprised, if I just decided to stay home every time the forecast was unfavorable, I'd never get to the top of anything. I headed down to the pond to fill up my 6 liter water bag to bring back to camp for boiling/filtering. I sat in the dark for a bit listening to the wind above and stopped to think about the ill fated climbing party in the 70's who spent the night out on the Knife Edge in winter with winds like this, with tragic consequences.

When I returned to the shelter, Aaron was demonstrating how his Little Debbie snack cakes had been buffed to a mirror shine in his pack on the hike in. I had asked Pete to bring his 8' x 10' sil-nylon tarp (which we use backpacking - he made it himself along with his backpack) It turned out to be EXACTLY the dimension of the front of the lean to. Which was good because about this time it began to snow!

Snow began to blow around everywhere and we hastily lashed the tarp across the front of the shelter. I'll never forget the look on Kris' face as the snow began to blow into the lean to - our last trip to Baxter had been his first camping trip since being a little kid.

The tarp could not have worked out much better - other that it flapping in the wildly gusting wind. We joked and laughed for several hours hanging out in our sleeping bags before finally falling asleep in a chorus of snores.

We awoke as the light of the morning appeared and then promptly rolled over to sleep some more.

The sight of the ice routes formed with little or no snow on them was breathtaking. I had been here in the winter before and our objective was the main ice flow in the center of this image - the Cilley-Barber Route. We were cursed with 3 consecutive extremely cold and windy days and we were unable to attempt a route - our friends tried to climb on the Pamola ice cliffs and the ice was so cold and hard they couldn't get ice screws in!

King Day-Glo

Pete looks a little cold - staring at the headwall

Heading Out

Brrr

As we walked down to the pond for water and a view, we could see the Cathedral and Saddle trails plastered with snow and ice.

We decided to bail - all trails on the mountain were closed today (including the west side trails) - so we headed out down the Chimney Pond Trail. The snow had blown off and there was less than an inch or two on the trail. The previous two Columbus Day weekends had been warm and sunny on the mountain, but sometimes that's how it goes. We drove back to the camp and dropped Aaron off, and navigated the Golden Road to Greenville where large slabs of beef were consumed with much gusto!  Good times!