The Russells Go to Baxter

For Fourth of July weekend, we went to Baxter State Park with Eric's mom, Sandy, and his brother, Brian and girlfriend Becky. The trip was a Christmas gift from Sandy that we had been waiting for all year.
We left Saturday morning and couldn't check into our campsite until the afternoon ... so, we did a warm-up hike to Katahdin Stream Falls. Although beautiful, it wasn't on the same level as the waterfalls we saw a few months ago at Yosemite National Park.

After a quick swim at a nearby pond, we had a laid-back afternoon at the campsite and an early bedtime. The next morning, at about 6:30, we embarked on our quest to summit Mt. Katahdin.

Since we both wore matching red bandanas, we called ourselves Team Bandana!

The first leg of the hike up Katahdin was the Chimney Pond Trail from our campsite at Roaring Brook. Stacy still had a smile on her face in this picture, so it must have been early in the ascent :)

And here we are at Chimney Pond, which was about 3.2 miles from Roaring Brook and 1,400 feet up! This is where Sandy, Brian and Becky left us.

Chimney Pond offered a nice view of the Katahdin peaks.

We left Chimney Pond and ascended Katahdin via the Cathedral Trail. We knew there would be some bouldering, but it was essentially 1.7 miles and more than 2,000 vertical feet of scrambling. It was challenging and nerve-racking but made for an exciting climb.
Here, Stacy follows the blue trail markers.

The last stretch of the ascent was littered with smaller, loose rocks that moved every time you stepped. With diminished energy, we worried about turning an ankle and not making it to the top ...

... But, WE MADE IT!!! 5,267 feet. The highest point in all of Maine. It was a great way to celebrate our nation's birthday.

Looking down from Baxter Peak, you can see Chimney Pond. It was hard to believe just a few hours before we were standing at the edge of that small body of water.

The one thing we didn't do that we wanted to was Knife Edge, which connects Baxter Peak to Pamola Peak about 1 mile away. When we reached the summit, we were a little behind schedule and there was threat of thundershowers, so we decided to play it safe. Eric did go out a little ways to pose for a picture, but that's as far as we went. Maybe next time?

Like most trips, our time at Baxter was too short. But we had good company, good food and an unforgettable hike.