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A climb to the sky:
An alpine adventure on the Hamlin Ridge Trail
by David Mills
Ascending Hamlin ridge is an aerial adventure reaching some of the most rugged
and remote mountain country in Maine. The grandeur is unparalleled, the alpine
silence pervasive.
From the base at Roaring Brook Campground in Baxter State Park in North Central
Maine one already feels worlds away. A hike of just a few more miles brings one to
a world apart, a world reminiscent of the European Alps yet with a distinctive
Appalachian character.
The hike up to Hamlin Peak begins here at the Roaring Brook Campground Ranger
station on the wide and gradual Chimney Pond trail. Within a couple of miles the
route branches off on to the far less traveled north basin cutoff and north basin
trails. From there it’s a very steep ridge walk to the summit along the Hamlin Ridge
Trail. This trail climbs very steeply along a narrow rocky ridge that separates the
deep and wild north basin from the less wild, but still very impressive south basin.
Looking ahead up the ridge, your eyes are constantly drawn upward to the distant
summit of Hamlin Peak which projects above the alpine plateau known as the
Table Land.
This plateau runs from the rugged and
rocky north peaks to the steep
escarpments of Mount Katahdin and
the Knife Edge, a rugged near vertical
arête or sharp ridge which joins Mount
Katahdin from Pamola Peak. These
escarpments plunge downward at
a near vertical slope to Chimney Pond
at the bottom of the South Basin.
Chimney Pond is the destination of the
three-mile- long Chimney Pond Trail
and the setting for one of the most popular camp sites in the park. Chimney Pond
Campground is nearly always full. Reservations for this and other park
campgrounds can be made by calling the Park Headquarters in Millinocket, Maine
(207-723-5140 between 8 am and 4 pm).
In hiking terms, the distance to Hamlin Peak is relatively short, but the terrain is
rugged and strenuous, and the scenery breathtaking. The lands all about are
protected. The forests are young and in a state of recovery. Baxter State Park exists
today because the Late Governor Baxter had the financial resources and the vision
to see the value of land in its natural state. He purchased blocks of land piece by
piece. He tried to give the land to the state of Maine but was met with resistance. So
instead, he bequeathed in his will the land that he purchased to the state to remain
in a wilderness park as a gift for the people of Maine for all time.
Today Baxter State Park comprises a little over 204,000 acres and is managed in
accordance with the wishes of the Late Governor. The park is supported exclusively
through a trust fund left by the late governor and by user fees. There is a 12 dollar
per day use fee charged to out-of-state residents and an 18 dollar camp site fee
charged to all.
Literally thousands of people visit this small state park every year, contributing in
no small way to the economy of nearby Millinocket. Mount Katahdin, situated
entirely within Baxter State Park, is perhaps the best known and loved mountain in
the entire state of Maine and draws the majority of the park’s visitors. It also serves
as the northern terminus for the 2175 mile long Appalachian National Scenic Trail, a
backcountry footpath that begins in northern Georgia atop Springer Mountain.
Given that most of the park’s visitor traffic comes to the south-eastern portion of
the park where Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine is located, Baxter
State Park provides ample opportunity to experience wilderness and solitude.
Hamlin Peak is one place where the wilderness character of the park truly rings
forth, especially in the off-season after Labor Day. As I reached the summit cairn
around mid-day on September 5th, I found myself inundated by glorious solitude
amidst the grandeur of the spectacular alpine landscape. The only perceptible
sounds were those of the light mountain breezes and perhaps, if one concentrated
hard enough, the very distant sounds of mountain streams coming from thousands
of feet below at the bottom of the north and south basins.
Modern society seemed but memory up here, hardly even real. It is hard to feel
hurried when nearly all signs of the world below are hidden, having faded away
down the sinuous ridge and forested plains that seem, to the naked eye, to stretch
to the ends of the earth.
I had reached the summit of Hamlin Peak, my goal for this hike. The early
September daylight was gentler now than it had been earlier in the summer but still
remained a comfort. The walk down Hamlin ridge was a relaxed one. The alpine
beauty witnessed on the heights, and still witnessed on the descent, sustained my
soul for the rest of the day even as my mind wanders to other times and places.
Back at Roaring Brook Campground, I stopped to rest and have a snack. I had left
behind the high mountain wilderness and was soon to re-enter civilization. Yet,
spiritually, I remain, back there, on the mighty mountaintops of northern Maine. I
am grateful for this land that, thanks to the late Governor Baxter, has been
preserved as mountain wilderness for all time so that others may come here like I
have to appreciate this rugged alpine wilderness which is truly the jewel of the
state of Maine.
About the author:
David Mills has had a life long passion for mountains and wilderness; he has
hiked and backpacked extensively throughout New England as well as in the
Alps and the Rocky Mountains. David has a degree in Environmental Studies and
is a student member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. He lives in
Concord, New Hampshire.
An alpine adventure on the Hamlin Ridge Trail
by David Mills
Ascending Hamlin ridge is an aerial adventure reaching some of the most rugged
and remote mountain country in Maine. The grandeur is unparalleled, the alpine
silence pervasive.
From the base at Roaring Brook Campground in Baxter State Park in North Central
Maine one already feels worlds away. A hike of just a few more miles brings one to
a world apart, a world reminiscent of the European Alps yet with a distinctive
Appalachian character.
The hike up to Hamlin Peak begins here at the Roaring Brook Campground Ranger
station on the wide and gradual Chimney Pond trail. Within a couple of miles the
route branches off on to the far less traveled north basin cutoff and north basin
trails. From there it’s a very steep ridge walk to the summit along the Hamlin Ridge
Trail. This trail climbs very steeply along a narrow rocky ridge that separates the
deep and wild north basin from the less wild, but still very impressive south basin.
Looking ahead up the ridge, your eyes are constantly drawn upward to the distant
summit of Hamlin Peak which projects above the alpine plateau known as the
Table Land.
This plateau runs from the rugged and
rocky north peaks to the steep
escarpments of Mount Katahdin and
the Knife Edge, a rugged near vertical
arête or sharp ridge which joins Mount
Katahdin from Pamola Peak. These
escarpments plunge downward at
a near vertical slope to Chimney Pond
at the bottom of the South Basin.
Chimney Pond is the destination of the
three-mile- long Chimney Pond Trail
and the setting for one of the most popular camp sites in the park. Chimney Pond
Campground is nearly always full. Reservations for this and other park
campgrounds can be made by calling the Park Headquarters in Millinocket, Maine
(207-723-5140 between 8 am and 4 pm).
In hiking terms, the distance to Hamlin Peak is relatively short, but the terrain is
rugged and strenuous, and the scenery breathtaking. The lands all about are
protected. The forests are young and in a state of recovery. Baxter State Park exists
today because the Late Governor Baxter had the financial resources and the vision
to see the value of land in its natural state. He purchased blocks of land piece by
piece. He tried to give the land to the state of Maine but was met with resistance. So
instead, he bequeathed in his will the land that he purchased to the state to remain
in a wilderness park as a gift for the people of Maine for all time.
Today Baxter State Park comprises a little over 204,000 acres and is managed in
accordance with the wishes of the Late Governor. The park is supported exclusively
through a trust fund left by the late governor and by user fees. There is a 12 dollar
per day use fee charged to out-of-state residents and an 18 dollar camp site fee
charged to all.
Literally thousands of people visit this small state park every year, contributing in
no small way to the economy of nearby Millinocket. Mount Katahdin, situated
entirely within Baxter State Park, is perhaps the best known and loved mountain in
the entire state of Maine and draws the majority of the park’s visitors. It also serves
as the northern terminus for the 2175 mile long Appalachian National Scenic Trail, a
backcountry footpath that begins in northern Georgia atop Springer Mountain.
Given that most of the park’s visitor traffic comes to the south-eastern portion of
the park where Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine is located, Baxter
State Park provides ample opportunity to experience wilderness and solitude.
Hamlin Peak is one place where the wilderness character of the park truly rings
forth, especially in the off-season after Labor Day. As I reached the summit cairn
around mid-day on September 5th, I found myself inundated by glorious solitude
amidst the grandeur of the spectacular alpine landscape. The only perceptible
sounds were those of the light mountain breezes and perhaps, if one concentrated
hard enough, the very distant sounds of mountain streams coming from thousands
of feet below at the bottom of the north and south basins.
Modern society seemed but memory up here, hardly even real. It is hard to feel
hurried when nearly all signs of the world below are hidden, having faded away
down the sinuous ridge and forested plains that seem, to the naked eye, to stretch
to the ends of the earth.
I had reached the summit of Hamlin Peak, my goal for this hike. The early
September daylight was gentler now than it had been earlier in the summer but still
remained a comfort. The walk down Hamlin ridge was a relaxed one. The alpine
beauty witnessed on the heights, and still witnessed on the descent, sustained my
soul for the rest of the day even as my mind wanders to other times and places.
Back at Roaring Brook Campground, I stopped to rest and have a snack. I had left
behind the high mountain wilderness and was soon to re-enter civilization. Yet,
spiritually, I remain, back there, on the mighty mountaintops of northern Maine. I
am grateful for this land that, thanks to the late Governor Baxter, has been
preserved as mountain wilderness for all time so that others may come here like I
have to appreciate this rugged alpine wilderness which is truly the jewel of the
state of Maine.
About the author:
David Mills has had a life long passion for mountains and wilderness; he has
hiked and backpacked extensively throughout New England as well as in the
Alps and the Rocky Mountains. David has a degree in Environmental Studies and
is a student member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. He lives in
Concord, New Hampshire.
