Three Days in Baxter

View of Katahdin from our cabin, Loon Lodge, on Daicey Pond

We just got back from three great days in Baxter. Now that our self-imposed hiatus from the park is over after finishing the AT last year, we really wanted to get up there this year. With me being pregnant, sleeping on the ground in a tent didn't sound all that appealing, so we figured this was the year to try out one of the cabins we had seen while hiking along Daicey Pond on the trail last year. What a great spot! Perfect...

Photos from our trip can be seen here.

Day 1:
We were up and on the road around 7:15am, fueled by Tim Horton's breakfast sandwiches and coffee, arriving at the gatehouse about 3 1/2 hours later. There, we switched off our phones and the radio, rolled down the windows, and headed into the park, enjoying the breeze and the scenery. We stopped in at Daicey Pond to check things out, but we were too early for check-in, so we headed up the road a bit to Kidney Pond, where we planned to start our hike of Sentinel Mountain. We sat down by the water and ate our lunch in the breeze, smiling all the while. We were in Baxter! What's not to love?

Snowman was the sherpa for the hike, carrying his big pack with extra water, all the food and extra clothes. I was happily equipped with just my Nathan pack and my poles. You might think this set-up was good for fastpacking, but the reality is I was really slowpacking - going as light as possible and as slow as possible :-)


Snowman along Kidney Pond

The trail skirted Kidney Pond before beginning the ascent up Sentinel Mountain. This was a fairly rugged little mountain, but we just took our time and enjoyed the woods. Snowman was a gentleman and assisted me where I needed an extra boost - with my ever-expanding belly, I am not quite as able to maneuver up and over, around and down things as I typically have been. There was one knee-deep stream crossing along the way, but it was so warm and muggy that the cold water and wet shoes felt really good! The trail topped out on some open ledges, complete with a good breeze and a fair number of perfectly ripe and yummy blueberries, not to mention nice views of Katahdin. After a bit of time relaxing on the ledges, we headed back down the way we came for 5.6 miles in 3.5 hours with 1/2 hour or more of stops included.


Me on Sentinel Mountain Ledges. 29 weeks 5 days.

As we pulled back into the parking area at Daicey Pond, it started to sprinkle, but we didn't care - we were in a cabin tonight! Loon Lodge was a great spot, in a wooded area at the edge of the pond. The cabin had two twin beds, a wood stove, a nice porch, firepit and picnic table. As it was raining, we cooked pasta on the porch and relaxed in our chairs, playing Cribbage and reading until bedtime.

Day 2:

It rained through the night, I awoke at 6:30am to clearing skies. I had my breakfast out on the porch, watching the bugs jump on the water and reading until Snowman woke up. Today's plan was to drive up to the far end of the park, where we had never explored. The Tote Road is long. And dirt. And the speed limit is 20 mph. Or less. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get to South Branch Pond campground, but it was a nice ride, with some pretty views along the way. The South Branch Pond area is beautiful and much less-frequented than the other end of the park.


Lower South Branch Pond

We decided on a hike up to South Branch Mountain, with the option for a loop up, over and around the pond. The trail started with a stream crossing, so our already wet shoes were now even wetter, and then proceeded to climb straight up for 2 miles. Everything was wet and slippery, so it was slow going, but the woods were pretty. Lots of red bunchberries contrasting with the lush greenery. As we hit the ridge of the mountain, the breeze picked up, and we had some nice views from a rocky ledge before the summit. We sat on the rocks at the northern summit and ate lunch, debating whether we should continue on with the loop, or go back down the way we had come up. I was feeling good, and so we agreed to continue on.

We were glad we did a short while later, as we topped out on the south summit of South Branch Mountain. There were gorgeous views down onto the ponds and out over the Peak of the Ridges and the Traveler, as well as back towards Katahdin. The summit ridge was like a meadow, with blueberries, bunchberries, indian paint brushes, lichen and grasses blowing in the breeze. Beautiful.


Snowman on South summit of South Branch Mountain

The trail wandered steeply, but dryly, down to Upper South Branch Pond. From there, it was 2 miles back to the trailhead. The breeze that had been so nice up on the ridge was non-existent along the shores. I was hot. And getting tired. Perhaps the loop was a bit much after all, but it was a lovely hike and I'm really glad we did it. We finished off the 6.4 miles in 5 1/2 hours with 1 hour or more of stopping. When we got back to the end of the lake, we dropped our packs and went right in up to our knees to cool, and clean, off. A great way to end a hike!


Snowman cooking up dinner on the fire

Snowman cooked us sausages and veggies over the firepit for dinner, and we took in a great views of Katahdin over the pond in the early evening light, then we read until the light got low enough that it was time to go inside. I slept like a rock, so I think I really did tire myself out!



Pregnant lady and the mountain. 29 weeks 6 days.

Day 3:

We slept in and had a leisurely breakfast before packing up the car. We decided it would be a shame to leave Daicey Pond without taking one of the canoes out. The pond was quiet, with a bit of a breeze blowing on a gorgeous sunny morning. We hugged the shores, enjoying the water lilies and the tadpoles and minnows swimming along in the clear, shallow waters. The canoe afforded us some fine views of Doubletop, OJI and Katahdin over the trees.


Canoeing Daicey Pond

Upon our return, we got in the car and headed to Katahdin Stream campground, where we took a short 1 mile hike out to Grassy Pond. It was a nice mellow morning. And then, it was time to hit the road for home. But what a great trip!

Flora and fauna notes from the weekend: The woods were lush and green from all the rain. Bunchberries and Indian Pipe were plentiful, as were the blueberries up on the ridges. The most abundant wildlife was the many toads, from one the size of my thumbnail to one the size of my hand, as well as frogs that we saw. We did spot one Red-tailed Hawk, as well as a number of sparrows, swallows, juncos and chickadees, but were disappointed with the lack of large mammals seen on the trip. Baxter is prime habitat for moose, but somehow, despite spending time along a lot of ponds and traveling most of the tote road, we didn't see one! Snowman thinks they don't exist :-)