PRESQUE ISLE – Seven adventurous northern Maine souls braved the elements and Mount Katahdin during a three-day trip to Baxter State Park organized by the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Outdoor Adventure Program International (OAPI).
Contributed photo/Amanda Morin
SEVEN ADVENTEROUS NOTHERN MAINE SOULS and their guide participated in a three-day trip to Baxter State Park, which included sleeping outside using lean-tos and climbing up Mount Katahdin. Pictured climbers are, from the left, Tim McLellan, Dawn McPherson, Liz Sutherland, Evan Clark, Peter Doucette, Amanda Morin, Brandon Levasseur and Kelly Martin Chasse.
The physically exhausting and mentally challenging trip was meant to leave participants with a greater appreciation of Katahdin and winter travel.
“This all started with a desire to see and attempt to summit the ‘Greatest Mountain’ in Maine in the winter,” Amanda Morin, OAPI director, said.
The event technically started with a pre-trip meeting a week before the actual trip to talk about logistics, gear, food, clothing and practice self-arresting. According to Morin, self-arresting is a skill used to stop yourself from sliding if you fall on a steep slope.
On Friday, March 14 at 5:30 a.m., the real adventure began. Trip members met at Gentile Hall and drove to Abol Bridge, about 40 minutes northwest of Millinocket. Upon arrival, the group met Peter Doucette, a very accomplished, young mountain guide that OAPI hired as a technical guide for the ascent up Katahdin.
The group snowshoed in approximately 4.5 miles with 50-pound backpacks up a packed trail to Abol Campground. Here, they made their home in lean-to’s while sipping hot drinks, learning the art of staying warm in winter conditions, and nibbling on gourmet spiced nuts.
Doucette conducted classes throughout the three-day adventure with a make-shift whiteboard, using a white plastic bag and sleeping pad. The first class covered risk management and decision making, both critical topics to understand as a trip leader.
The next morning, after breakfast, the ascent up Katahdin was finally underway. With snowshoes strapped onto backpacks, plenty of food, water, warm clothing and maps, the group was ready for the elements.
“Surprisingly, the well traveled trail and most recent snowfalls made for a well packed, easy to follow trail to the base of the slide, so easy in fact that we ditched our snowshoes on the side of the trail to dump some of the extra weight,” Morin said. “The slide also faired wonderful traveling conditions – well packed, dry snow with a strong crust underneath to keep us all aloft. And the weather also could not have been better: high cloud cover to protect us from the sun but still offer views; warm, meaning around 30 degrees; and not a whisper of wind. Really, quite possibly, the best weather and snow conditions for our ascent.”
But, the mountain, even in the best conditions is no cake walk. The long, arduous incline proved too much for the brave explorers. However, prior to the trip, the group had agreed that summiting would be “a bonus.”
“We knew it was going to be difficult and even before we left UMPI we talked about the fact that getting to the top was only one part of the experience,” Morin said. “Just feet before the top of the slide the unanimous decision was made to turn around and descend.”
Doucette took this opportunity to have the group practice more self-arresting techniques and play around with glissading, another mountaineering term used to describe sliding down a slope using an ice axe as a brake.
Saturday evening was spent eating, rehydrating, stoking the fire and holding a class discussions focused on leadership. Despite not summiting, the energy and enthusiasm around camp remained strong. Folks seemed more comfortable “living” outside and the nervous talk about sleeping warm that surrounded camp conversations the night before vanished.
Sunday morning, the group woke up to more clouds and a comfortable 15 degrees, perfect for a 4.5 mile hike out to the van.
“Everyone here really challenged themselves – battling the extreme elements, working as a group, stepping outside comfort zones and learning new skills,” Morin said. “It was a fantastic trip.”
