Hiking
Maine’s 100 Mile
Wilderness
Philip Werner
SectionHiker.com
Copyright 2012, SectionHiker.com
About Philip Werner
u Appalachian Mountain Club Backpacking Leader
u Appalachian Trail Section Hiker
u Long Trail Mentor, Green Mountain Club
u Trail Maintainer, White Mountains
u Hiking blogger at SectionHiker.com
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What You’ll Learn
uThe 100 Mile Wilderness
uMt Katahdin and Baxter State Park
uWhat to expect
uGetting prepared
uQ & A
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The 100 Mile Wilderness
u Appalachian Trail
u Monson to Baxter State
Park boundary
u Extremely beautiful
– Mountains
– Lakes
u Very remote
u Resupply is difficult
u 7 to 12 day hike
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Climbing Mount Katahdin
u 4,000 feet of elevation gain in 5 miles
u Difficult climb even for an experienced NE hiker
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Close to True Wilderness
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Intermediate Access Pointsu Monson (Mile 0)u Katahdin Iron Works Logging
Road u Jo Mary Road u Mahar Tote Road u The Golden Road (Mile 100)u Notes
– Roads are private, owned by lumber companies
– Many of these roads are gated
– Unpaved and unmarked, very easy to get lost
– Frequently washed out by storms
– Cell phone reception is marginal
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Very Limited Resupply Options
u Privately arranged food drops– Friends bring food drops via logging roads (difficult)– 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters
u http://www.100milewilderness.info/
– Float plans can do food drops
u Whitehouse Landing via boat– Bunk room, meals, and limited resupply– Mixed reviews from thru-hikers
u Nahmakanta Lake Cabins– Expensive resort cabins for a zero day– Possibly hold a food drop
u Abol Bridge Store– Mostly beer, made-to-order subs and junk food
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When to Go
u Black fly season lasts for most of June
u Hiking season is July thru September
u Trail is crowded with AT Thru-hikers in August and September
u Baxter State Park: No Camping after October 15
u Mt Katahdin is closed after November 1 (winter)
Maine State BirdBlack Fly
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Walkthrough - South to North
uMonson, Maine
uLittle Wilson Falls
uBarren Chairback Range
uGulf Hagas and White Cap Mountain
uLakes Region
uThe Golden Road
uBaxter State Park
uMt Katahdin
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Monson, Maine
Shaw’s Lodging
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Little Wilson Falls
Deep stream crossing at base of the falls
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Barren Chairback Range
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Barren Chairback Range
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Chairback Mountain
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White Cap Mountain
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White Cap Mountain
u White Cap is the highest peak in the Wildernessu Only has an elevation of 3,650 ft. but 15 miles longu Katahdin is 72 miles to the north
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The Antlers on Jo Mary Lake
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Lake Nahmakanta
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Nesuntabunt Mountain
u Overlooks Nahmakanta Lake
u Mount Katahdin is 36 miles north
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Crescent Pond
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Rainbow Stream Lean-to
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Rainbow Lake
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Hurd Lean-to
Northernmost Lean-to in 100 Mile Wilderness
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The Golden Road
u 100 Mile Wilderness ends at The Golden Road, a private logging company road
u 24 miles away from Millinocket
u 15 miles south of Mount Katahdin
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Abol Bridge
u Small package store on other side of the bridge
u Hiker parking lot under utility tower
u Bridge to Baxter State Park, just past the store
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Baxter State Park Boundary
u The Birches campsite is open to anyone who hikes through the Wilderness, not just Thru-hikers
u There is limited occupancy, so sign up early in the day if busy
u Overflow camping is available on a first-come-first-serve basis at Katahdin Stream campground
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Mount Katahdin Elevation Profile
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The Hunt Trail, Mount Katahdin
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The Gateway
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The Tableland
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Mount Katahdin
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Preparation
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Good Backpacking Skills and
Experience are Essentialu Read a topographic map
u Hang a bear bagu Filter or purify your own water
u Use a backpacking stoveu Stay warm when wet
u Good scrambling footwork
u Pack lightweightu Take care of your feet when they are wet
for days
u Accept what the trail throws at you
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Hiking Strategies
u End-to-End Hike– Figure 10-12 miles a day with a full pack– Don’t try this unless you’ve done a 4+ day backpacking
trip before– Long trips are much harder physically than short trips
u Section Hike– Arrange for a pick up part way through– Break the distance into 2 or 3 hikes
u Slackpack– Carry a day pack– Arrange for pick ups and lodging every night
u Plan a bail out strategy, in advance– Have a phone number you can call for a pick up
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Physical Trainingu Need to carry a 30-
40 pound pack for 8-10 hours per day– Gym training won’t
cut it
– Only way to prepare is to backpack with a full load
u There are big mountains on the route– Train in the White
Mountains while wearing a backpack
– Climbing stairs without wearing a load is pointless
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Thick Woods and Tricky Footing
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Tent or Shelters?
u Shelters are good in heavy rain but can be noisy and crowded
u Large groups should camp
u Observe shelter etiquette
u Bring a lightweight tent or tarp
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Coping with the Rain
u Wear trail runners instead of boots
u Dress in layers to prevent hypothermia
u Dry your gear when the sun comes out
u Put your sleeping bag in a waterproof stuff sack
u Sleep in shelters instead of pitching a tent
u Be prepared to put on wet clothes in the morning
u Take a zero day to wait out high water or rest
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Maps and Guides
u Maine AT Maps #1, #2, #3
u AT Guide
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Packing Food
u Figure on 1.75 pounds of food per day
u Shoot for 100 calories per ounce
u Daily intake– 3 square meals– 2 to 3 snack breaks
u Drink 5 liters of water per day
u Take as little extra weight as possible!
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Clothing
u Hooded rain coat and pantsu One pair long underwear top and bottomu One hiking shirt, one pair of pants, one pair of
underwear, two pairs of socksu Billed hatu Things to avoid
– No cotton or clothing that contains a percentage of cotton
u modal
u bamboo
u hemp
– Leather boots– Don’t bring extra clean clothes – they’ll just weigh you
down
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Footcare Tipsu Wear soft shoes that
drain quicklyu Allow for plenty of toe
space – add ½ sizeu Feet swell after a few
days of hikingu For wet feet
– Use duct tape on hot spots before you get blisters
– Duct tape sticks better than bandages when wet
– Don’t pop blisters if you can avoid it
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Mosquitoes, Black Flies, and Ticks
u Treat all of your clothing with permethrin before your hike
u Wear long pants when you hike
u Check for tick bites at night
u Use a bug net over your face
u Bring noseeum netting for shelters or camping
u Don’t leave DEET at home
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Questions?
Chanterelle Mushroom, 100 Mile Wilderness