Question about beginning of southbound

imported
#1

hi- i’ve been reading journals trying to answer this question, but i can’t figure it out. when you start hiking southbound do you hike up katahdin and down another trail, or go up, backtrack and then start south? just curious

grilledcheese

#2

Go up the Abol trail to the top then down the Hunt(AT) trail.

Lone Wolf

#3

There are several routes up Katahdin. The official northern terminus of the AT is Baxter Peak. So, depending on logistics, you can take several trails to get to the summit, and then start you journey south by hiking down the Hunt Trail.

For example, if you have transportation, you might hike in from Chimney Pond on the north side and across the Knife Edge to reach Baxter Peak, and then down the Hunt Trail and pick up you r pack at Katahdin Stream Campgound. Or, if you are just dropped off, then you will probably want to hike up and back on the Hunt Trail from Katahdin Stream Campground.

In any event, Baxter State Park regulations say that a SOBO should be out of the park that day unless they have a camping reservation somewhere. Not supposed to stay at The Birches.

Peaks