Southern portion: July 4, 2024

Northern portion: July 10, 2024 (scroll down for northern portion)

July 4 –

I left Baxter SP early since a) I had done what I had planned to do and b) it was hot and humid and extremely buggy at my tent site. Got a motel in Millinocket and delighted in the ac.

Decided to go ahead of schedule and visit Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument on the 4th.

To any NP collectors reading this – if you are going to come all the way up here in the middle of nowhere to see Katahdin Woods and Waters, then you really should book a few nights in Baxter. Baxter SP is a hiker’s paradise. The trails at Katahdin Woods and Waters are nice, but Baxter is really where it is at. The two are right next to each other (though you have to drive all the way around Baxter to get into Katahdin Woods and Waters).

Half the adventure of this place is getting there. Miles and miles and miles of bumpy gravel logging roads and no cell reception. If you dare get out of your car, deer flies immediately swarm. This site is probably best done during autumn.

There is just a small wooden sign at the entrance to the Katahdin Loop Road. The road is just like all the logging roads you take to get there, except there are small groomed trails here and there. One parking area is for the IAT (International Appalachian Trail) and a hike to Barnard Mtn. I did this trail (and some other shorter ones), moving quickly to outpace the bugs and grateful for the overcast and breezy conditions. Normally, there is a view of Katahdin from this hike. Today, I just got Cloud.

I did see two moose and a jackrabbit/hare, but they each scrammed before I was able to take photos.

Noticed a sign on my way out of the area protesting its National Park status. I remember this controversy from several years ago. The mayor actually tried to ban signs leading to the area. I think there was a fear of the new status interfering with logging practices.

If you want a NP stamp, you need to go to the Lumberman’s Museum in Patten. Don’t just get the stamp – pay the $12 and tour the museum. I found it fascinating. Tons of history and artifacts.

North section of Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument. Haskell Rock. July 10, 2024

I’ve been in a hot and humid funk these past few days. The ac in my car is broken. I’ve also been restless, since when I booked the Maine leg of my journey months ago, I ended up giving myself far more time than I needed in certain areas. Also, the deer flies in the backcountry are relentless and maddening.

I am moving on to a new section of Maine tomorrow – the far north, way up top. Spent my last morning today in the middle of deep woods Maine walking out to Haskell Rock in the northern section of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Haskell Rock is a 20-ft high conglomerate pillar jutting up from the Penobscot River. It remains attached to the underlying bedrock according to Maine Geological Survey’s website.

Getting to Haskell Rock involves driving the gravel road into the Monument’s north entrance as far as it goes, then walking two easy miles through deep woods to the river. I began the trek at 6:30am to beat the heat and humidity, and I put an overturned red plastic cup on the end of my hiking pole and held it high above my head to prevent the deer flies from attacking me. That worked; they attacked the cup. I recently learned this trick from the FL Trail website.