Chimney Pond

Chimney Pond elevation 2194'. It's one of the highest ponds in Maine, and has massive dumps of snow.

Trail down to the pond

Chimney Pond Ranger Station

Looking into the Great Basin

Cow moose on the trail

Just one of a few small brooks

Roaring Brook

Chimney Pond. For most Katahdin hikers, it's the focus and the start of their climb of Katahdin.
It was 36* F when we got there, higher up the mountain had a glaze of ice and snow. That was on September 16. Winds were gusting to 30 mph or more down on the pond. 

If you want to read some of the fascinating history of the park, pick up John Neff's book Katahdin: An Historic Journey - Legends, Exploration, and Preservation of Maine's Highest Peak  and Steven Clark's book  Katahdin: A Guide to Baxter Park & Katahdin. 

Water

Big Niagara Falls

Katahdin reflection

Katahdin at sunset

The Owl (center)

Daicy Pond

Rainy day at Daicy Pond

Doubletop Mt (far right) and Moose Mt from Kidney Pond

Most people go to Baxter for one thing. Hiking Katahdin. It's too bad, ok not really, it leaves some very beautiful lakes and ponds untouched. Both Kidney Pond and Daicy Pond have old style sporting camps on them. Back in the 60's, the Baxter State Park Authority bought the camps and now rent the cabins ( beautiful old log cabins)  out to park visitors. No power,running water, just plenty of scenery.

Baxter 2011

Nesowadnehunk Stream, Mt Coe (left), and Mt OJI

MT OJI

woods detail

Glacial Erratic

Along the AT

Along the Appalachian Trail

Coming home after a vacation seems bittersweet. You long for more time, but being home helps make it less , I don't know what it is. Home is good.
It's a good 4 hours to Baxter from here, but taking the the state routes and not going by interstate the trip is a journey, the start of resetting the mind.

 The trip to Baxter takes time,you pass through small towns, go past a covered bridge, fields and miles and miles of woods. An hour after going into the park, we arrived at our campsite. The first night there gave us a thunderstorm, and more rain on Wednesday, but who cares?

This is the first of several posts about my trip, plenty of photos to go through, relax, it will take some time. 

Sunflower

Playing around with my scanner.

Late summer review

Good night Irene

Before the storm

There is always a frenzy of activity before a hurricane comes. And then it comes. You sit tight in your house wondering what will happen, what will be destroyed, will the power go out, etc,etc.
We did get a lot of rain, roads are damaged, bridges are out, trees down. 

I did a quick check around today, and there is less trees down than I expected. The lakes and rivers are full to overflowing. At the height of the storm I was out walking around in shorts and a raincoat and bare feet, tonight you need a light jacket. So it goes.

Mid summer

It's mid summer. Crickets are quietly chirping, and there are still some bird singing in the morning.  I came across a hermit thrush on her nest right alongside a road I frequently walk, in her nest were 3 babies, and 1 intact egg. Granted the photo is not the best, it's just a record of the moment.

Early morning and evening have a beautiful quality about them, the light golden, the air calm and cool.They are my favorite times of the day. Although late night in summer is also hard to beat. Moonlight, the quiet, loons calling.

Summer is quickly moving along, as it always seems to do here in Maine. Stop and catch you breath, and it's gone.