maine appalachian trail hike

“I would like to begin a hike in maine this summer with the intent of hiking the whole trail over a course of years. If I started at kadadin, how much time should i realistically plan to complete the one hundred mile wilderness. we will probably average 12 to 15 miles on days that aren't particularly difficult. how much mileage is there between the hundred miles and baxter/katadin. is the end of august as good a time as any to hike this part of the trail. are there any particular safety considerations? any web sites that are particulary good?”

“website - whiteblaze.net good for most AT questions”

“the end of august is a kick-ass time to hike maine.

its about 15 miles from the north end of the wilderness to the summit of katahdin. if youre planning on staying at katahdin stream campground, get your reservation in NOW. there may not be any spaces left. if there are no spaces, you can stay at "the birches" shelter site for a small fee, as long as you are going through the wilderness.”

“I thought the rule was to stay at the birches you had to have already hiked through the 100 mile wilderness - ie its for NOBOs only - see http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/hiking/thru-hiking.html for details
last edited: 4/14/07 10:13:16 AM”

“HOI is correct, CB is not and is, therefore,banished to some weird place like, say, Korea..or wherever XL lives.”

“i remember the rule as: as long as you are going thru the 100 mile wilderness, you could stay at the birches. i could be wrong. someone should verify that. but not me. im busy

of course, a northbounders only rule would be practically un-enforcable, and like many of the rules governing hiking and especially long-distance hiking, on the honor system.
last edited: 4/14/07 11:47:35 AM”

“wingfoots guidebook makes no mention of a northbounders only rule, btw. i would take that as a pretty good sign that its okay for southbounders”

“All the "supposed" rules for thru hikers are abused, quite the joke”

“Well, there is a rule. It appeared to me in a dream. So there!”

“yes, spalpeen, all the rules have been abused at one time or another, but it should also be made clear that hardly all of the thru-hikers are guilty of doing so.”

“can you say that in the larger society as a whole, that not all of the rules have been abused, bent, and broken at one time or another?”

“If all the thruhikers aren't breaking rules, they are simply not trying hard enough.”

“here is the quote from the link I provided before: "The Birches" is 9.8 miles from Abol Bridge via the Appalachian Trial or 4.4 miles from Abol Bridge via the Blueberry Ledges Trail. Use of "The Birches" facility is limited strictly to Northbound long distance or thru-hikers (must be hiking, at a minimum, the "100 Mile Wilderness") and is limited to 1 night. To assist you as you approach the Park, we post a sign-in sheet for long distance hikers on a clipboard, just after you cross the Golden Road and enter the Park no the A.T. If all 12 spaces are signed up for the night you are hoping to stay at "The Birches", it means that the site will be full and you will need to stay elsewhere."”

“now that i think about it, it makes sense because the sign-in sheet is at the south end of baxter park. youd probably get kicked out if you werent on the list when the ranger came around to collect. another alternative is to stay at daicey pond, its an easy hike from the road. but it requires reservation, also”