I’m Too Sore to Do Any Extra

Monday 19 August 2024

Trail Hiked: Sentinel Mountain Trail

6.2 Miles

8:20am – 1:10pm

Cloudy, Hot, & Breezy

The Tote Road leaving Katahdin Stream Campground headed towards Nesowdnehunk Campground follows the Nesowdnehunk stream with very little elevation change. The road is flanked on the right with ridges making up Barren, O-J-I, and West Peak Mountains – more summits for another trip to Baxter. Across the stream on the left, Doubletop Mountain hid the sun from us making it seem later in the day then it actually was. The narrow, windy road added to the darkened claustrophobic sensation that is common within the park’s belly.

While this area of the park is favorable with guests, its remoteness makes it less traveled. That bonus means less wear and tear on the road. This section was noticeably smoother than the previous eight miles. We relaxed taking in the beauty of the park as we glided along the tote road with the windows down letting the fresh air caress our faces. We also took note of other trailheads we passed for future adventures.

Ledge Falls, an area along the Nesowdnehunk Stream where smooth rock forms the stream bed and gentle cascading falls create shallow pools, is popular on hot summer days. Parking is at a premium for this attraction as park visitors spend the day riding the falls on inflatables, soaking in the pools, and basking on the warm ledge. When I first saw this place in 2018, I instantly fell in love with it. As we passed this spot, I knew the campground was only another ten minutes further.

(Photo is of Katahdin Baxter State Park Waterproof Trail Map by Map Adventures LLC)

Baxter is wild and free and just beautiful. But it is also closed in with its dense forests. The only open areas are views on top of summits on clear days, on the edges of ponds, at a handful of day-use areas, and parking lots. So, when we reached the openness of Nesowdnehunk, we enjoyed stretching our eyesight and mentalness as far as we could.

The first order of business when arriving at any of the campgrounds is to check in at the ranger’s station. Ranger Pete informed us the range at Nesowdnehunk was gone for the day, but the front porches are usually always unlocked so campers and hikers can check in. That we did. We left a not on the clipboard stating we had arrived. Next, we snagged a spot in the walk-in parking area then headed to our campsite to check things out.

All the sites were empty except one. A young family was set up enjoying the warm evening with games and a fire. All the sites were spacious and complete with a picnic table and fire ring. But after the quick drizzle of rain that took place before our arrival everything was damp. We headed back to the truck and decided to cook our dinner at one of the day-use covered picnic areas before setting up camp at our site.

By the time we cleaned up from our hot Philly cheese steak sandwiches I whipped up on our backpacking stoves, the sun was almost gone for the day and more visitors arrived. It was then we decided to forego sleeping in a tent since the back of our truck was already set up complete with memory foam mattresses. We didn’t want to contend with possibly more rain or rodents. Before heading to the confines of the truck, we donned our headlamps and read at the picnic table until the mountain breeze drove us to the shelter of the truck.

I had no trouble falling asleep after the workout climbing Owl Mountain. My legs were burning and so were my arms and chest from climbing up, over, and down rock scrambles. I hoped I would recover overnight so we could take on another summit. My sleep was interrupted, of course it was, Bruce had to go to the bathroom. I am good at ignoring this nightly routine, but this time mayhem happened. As he was putting on his shoes he saw a mouse in the bed of the truck with us. So much for avoiding rodents.

We couldn’t remove the little guy. When we opened the tailgate he scurried below the tailgate and the top of the bumper. We couldn’t access him to push him away. Then he would creep back out from the crack of the tailgate and the truck bed and enter the bed. When I would get close to picking him up, he would dart back under the tailgate and bumper area. This cat-and-mouse went on for twenty minutes. Success finally happened as I used the handle of a hiking pole to fling him out. He landed on the ground with a perfect 10 and scurried away with Bruce hot on his tail as I screamed, “Leave him alone, we are in his house!”

We still can’t believe a mouse gained access to the back of the truck. Not much sleeping took place after that and 5:30am came much faster then we had wished. But we wanted to get over to Kidney Pond. Neither one of us had been there before so we wanted time to scope things out and to beat all the incoming traffic as we would be heading out.

Another hidden gem. Well, all of Baxter is a gem, but some areas are not talked about as much as others. I hadn’t heard of Kidney Pond until recently when studying the map. In the past my attention had always been on Katahdin summit trails and the Appalachian Trail leading into the park. But there is so much more than just the obvious and we intend to check it all out.

Our plan of the day was to hike The Sentinel Mountain Trail then hit the Celia & Jackson Trail on the way back out. My body did not recover completely overnight, so I made no commitment to Bruce. I said, “I will see how I feel when we finish the Sentinel summit and get back to the junction for Celia & Jackson Trail.” But first we needed breakfast. I cooked some oatmeal and warmed a breakfast pastry at one of the day-use picnic tables. Then at 8:20am we stepped foot on the trail. Shortly into the path we came upon another erratic. At the base of the huge bolder was a sign painted with the words, Kidney Stone – Do Not Remove. We both laughed. Who doesn’t enjoy some good ole Maine dry humor?

The trail led us past Kidney Pond, through dense hardwoods, over roots and moss-covered rocks. We crossed streams and walked on wooden planks through boggy areas. The forest morphed into evergreens as the elevation increased. The ups were short and intense followed by what I call recovery sections. There were several of these steep ups then flatter areas as we climbed through a canyon to the summit of Sentinel Mountain. At only 1,837 feet one wouldn’t expect it to be too much of a challenge. But don’t let its short stature fool you. The climb reminded me of hiking in Acadia National Park. The peaks on the coast dwarf compared to loftier mountains but the climbs are aggressive and not for the common couch potato. Sentinel was just like that. Short and mighty.

We took short breaks along the way saving our lunch for the top. The map informed us the summit possessed a loop trail along the top ridge. We were confident there would be a place to rest and enjoy the view – so we hoped. We were not disappointed. Several yards into the loop heading clockwise, the trail opened onto a granite surface overlooking bodies of water and the Appalachian Mountains south of Baxter. Not wanting to stop yet, we continued. We wanted to complete the loop before our break, so we hiked on. The trail pulled us along the summit’s oval ridge teasing us with peak-a-boo views. Finally, we stopped at one grand vista with a massive Mountain Range in the distance. To be honest, we weren’t certain which peaks we were observing. The low cloud ceiling made it difficult to be sure.

My body needed rest. I still had to climb down. We aired our feet, consumed our dry PB sandwiches, fruit, nuts, and other hiking snacks. Then I positioned myself in a crevasse on the granite surface as comfortably as I could and laid back for a quick snooze. The sun was hidden by the clouds, but it was warm enough that I didn’t need a second layer at the summit. The breeze double-dutied as it dried our sweaty feet and skin and kept the bugs away.

As much as I could have stayed there for a longer nap, we still had to climb down and possibly do another trail. That wasn’t going to happen though. The descent took place uneventfully. But by the time we reached the trail junction for the Celia & Jackson Trail I knew there was no way I could hike another 3.6 miles. Bruce could have gone. But he knew if he wanted to make it to our 35th anniversary in 2025, he had better not push me.

I was happy with the completion of Sentinel Mountain Trail. It was a wonderful hike with a little of bit everything for any hiking enthusiast. I looked forward to just hanging out at our campsite, this time a walk-in lean-to at Katahdin Stream Campground. It would be a first for both of us – that of spending consecutive nights in Baxter State Park. Once back at our back country home, we made supper, built a fire, relaxed and went to bed with the sound of rain dancing off the shelter’s roof.

Happy Hiking,

Emily