Katahdin Brook Campsite Completed
The new Katahdin Brook lean-to is completed.
The newest campsite along the International Appalachian Trail in Maine was completed during two work trips in late September and early October. The Katahdin Brook lean-to is located a few hundred feet east of Baxter State Park, and just a short walk from the Park’s newest addition — Katahdin Lake. The donation to the Park of a 143-acre inholding on the southeast shore of the lake by the Huber family — part of the old "Keep Lot" — triggered the lean-to building project. Now that it owns the land along Katahdin Brook, it made sense to the Park’s leaders to re-route the IAT along the north side of the brook, from the outlet at the lake, past Rocky Pond, and on out to the boundary. When completed within a year or two, the new trail section will provide a more direct route for hikers into and out of the Park. The new campsite, more importantly, provides a camping opportunity for south-bound hikers whose arrangements for camping within the Park may have not been completed. When Maine Chapter President Don Hudson and long-time trail surveyor Earl Raymond met with Park Director Jensen Bissell in late June to discuss the new trail opportunity, Jensen expressed hope that the Chapter might consider constructing a new campsite sometime within the coming few years.
Earl Raymond Crossing Katahdin Brook
Thanks to the work of long-time Maine Chapter Vice-President Torrey Sylvester, Katahdin Log Homes of Oakfield agreed in July to donate a cedar and spruce log kit for the lean-to — their 7th in 15 years! Torrey secured a donation of the metal roofing from Kauffman Metals of Smyrna Mills in early September, and the project was on. As with all eight previous lean-to projects since the first on Mars Hill in 1997, Torrey took responsibility for hauling everything — base logs, walls, floor, purlins and roofing material — on a large trailer into the woods east of Wassataquoik Stream. On the appointed morning in late September, Torrey met work trip coordinator Dave Rand, chief cook Walter Anderson, Herb Hartman, Cliff Young, Bill Duffy, Bob Johnston and Kirk St. Peter, and over the course of the next two days everything was ferried to the new campsite. Woods roads built by the previous landowner have been substantially decommissioned by Elliotsville Plantation, Inc., and it was felt that 2012 might be the last year that vehicles could be used to assist with such a project. The crew managed to set and level the four base logs for the lean-to before departing the woods on Sunday morning September 23rd.
Torrey Sylvester with Lean-To Delivery
A second crew assembled early Friday morning, October 5th, in Medway. Lead again by Dave Rand, Walter Anderson, Don Hudson, Bob Johnston and Bill Duffy recommenced the work that afternoon. Bob Johnston built and donated a table for the campsite, and it was delivered Friday afternoon by the crew. Ed Friedman joined the crew on Saturday morning. With a storm on the western horizon, and with the able direction of Bill Duffy, the group managed to get the last of the roofing material secured to the purlins by 5:00 pm Saturday afternoon. While the others worked on the lean-to, Dave assembled the outhouse kit that he had prepared several years ago for just such a deployment. Sunday morning dawned clear and cold, and the final touches to the lean-to and outhouse were completed by 8:00 am.
Dave Rand, Don Hudson, Bill Duffy and Trip with New Table Donated by Bob Johnston
Bob Johnston Working on Deacons Seat
Wrapping up at End of First Day
Laying Courses
First Piece of Roofing
Waiting out a Downpour
Dave finishing up Privy
Once the new trail section is completed within the Park, the Maine Chapter will complete the short 300-foot trail from the boundary to the lean-to. A kiosk on the boundary will introduce south-bound hikers to the Park and north-bound hikers to the IAT — in Maine, through Canada and across the broad stretch of the North Atlantic basin to Morocco.