Baxter State Park (Maine): South Branch Mtn Trail

Sunday, July 11 / Monday, July 12, 2021 - It is supposed to be a beautiful couple of days, and I've been itching to get back up to Baxter State Park in NORTHERN MAINE. I have made an interactive map of hikes that have been mentioned in Backpacker Magazine [click here for the map], and they mention "Travelers Loop" on the north side of Baxter State Park:

Hey, at 12.6 miles, it definitly sounds like something I can bang out in one-day-of-hiking!

I left South Hamilton after Church, got a large cup of coffee at Cumberland Farms and hit the road:

Crossed over 100,500 miles on my Crosstrek at 3:18, and I was up at the Appalachian Trail Lodge at 5 PM:

So, while waiting for my pizza, I walked into the street to take some pictures - the pizza place:

turn right, looking up the street:

turn right, see the Post Office:

turn right, looking down the street:

Not a lot going on in Millinocket on a Sunday night.

Eating my pizza and reading my science fiction book in the park, and bed around 8. Thank you God for a great drive today!

For today's driving music, I wanted to listen to my Ultra-Lounge cds. "Ultra-Lounge" is a wonderful genre of music that peaked in 1960-1963 - I guess you could say "the Kennedy years". Jazz (generally) had not yet gone "off the rails", Playboy was not-yet doing full nudity, and the boy/girl dynamic was fun and full of possibility, when a date ended with a really good good-night-kiss. As I have gotten older, I really appreciate "integrity" in music, and corny-as-it-may-be, this music was played (and performed) by people (men and women) who played each song to their best. For those who want to learn more, there is even a book about it:



Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 1: Mondo Exotica


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 2: Mambo Fever


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 3: Space Capades


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 4: Bachelor Pad Royale


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 8: Cocktail Capers


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 9: Cha-Cha De Amor


Well, wasn't that a cool day. Thank You God!

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Monday hike: Up and at em at 5:30 AM - shower, shave and shine! My plan was to get to the A.T. Cafe at 6, hit the road by 6:30, 2 hours up-and-around Baxter State Park, and be hiking at 8:30 AM. UNFORTUNATELY, I found out last night that The Appalachian Trail Cafe does not open until 7 AM!!! Which means I am already (at least) one hour behind schedule! Packed up my stuff, had my OJ-and-Metamucil, read more of my book in the park, and was at breakfast at 7:01

The Knife-Edge-Omlette/potatoes/toast-and-coffee really starts your day off with a BANG!

It was 7:50 when I finally hit the road. On my way north, I wanted to "collect more Post Offices" - East Millinocket, ME 04430:

Medway, ME 04460:

Stacyville, ME 04777:

Patten, ME 04765:

I had to stop at the Scenic Overlook:

with the view of Katahdin in the distance.

I crossed the beautiful Seboeis River in Patten, Maine:

I checked in at the gatehouse about 9:50 (the Ranger really raised her eyebrows and gave me A LOOK when I told her my plans), and was soon driving on their nice dirt road:

Speed Limit 20. After 7 miles, you take a left to get to the Ponds (another 3 miles). But right beyond the turn is Trout Brook, which drains from Lower South Branch Pond:

It was 68 degrees when I got to the pond - a nice change from yesterday's low-80s. I parked, and got to Lower South Branch Pond at 10:30

With temps in the 60s, and slightly overcast, it is a really great day for a hike, especially when it is a nice hiking trail:

A nice view of the mountains of the Traveler Loop:

After hiking for 1:20 (and 2.25 miles) I reached the South Branch Mtn summit:

A view back down the trail behind me:

From there it was 20 minutes down-and-up to Black Cat Mtn peak:

Continuing south off Black Cat Mtn, you head straight into the wilderness of Baxter State Park:

This is also where most people turn around and return to the Campground. As a result, the next mile-and-a-half of "trail" is not as well maintained (to put it nicely) as the previous 3 miles.

This is the map I was using, which seems totally "good enough":

But the "official" map seems to show the elevation drop on the back side MUCH BETTER:

and only on Google Earth can you get a sense of the Scree Field and the Forest:

The scree field had cairns to navigate (but could have used a couple more), and the forest section could have used a good weed-wacker - a lot of growth coming in to cover the trail. It was slow going.

It took me an hour to get from the peak back down to Upper South Branch Pond (not my usual "downhill pace":

Sure is nice out here.

As I made my way north along the east-side of the pond, I saw a canoe:

Nice hike through the woods:

At 1:45 PM I was at the intersection of the trail you take up to do Traveler Loop ("Center Ridge Trail"):

The Ranger at the entrance kind-of gave me a hard time about this (whole) hike, saying it takes 10-to-12 hours. I have been hiking 3 hours 15 minutes already, and even if it was an additional 7 hours (which I could do), that would be 8:45 at night - and I still have a long drive home (6/7 hours). So I'm bailing out of the right-butterfly-wing for today.

A pretty hike through the woods:

to get back to Lower South Branch Pond:

Almost done:

Back at my car, I finished (and signed the register) at 2:30 = 7.16 miles in 3:59:31 (4 hours - not bad at all). Bathing suit on for a quick dip in The Pond, then hit the road, Jack. Took a picture of a Lovely-Lake-In-Maine:

Dinner at 6:45 in Waterville, Maine:

Home at 10 PM - Thank you God for this Wonderful Adventure - I like Maine!

Hiking music today:

Michael Franks - Barefoot on the Beach, 1999:


Shawn Mullins - Light You Up, 2010:

I kind-of really like Shawn Mullins; since this was his 8th album, I should check out more of his stuff.

various artists - Casino Lights '99, live album recorded at Montreux Jazz Festival 1999, released 2000:


Maroon 5 - 1.22.03 Acoustic [EP], live 2003, released 2004:


Connor Garvey - Songs Sung in Small Rooms, 2008


Today's driving music, picking up from where I left off yesterday:

Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 11: Organs in Orbit


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 13: TV Town


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 14: Bossa Novaville


Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 15: Wild, Cool and Swingin' Too!


Ultra-Lounge: Christmas Cocktails, Part One


Ultra-Lounge: Vegas Baby!

So - my verdict on my Ultra-Lounge cds ... KEEP the ones with vocals (or really cool instrumentals) [the ones I listened to today], but dispose of the instrumental-only ones I listened to yesterday. But it has been a wonderful visit to ... The Ultra-Lounge!

various artists - Ultra.Dance 05 (2 cds), 2005:

Sorry to say, but this double-cd set is garbage, with only one single song good enough to keep.