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Log inOfficials: One Katahdin trail open
Officials: One Katahdin trail open
by Outspoken on Sat May 24, 2008 5:39 am
Officials: One Katahdin trail open
By Nick Sambides Jr.
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
MILLINOCKET, Maine — Inaccessible trails and fear that rare alpine plant life might be damaged prompted Baxter State Park to open only one of three hiking trails to Mount Katahdin on Friday for Memorial Day weekend.
Abol Trail, the shortest route to Mount Katahdin, is open. Hunt and Chimney Pond trails remain closed at the trail heads until further notice, said park naturalist Jean Hoekwater.
"It isn’t unusual for us to have some trails still closed at this time, and Memorial Day is a little bit early this year," Hoekwater said Friday. "The good news is that all the hiking trails below the tree line are open. People should expect to find muddy conditions. In some cases, they may not be able to get to a trail head."
Park Director Jensen Bissell decided to open Abol Trail after hiking Mount Katahdin on Friday morning. He could not be reached for comment.
"Some of the roads are too soft and there are too many washouts that need to be repaired to make the closed trails accessible," Hoekwater said. "In some cases, there are portions of road that are still not open, so you cannot get to the trail heads."
Park officials are also concerned that by straying from the closed trails, hikers might accidentally stomp rare foliage that is crucial food supply to many rare or endangered animals and insects.
"These are basically rare plant habitats that are extremely limited in supply on Katahdin," Hoekwater said.
It isn’t the busiest time at Baxter, but Memorial Day weekend starts the hiking season and does draw a significant number of hikers, Hoekwater said.
"It is not as big a day as Columbus Day," she said. "Memorial Day always depends on the weather. It’s usually a quieter start to the hiking season. We are very, very busy if we get sensational weather, but it’s not that often."
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=164762&zoneid=500
By Nick Sambides Jr.
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
MILLINOCKET, Maine — Inaccessible trails and fear that rare alpine plant life might be damaged prompted Baxter State Park to open only one of three hiking trails to Mount Katahdin on Friday for Memorial Day weekend.
Abol Trail, the shortest route to Mount Katahdin, is open. Hunt and Chimney Pond trails remain closed at the trail heads until further notice, said park naturalist Jean Hoekwater.
"It isn’t unusual for us to have some trails still closed at this time, and Memorial Day is a little bit early this year," Hoekwater said Friday. "The good news is that all the hiking trails below the tree line are open. People should expect to find muddy conditions. In some cases, they may not be able to get to a trail head."
Park Director Jensen Bissell decided to open Abol Trail after hiking Mount Katahdin on Friday morning. He could not be reached for comment.
"Some of the roads are too soft and there are too many washouts that need to be repaired to make the closed trails accessible," Hoekwater said. "In some cases, there are portions of road that are still not open, so you cannot get to the trail heads."
Park officials are also concerned that by straying from the closed trails, hikers might accidentally stomp rare foliage that is crucial food supply to many rare or endangered animals and insects.
"These are basically rare plant habitats that are extremely limited in supply on Katahdin," Hoekwater said.
It isn’t the busiest time at Baxter, but Memorial Day weekend starts the hiking season and does draw a significant number of hikers, Hoekwater said.
"It is not as big a day as Columbus Day," she said. "Memorial Day always depends on the weather. It’s usually a quieter start to the hiking season. We are very, very busy if we get sensational weather, but it’s not that often."
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=164762&zoneid=500
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Plato (427-347 BC)
