100 Mile wilderness Maine AT

[Jeremy Osburn]

There is a possibility that I may do the 100 mile wilderness section of the AT in September with my dad and one of his buddies. I haven't done any homework on it yet at all but what is the possibility of doing a hike like that with a dog?

AND if anyone one has any good beta on that section of the AT around september I would appreciate it.

Thanks

[Clint Hewitt]

I think it is doable with a dog, but there are a few hurdles.

There is some fording you will have to due, though with this winter it may be a bit lower.

A few muddy marshy places

I think if you want to bring him and think he can do it, with a bit of help from you at spots it is totally doable, people do it every year.

What kind of dog?

[Ryan Linn]

People do the whole AT with dogs all the time, so the 100 Mile Wilderness should be just fine.

Definitely make the side trip to Gulf Hagas. Most through hikers only go to Screw Auger Falls (0.2 off the AT), but the best of the Gulf is much further up. It's worth the side trip.

Cloud Pond Lean-to and the Antlers Tentsite are both incredibly beautiful places. Spend the night at Antlers for sure.

Also, there's a barely marked side trail just north of Rainbow Falls Lean-to that leads to the edge of Rainbow Lake, and a Nature Conservancy campsite with an amazing view of Katahdin. Another really amazing campsite.

That's as much as I can think of off the top of my head. There's not much on the AT that can compare with that stretch of trail.

[Jeremy Osburn]

My pup is a pointer mix wimp when it comes to getting wet. I will 100% sure have to carry him over anything that will do more than get his paws wet. The biggest concern for me is his food, there are no resupplies in that stretch and he can only carry about 3-4 days worth of food so I would most likely have to carry an additional 5-6 days since I will be going with two grumpy old men.

Is katahdin doable at the end of the 100 mile wilderness or is there a stretch of trail in between the 100 mile wilderness and Baxter park. The other thing is I haven't checked but I would bet easy money on the fact that my pup isn't allowed inside of Baxter.

What kind of low temps would we see in beginning of September vs end of September in Maine? I don't take my short haired furless pup on overnights until the night time temps are above mid 50's…

[Jeremy Osburn]

taken from the 100 mile wilderness website:

"Your dog is wet, just rolled in something and makes himself comfortable on somebody else’s sleeping bag" I won't have to worry about him doing this he doesn't get wet ever so good to go.

[Ryan Linn]

Dogs are very strictly not allowed in Baxter Park, but the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness is the Golden Road at Abol Bridge, which has a small campground and camp store. Right after the Golden Road is the Baxter Park boundary. You could work something out with someone to pick the dog up at Abol Bridge and have him hang out in Millinocket while you finish the last miles that are inside Baxter (I think it's 9 miles from Abol Bridge to Katahdin Stream campground, and then 5 miles to the peak and 5 miles back).

September… night temps above mid 50's… I don't think that's going to be too likely. Definitely not in late september.

You should get in touch with the folks at AT Lodge in Millinocket. It's a hiker hostel in town, and the owners are really great folks. I think they would be a treasure trove of information for the logistics of this.

[Author]

Posts