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Hi guys,

I'm Kiely. I'm new here. I hope you guys can help me.

I need help achieve a dream. I know that most people are ambitious and want to climb famous mountains like Everest. But I've always had a fancy for the strange and obscure. Ever since I was young I wanted to climb the Tourngat Mountains. Why the Tourngats one might ask? Well, its kinda a strange thing, you see my ex-boyfriend was from New Foundland. I thought he was my soulmate, he thought he had a connection to the land, so by proxy I just assumed that this metaphysical connection to terra fima was transferrable. Anyway, a few years after I left him I had a dream one night that I was in a kayak off the coast there, at the base of Mt. Cornelius, ready to climb. It was so vivid, I could hear the clinking of my cowbells and taste the sea salt in the air. The problem was that I wanted it so bad but I simply could not have it. Access was limited because the shore was guarded by polar bears. I even remember the trace of blood dripping on their white fur from the last climber the ferrocious bears devoured. At first I thought it had some sort of Freudian interpretation, but then the more I thought about it, the more clear things became. Even Freud says that some times a cigar is just a cigar. As the days passed on, the meaning of the dream became more and more clear: I need to go climb the Tourngats.

But now I need help. I need something fun to do this winter on the east coast. How should I even begin to train for a climb of this nature? Any ideas guse? Like I said, I don't like famous moutains, so the thought of going to the whites does not hold much appeal. There's no point to the whites, you go, do a hike and be back to the bar by 6. I'm thinking of something more remote and ferrocious, minus the polar bears. Any ideas???

Thanks!!!!!!!!

stanford10 wrote:I'm thinking of something more remote and ferrocious, minus the polar bears. Any ideas???

Thanks!!!!!!!!

The Pickets in winter.

What experience do you have? Where do you live? What's your budget? Schedule?

I know almost nothing about the Torngats, but I can read a map. Depending what route you choose (east vs west slopes), hiking up Cornelius (in summer) really doesn't require any special training. The fun part is getting there. I'd work on your paddling (and seaside camping, and navigation), or save up for the cost of hiring a floatplane and pilot.

I don't really see how winter hiking/climbing will help you reach the Torngats, unless you're planning to go there in winter. If you just want to avoid crowds, almost anyplace in Maine other than a ski resort will do nicely.

I'm from the northern east coast. Within driving distance to anything worth driving to on the east coast. Not very descripive, because I like keeping my options open. I've done the catskills, I've done the white. Need to explore new stomping ground. Maine looks good, from google maps point of view. I can climb ice (WI4-5) and rock 5.9-5.10, but I'm not looking for anything too technical. Something punishing in other ways. A multi-day endeavor to push me to my limits.

I guess your right, winter skills may or may not help me much in the tourngats. They're at a high latitude and really isolated. I was just thinking of the freak snowstorm that may roll in.

So maybe I don't play the role of the poor helpless female very well. At least I tried. My ex would have appreciated that: he taught me the importance of stroking the male ego. I wanted him so badly that I really tried to indulge his fantasy ... but then I realized that I was more of a preying mantis type a girl...

So I wonder where in Maine to go and play for the hollidays. Baxter Park looks good. At first I was looking at the map and thinking "this is in the middle of nowhere," what kind of a person would drive all the way out there, to do a 3 day approach, for a peak that isn't even much of a peak. But then I realized the beauty of the 3 day approach. That's 6 whole days that I can turn off my cell phone and avoid my dearest boy-toy's drama. I mean I love him dearly and all, but sometimes its just nice to let the world go to hell and just reconnect with yourself. So I realized, the beauty of Baxter isn't the peak at all. How damn cliche, but in this case its true: its the journey not the destination. ITs about putting yourself in a position where you can test to see just how strong you are mentally and physically. There is afterall, a very real mental component here.

This is where the training for the Tourngats comes in. ITs not physical training but mental training. The challenge of Baxter park is in its remoteness. This is not something to be taken lightly. Imagine spending a week out there by yourself. Forget the physical challenge, how fit is one to cope with the lonelieness. In the city there are so many distractions to keep us from facing out own selves, we don't ever need to stop and think because there is always a show on TV or a bar to go visit, that can divert us from ourselves. In a Jungian sense, monsters are very real, and they can be found in the depth of our psyche. I mean have I ever been completely alone for more than a day or two? Have you?

I do have a few concerns though. My main concern is where in Maine can one get a decent cup of coffee? I did a store search and noticed only 2 starbucks in the entire state!?! What's up with that?

Second, just how aweful is the unplowed road from Millinocket Lake? Is it really unplowed? Is my car, a compact rental with all season tires going to make it without getting stuck in the snow? Do any of the local businesses in Millinocket offer shuttle services to the "trailhead"? What about taxis? Do they exist, would they do that?

Cheers.

OK, this is somebody doing a bad Darla impression, right? In a Jungian sense, anyway.

Seriously though. How about them roads.

We just don't have these challanges in the NW. In a sense, that is.

Have you tried asking your good friend Google?

http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com ... inter.html

Roads in and near the Park are not plowed during the winter months

In Maine, "unplowed" means "skis and snowmobiles only."

Snowmobile shuttle services do exist: http://www.neoc.com/snow-our-sleds-rent-a-sled.php (scroll down)

OK, I sense from the thread that we're being baited by a troll here, but I'll bite: In winter you don't/can't drive up the lake road. You drive the Golden Road to Abol Bridge, park, and use the winter approach trail from the river.

re: "for a peak that isn't even much of a peak" - Please check back in with us after your trip and tell us exactly how challenging it was to get up Katahdin in the middle of winter. Those of us that have been there expect you will find it a greater challenge than you think.

Don't forget your permit or you won't get very far. It will be interesting to see if the rangers permit you to go solo.

Ah, thank you for indulging me. But I'm not a troll. I'm just strange, delightful and perhaps a tad bit lonely. Misunderstood, like the albatross: Clunkering along being mocked by sailors because it is large and awkward on land...but oh if you were to see it in the air...

By no means was I disrespecting Katahdin. I actually got in a fight with my boyfriend over this very reason. He says its not a real mountain, and that its not climbing but hiking. Pitter, patter I say. I can climb, and I can hike and when you throw in the elements a small mountain can be quite fiesty. Rest assured I have so much respect for your dear mountain. I'm an ice climber, I know what its like to climb all day when its -10 F outside. What I mean when I said "for a peak that isn't even much of a peak" I am talking purly quantitativly. In terms of quantities of mass: the mass of X is less than the mass of Y. For the same amount of money/time I could fly out west and climb a peak that is more technically challenging and that would get me respect from people like darling dearest. Don't get upset, I was arguing your exact point for the past few days.

Thank you for reminding me about the permit. I'm filling the paperwork out as we speak. I suppose it will be interesting to see if they let me climb, but I see absolultly no reason why the rangers would not permit me to go solo. Solo climbers are permitted in the park. Why would they turn me down? Because I have wit and creativity in my writing? Or because I'm a women? In either case, I am sure that the rangers will evaluate me based on my skills and expertise. And whatever they decide is good with me.

Anyway, I found a shuttle service. nartreb thanks, you're right. I should have asked my friend Google. I'm sorry I didn't realize shuttles were such a popular thing out east. I thought of a shuttle after I saw one mentioned on a hostel's website, but that was for a different area of the AT.

http://www.acadiamountainguides.com/res ... ting_there
This is where my confusion came from. That there implies that you can get to the Abol Bridge parking lot by car. So “Golden Road” is an unplowed road that belongs to the logging companies and is “closed” in the winter. But you are actually able to drive on it? Doesn’t matter, my CDW won’t cover me on closed roads and I found a shuttle service. I’d rather not worry about getting snowed in.

The Golden Road is the logging road and is plowed. The "state road" or "lake road" is the normal summer park access and is closed beyond Millinocket Lake in the winter. The two roads intersect at the dike between Millinocket and Ambajesus Lakes. You can switch from one to the other there.