Hunting Moose in Baxter State Park ...

I’m undecided about everybody else, however about as soon as a month, if I don’t get to do one thing exterior, I start to go a little bit loopy. The Fall Season right here in Maine is one among my favorites as an outside fanatic and avid panorama/nature photographer. The pure great thing about the State actually shines by this time of 12 months. On a random Monday morning, I believed to myself that as a Maine-based photographer, I don’t have what I’d name a “good” shot if a Moose have been in my portfolio, and that’s one thing I wished to vary. Among the finest locations to see Moose with very dramatic backdrop is at Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter State Park within the Northern A part of the State. Whereas I had personally by no means been to Sandy Stream Pond earlier than, I wished to test it out and perhaps, optimistically, get an excellent shot of a Moose.

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Planning

As Boromir from LOTR put it so merely, “one doesn’t merely stroll into Mordor” and the identical could be mentioned for any good campground throughout peak Summer season and Fall season at Baxter State Park. One doesn’t merely resolve they wish to go to Roaring Brook Campground and e book a campsite the identical day. I’ve tried this prior to now, and these camp websites are normally booked up months upfront. Once I hatched this last-minute scheme to go as much as Sandy Stream pond, I figured there could be no approach I’d have the ability to get a campsite, however a lot to my shock, I acquired the final one they’d once I referred to as the Park Service and requested. Quickly after I put the cellphone down, I started to pack for my quick in a single day journey. Sandy Stream Pond is simply a little bit beneath 3 hours away from the place I reside, so as soon as I had every little thing packed up, I hit the highway and headed north.

Gear Record

Should you got here to this text to only see what gear I’m utilizing, no drawback, right here you go!

Hitting the Highway

Alongside the best way to the Park, there are numerous nice spots to cease and take footage alongside the best way. One of the well-known is definitely the Abol Bridge. With Mt Katahdin being the tip of the Appalachian Path, there are at all times lots of by hikers on this space within the fall.

Concerning the Park

Baxter State Park in Maine traces its origins to the imaginative and prescient of Percival P. Baxter, who served as governor from 1921 to 1924 and commenced buying land in 1930, buying practically 6,000 acres together with Mount Katahdin, the state’s highest peak, which he donated to Maine in 1931 with the irrevocable situation that it stay “perpetually wild.” Over the subsequent three many years, Baxter continued this effort by 28 separate land acquisitions, culminating in his closing buy in 1962, regularly assembling what grew to become a 209,644-acre wilderness protect that now encompasses about 75% managed as a wildlife sanctuary, 14% as a scientific forest administration space, and 25% open to looking and trapping (aside from moose). Demonstrating exceptional foresight, Baxter established a virtually $7 million belief to fund the park’s upkeep independently of state funds and created a novel governing authority consisting of the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Director of the Maine State Forest Service, and the Lawyer Common to safeguard its assets in perpetuity. The park’s pure historical past dates again roughly 12,000 years to the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet, evolving from post-glacial tundra and early human habitation round 11,000 years in the past into the spruce-fir-dominated Acadian forest that defines the area right now.

Roaring Brook Campground

After driving for just a few hours and stopping to take many footage on my journey, I used to be lastly at Roaring Brook Campground. The payment to camp for the evening was $38, and that appeared sort of Excessive to me, however nonetheless value it. Roaring Brook Campground is without doubt one of the most, if not essentially the most, in style campgrounds within the park, given its entry to the Chimney Pond path and Sandy Stream Pond. The Chimney Pond Path stands as one of many park’s most iconic and closely trafficked routes, a 3.3-mile reasonable to strenuous path from Roaring Brook Campground that ascends by dense forests and rocky terrain to the alpine shores of Chimney Pond, providing breathtaking vistas of the Basin and the imposing Knife Edge ridge of Mount Katahdin.

Its reputation stems from serving because the gateway to 5 of the seven trails summiting Katahdin, together with the thrilling Helon Taylor, Dudley, and Saddle paths, drawing bold hikers looking forward to high-elevation adventures above the treeline amid wild, uncovered landscapes that demand sturdy footwear and respect for sudden climate shifts. Complementing this rugged attract is the close by Sandy Stream Pond Path, a simple 1.5-mile out-and-back stroll from the identical Roaring Brook base that meanders alongside babbling streams to a serene, glassy pond framed by the park’s signature spruce-fir forests and dramatic Katahdin views, famend for its frequent moose sightings.

Earlier than organising camp, I marched as much as Sandy Stream Pond to do a little bit of scouting to see how the sunshine was trying and time how lengthy it could take me to succeed in it. One factor that actually shocked me was that you’re solely allowed to stroll on the picket boards round Sandy Stream Pond, as this whole space is a wildlife sanctuary. Clearly, if you could step off, you’ll be able to, but it surely’s advised to not. After scouting the world and discovering the very best spot to return to within the morning, I sat and watched the solar set on a really peaceable night.

I then marched again to my campsite and unloaded my automobile whereas organising my spot for the night. It was utterly darkish at this level, so I used to be completely satisfied I introduced a headlamp on this journey, and this made organising camp and cooking dinner a lot simpler. As I lay my head down in my tent, I knew I must stand up round 5 am the subsequent morning to catch good mild on the mountain and perhaps even a moose! Keep tuned for Half 2 of this text and thankyou for studying during to the tip of Half 1!

Patrik Orcutt

Patrik is a contract photographer who has been fortunate sufficient to see lots of the world and doc his travels together with his digital camera. He has labored for the U.S. authorities as a Public Affairs Officer documenting Multi-Nationwide Particular Forces Coaching across the World. He’s at present engaged on changing into a Blackhawk Pilot for the Military whereas being an avid gear junky and out of doors fanatic.