Katahdin via Armadillo Buttress

SummaryNone
OwnerEric Gilbertson
Creation Date2009-09-14 20:08:56 UTC-0400
DescriptionMt Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine

The Armadillo, III 5.7

Labor Day Weekend, 2009

Eric Gilbertson, Jim Mediatore, Alon Goren

Author:Jim

Drawn by the allure of Katahdin's great vertical relief and alpine splendor, I joined Alon Goren and Eric Gilbertson for an adventure on the steep and scenic Armadillo buttress, located on the south headwall above Chimney Pond.

We left Boston around 3pm and made it up to the Togue Point entrance station at 9pm to inquire about any last-minute campsite availability, and recommendations about how early to get in line for the gate-opening at 5am. When the Roaring Brook campground's parking lot fills in the morning, the trailhead will be closed by the rangers, so we wanted to make sure we get a spot. Also we ought to be early enough to make the hike in to Chimney Pond before 8am- the cutoff for departing climbers headed for the Armadillo route. We camped outside of the state park, a little way off the road via one of the myriad of un-signed dirt roads leading into the woods. We were up and parked securely in line at the entrance gate (car #19) at 345am. For future reference, people arrive at the gate shortly after it closes at 10pm, and deploy tents/sleeping bags car-side (this is explicitly prohibited by the park- but no one seems to enforce it). It was labor day weekend with a peerless weather forecast, so demand was high to make it in before the trailhead lots filled.

It took about 30 minutes to drive the 8 miles down the wash-boarded dirt road to Roaring Brook Campground, where we shouldered our packs, signed in, and started up toward Chimney Pond. It's 3.3 miles and ~1,400ft of vertical to the pond, and I managed to keep up with Eric (a 2:51 marathon runner) and Alon (who eats half-iron Man triathalons for breakfast) over the next hour-and-a-half, in spite of the distraction of the beautiful scenery. The fastidiousness with which the rangers at Chimney Pond inspect climbing gear and itineraries is nearly legendary in Northeast climbing circles, and many a would-be climbing team has been stymied by the caprice of a ranger harboring any doubts about the teams inventory, capabilities, or the weather forecast. However, we did our research and brought all of the essential items (including a #4 camalot for the route). As it turned out, we had a very laid-back ranger who presented to list of items we were supposed to have, which Alon checked off, and that was the end of the gear inspection. The ranger was kind enough to point out all of the relevant details to the approach scramble to the base of the Armadillo and wished us good luck.

Another two hours of steep bush- and grass-whacking brought us to the ledge granting access to the beginning of the buttress. We didn't find it necessary to rope up for the scramble across to the enormous flake marking the beginning of the normal route up the Armadillo. I eye-balled the "Wind in the Willows" variation, a 5.9 finger crack arching over to the 5.8 off-width on the left side of the big flake, but my fingers were cold and numb in the wind and shadow of the north-facing buttress, and a party a four other climbers was only a few minutes behind us. I climbed the moderate chimney for about 100ft, then clipped a pin on the edge of the big flake and swung out of the chimney onto the face for some wonderfully exposed and committing 5.7 face climbing to a perfect belay ledge with a huge rock horn for an anchor. Eric and Alon joined me on the ledge and we peered up at the pretty hand and fist crack looming above us. i think this is where one is supposed to need the 4-inch cam, but I was content to walk a #3 camalot up until I could clip the enormous and inspiring bong piton about 20 feet up in the crack. I was grateful for the warmth and protection of my tape gloves as I reluctantly bore down on my fist jams and wedged my feet higher and higher, leap-frogging the #3 cam up a few more feet above the bong. A pleasant ledge with a sunny exposure greeted me as I exited left off of the face at the end of the pitch. A commodious crack readily accepted a hex, stopper, and two cams- I wasn't sure how much fist-jamming Alon and Eric had done, so this bomber belay anchor inspired peace of mind while I relaxed and warmed myself in the sun. The guys joined me on the ledge in short order, having dispatched the fist crack with no apparent difficulty. Beyond this phase of the climb, the Armadillo eases back in angle. We rearranged the ropes and Alon and Eric took turns leading up the last 400ft of easy 5th class climbing that led to a pretty peak on Katahdin's summit ridge, just a few minutes below the high point, Baxter Peak. We traversed back to our packs and made our way along the knife edge to Pamola Peak and the short, albeit brutally steep, trail leading 1.3 miles down to Chimney Pond. I think it was 630pm when we greeted the nice ranger, and then an endless 2 hours or so back to the car after we drank and snacked at the hut. Not sure why it took longer to get down the trail then it did to come up; certainly my hobbling on feet battered from my too-small approach shoes slowed me down, and then there's the factor of descent-trail-time-dilation, a phenomenon well-know to many weary climbers anxious to reach the parking lot after a long day in the mountains.

The Armadillo is a great adventure- we had great weather and a fun team. The climbing is a bit abbreviated given the epic drive/hike/bushwhack approach, and there is really an astonishing amount of loose rock on the route given its classic status. But the exposure and position is really unparalleled in anything I've ever seen or heard of in the Northeast- the vertical relief, cold northern aspect, and alpine scenery reminded me of the Diamond on the East face of Long's peak in Colorado. However, although some suggest this route warrants a grade IV commitment rating, even with the extended approach, there are only 2 or 3 significant pitches of steep climbing, the rangers are watching you with binoculars from Chimney Pond, and it's a walk-off descent. It's certainly a long, serious alpine climb relative to most of what is available in the Northeast. Grade IV in winter for sure- I would love to return in March and do it again!