[This Mountain Profile essay about Katahdin, Maine, originally appeared in Alpinist 84, which is now available on newsstands and in our online store. Only a small fraction of our many long-form stories from the print edition are ever uploaded to Alpinist.com. Be sure to pick up Alpinist 84 for all the goodness!–Ed.]
In 1981, my climbing companions and I believed that an all-women’s celebration had but to climb Katahdin in winter, based mostly on correspondence we’d had with park officers. A few of us winter climbers noticed this as our alternative, one which grew out of a second in historical past when girls have been putting out on their very own, trying to carry your complete accountability for their very own mountain adventures.
The winter earlier than, 1980, I had been with two different girls, good mates, and we had made a crossing of the Presidentials in winter, which we believed to be a primary for an all-women’s group. However, usually, I used to be unaware of different teams of girls doing main winter journeys. This was greater than forty years in the past; there weren’t many winter climbers within the mountains, particularly girls.
This explicit all-women’s winter ascent of Katahdin was the brainchild of Louise Worth, a sturdy New England climber who led summer season and winter journeys within the White Mountains.
A job mannequin for me was New Englander Miriam O’Brien Underhill, who had set the bar excessive for all-women ascents—referred to as “manless” at the moment—together with her climbs within the Alps from 1929 to 1932. “I’ve grown to acknowledge the truth that when a person lets a lady ‘lead’ it’s, for him, only a nice little fiction,” she later mirrored in Appalachia. “A girl can’t actually lead if there may be any man in any respect within the celebration. And so if she desires to steer, she should climb with different girls.”
Miriam had climbed to the summit of the Katahdin massif with a mixed-gender group within the winter of 1926. Now, together with her inspiration, we aimed to make the primary recorded all-women’s ascent.
Echoing Underhill, Molly Burns wrote in a letter to me, dated February 22, 1981: “We selected to hike with out males as a result of we wished to study, to show our skill for self-reliance. To whom? To ourselves.”
Louise had initiated this Katahdin journey by inviting a couple of girls to affix her, together with me, and she or he requested us to recommend others. The park’s guidelines stipulated that every one events wanted to incorporate 4 individuals. Since we felt it might be good to have backups in case somebody needed to drop out, we ended up with ten—a big group, too giant in keeping with us, although throughout the bounds of the park’s guidelines. Louise proved to be wonderful at dealing with the bureaucratic laws set by the Baxter State Park Authority.
About half the group had climbed to the summit, Baxter Peak, in summer season. I had climbed the mountain in winter, as had Helen Curcio Koch and Penny Markley, each sturdy climbers, good mates I had delivered to the group, although every was unknown by many of the others.
We left on February 15 and it took us the higher a part of two days, snowshoeing with heavy packs—13 miles in complete—to achieve the bunkhouse at Chimney Pond, with this monument of a mountain looming above and beckoning.
On our first full day of climbing, February 17, we went up Hamlin Peak (4,756′) as a warmup, a two-mile ascent from Chimney Pond by way of the Hamlin Ridge Path, utilizing snowshoes and our ice axes as strolling sticks. It was windy and foggy on high. Helen and I wished to proceed on the Saddle Path to the summit of Baxter Peak, thus fulfilling our objective by climbing Katahdin that first day, however we have been vetoed by the remainder, who objected to splitting up the group. This was laborious on me and surprising. I exchanged a glance with Helen, choosing up that she was not proud of this choice both. Because it turned out, this was the primary signal of the disparity inside our group when it comes to expertise.
Early the subsequent morning, all of us headed off for the summit of Baxter Peak (5,267′), the best summit within the Katahdin massif and our objective. The foggy climate continued, with the temperature proper round freezing. We ascended by means of the Cathedral Path sporting snowshoes however altering to crampons because the path steepened, changing into icy and rocky. Louise wished to steer from the entrance but it surely grew to become clear to me that she was having issue choosing out the route. From my place close to the top of the road, I might see that every time she hesitated, others would take the initiative to go round her, then would wait whereas she gained the lead once more. In locations the ridgeline narrowed, including to the problem. Clearly this terrain was nervous-making for some and made for a gradual ascent.
As we moved increased, the fog thickened. Nancy Wealthy, Helen and I started placing in wands on the off likelihood we’d be descending this route. Because the path gained the summit plateau, referred to as the Tableland, flat and featureless, the grade eased off and the route was marked by cairns. Nancy and I started knocking the rime ice off the cairns on the uphill aspect to make them extra seen on a possible descent. Not lengthy after, we reached the summit amid a lot cheering. We knew this was the summit by the big picket signal saying “KATAHDIN, BAXTER PEAK,” giving the elevation and that includes arrows pointing to different locations. We might see nothing apart from the dense fog. Louise knelt by the signal and Penny snapped a photograph.
The unique plan for the journey was to cross the Knife Edge and return to Chimney Pond by way of the Dudley Path. Some have been postpone by the extraordinarily low visibility and have been able to retreat. 5 wished to cross, however as on Hamlin there was resistance to splitting the group. Nonetheless, the ridge stroll by its nature is well-defined, and it was agreed that the 5 of us might not less than begin out. However we have been gradual, some uncomfortable on this rocky ridge, combating a powerful wind, and I might now see we have been too gradual to make it throughout and descend in daylight. We returned to the summit, and to our shock, the remainder of the celebration was nonetheless there. It was l:30 p.m. Since many of the group wished to keep away from the steep descent of the Cathedral Path, we agreed to strike off on the Saddle Path that connects Baxter Peak to Hamlin Peak throughout the Tableland, hoping to select up cairns that might lead us to the place the Saddle Path descends to Chimney Pond, within the col between Baxter and Hamlin.
So we began out, following Nancy, who thought she noticed crampon marks. We have been principally heading right into a void. The group caught shut collectively. It’s not a lot of an exaggeration to say you would not see your hand in entrance of your face. Ultimately, we reached a steep slope that Helen and I felt was the place the Saddle Path descended.
However one member strongly objected to this descent. Since there was no path signal, we needed to give in. I bear in mind feeling fairly disgusted with the group, and as Helen and I grew to become impatient, the management in some way landed on Penny, the least identified member, however the one with maybe the strongest mountaineering background.
We agreed that heading upward whereas holding the downhill to our proper ought to get us to the summit of Hamlin, the place we’d been yesterday. (We weren’t utilizing the compass for this a part of the descent since a few of our guidebooks instructed there could also be an anomaly within the saddle.) So we trudged upward and onward and finally noticed the big picket signal. We have been on the summit—not of Hamlin, however of Baxter. We had walked in a circle within the whiteout! The time was now 4:15 p.m.
We knew the place we have been—a giant aid, filling the group with new power. Our solely selection now, nevertheless, was to descend the steep Cathedral Path. We have been drained and a few had little expertise on steep, icy descents. However all the pieces fell into place with stunning velocity. We discovered the path utilizing Nancy’s compass bearing. We felt protected doing so, rationalizing we have been far sufficient away from the saddle. In addition to, we had little selection. Helen and I took over the lead and stored the celebration transferring at a gentle downhill tempo, whereas one other group member stayed on the finish to stop shedding anybody within the unrelenting mist. We reached the bushes in fading gentle, acquired out our headlamps and have been at Chimney Pond by 6 p.m.
From the start in our planning periods we had seen the journey as a gaggle effort, and so certainly the accountability for the dearth of management can and should be shared. We have been by no means in critical hazard; we have been ready to spend an evening out if it got here to that, however it might have been most embarrassing for all of us.
In her letter to me, written upon our return, Molly concluded, “The teachings we realized about ourselves and about management have been painful…. We have been self-reliant … however we failed miserably at stepping ahead and making good choices for the group. That’s what we realized at Katahdin. We now know what we have to know. Now we have to observe that ability.”
Forty years later I discover myself agreeing with Molly’s observations. Although for me, it ended up being a disturbing journey. In conversations afterward, the others I talked to felt the identical. Our uneven ability ranges have been a part of the issue, evident from the start on Hamlin. But, I wouldn’t have missed this for something. Wanting again at it positively, we completed our objective, averted accidents and, for essentially the most half, got here again as mates.
I continued to search out myself desirous to be within the winter mountains with one other lady or two—small events, good mates—placing into observe what Katahdin had taught us. Notably, it was thrilling to come back throughout different all-women’s events within the mountains, and when that started to occur I knew a vibrant future had opened for ladies main themselves within the woods and on the heights.
