Katahdin Winter Approach Tactics

Hey y'all. Looking into doing a 4-5 day trip up to Chimney Pond for some (conditions dependent) skiing or ice, and it seems like the strategy is to pull a sled on the approach. I personally am not a big fan of pulling sleds and was wondering if anyone has had experience going more light-weight and using just a pack, especially for a shorter trip. Would this be a matter of personal preference or is forgoing a sled a big no-no for that approach and I need to just suck it up and take one?

By the time you load up all your climbing gear, sking gear, camping gear, cooking stuff, food/fuel and small comfort items the load becomes pretty heavy and bulky. You will need a huge pack, and then will also probably want to carry another pack for your days out. A sled really is the easiest option. You certainly could go bare bones and get away without a sled but I personally would only go sled-less if I was going in for a short trip. Like 2 nights, and even that is a big maybe. It’s a long walk. If you’re thinking 5 days I’d take a sled and bring a couple comfort items with me, being comfortable, well fed, and entertained can be really important if weather/conditions are not cooperating. 

Bring a sled.  Don't haze yourself.  Or go for like 2 days /1 night.  Booze is really helpful up there ... dont skip on the necessities. 

I have had the experience - of going without a sled.  Or skis,  But that was 50 years ago before sleds(or skis) were commonly used.  Humped into Chimney Pond in 2 days (intermediate night at Roaring Brook).  3 nights at Chimney then a long day out.  Just snowshoes and a big (external frame) pack.  SOP in those days.  So it can be done.  If I ever do it again (doubtful at this point) I would opt for a sled and skis.  A HUGE difference will be if you are camping or staying in the bunkhouse.  

Climbed Katahdin via Roaring Brook and Chimney pond a few years ago. Did the whole pulk thing.

Other a short section getting into the park from Abol Bridge to Abol Beach, the rest of the approach was on terrain well packed by snowmobiles. We did microspikes on the roads, and then snowshoes to go from Roaring Brook to Chimney Pond. I actually found having a mixture of weight in the pack and in the sled was the best system (tried with all in the sled and it didn't pull as well). You could pull it off for skiing or climbing (or both if you have a well dialed kit, but that's a lot of gear). It also depends if you're in the cabin at Roaring/Chimney or camping along the way (that adds a ton of weight). We found both cabins to be incredibly well insulated (i.e. my -20 sleeping bag was useless and I spent the whole time in the coolmax liner).

If you do end up deciding to go with a pulk, definitely practice with it a LOT. I got some bad hip pain on this trip because of how different pulling the loads was from a normal backpack. 

I skied to roaring brook, then next day went up and over to abol camp next day, to being back at car by noon on the third day. Had climbing gear, camping gear, skis, etc. Shoulders and hip were crying by third day. It's doable but don't recommend.

I used a pulk sled and xc skis to roaring brook, didn't practice and was fine.  You'll want to leave the sled at roaring brook though, the rest of the approach seems like a pain in the ass with the sled.  I cut the legs out of an old harness and attached my sled directly to that which helped manage weight distribution.  I also pulled out 2 sleds as one of our team members was hurting on the way out and even with the two sleds didn't get slowed down too much- it's mostly downhill in that direction.  

I don’t think you need to practice with a sled either fwiw. Been out there half a dozen times and I’ve always brought the sled to chimney pond, never had any issues with the last bit of trail. Riding the sled on the way out is a good bit of fun! 

I’ve been a number of times. The majority of the time pulling a sled, even on short 3 day trips. I don’t think anyone likes the sled, but it’s less painful and easier than carrying the weight on your back. 

Only one trip we wore packs only, but we also rode fat bikes. Two night trip. We stayed in the Roaring Brook bunkhouse. No frills. Summer weight sleeping bags. Just enough food and fuel. We had one objective, which went without a hitch, but that was our third trip in that season.

I’m planning to go this year. I’ll use skis and a sled. 

Thanks y'all! I guess I'll give in and bring a sled :)

You can snowmobile in to Togue Pond - helps a lot if you want to push to Chimney in 1 day.
The last three miles from Roaring Brook to Chimney can be brutal. 

Ope. Another quick question. seems like the jury is out on whether it's worth bringing sleds from roaring brook to chimney pond. A couple TRs I read mentioned stashing sleds at roaring brook before that last 3 up to chimney pond, but other people seem to have done fine taking sleds the whole way? Seems like our sleds are gonna be modarately heavy due to climbing as well as skiing gear, but otherwise we're packing light with reservations for lean tos so no tent necessary. Curious to hear y'alls thoughts.

I've always pulled my sled up - split the weight between your backpack and the sled for that section.

PS bring a tarp for the front of the lean too. Bring boxed wine to bribe your way into the bunkhouse so you can dry your gear. 

The trail up to Chimney, while an actual trail and not a road like getting to RB still sees snowmobile traffic, so it's totally doable with the sled.