Member Trip report

Mt. Coe and South & North Brother Mtns

05/29/2022

Trip Report/Photos from BillyB1976

Featured Photo

North Brother is a 4,000 footer - 4,151 ft.  South Brother - 3,970 ft and Mt. Coe - 3,795 ft; are 100 Highest.

I was the first person to arrive at the parking lot, but shortly after another group showed up.  That group left before I did, and another guy showed up just as I was leaving.  Later up the trail I passed the group just before I turned off on the Mt. Coe Trail.

I knew I was taking a little bit of a risk going up the Mt. Coe Trail because of the slide I had to go up.  Even the lady at the gatehouse told me to assess the slide before going up.  The conditions on the slide really weren't an issue.  There were a few wet spots, but I was able to navigate them safely.  The biggest issue was following the route of the trail up the slide because many of the blazes were faded and there weren't many cairns.  The trail is steep, and continues being steep above the slide to the summit of Mt. Coe.

The summit of Mt. Coe is in the open and has excellent views in all directions.   The view of the west side of Katahdin is amazing.

The trail drops fairly steeply off Mt. Coe as it continues on towards South Brother.

At the junction with the South Brother side trail I met two people who were heading up South Brother.  These were the first people I met after passing the group down lower.

The side trail up South Brother is fairly short, but steep in places.  As with Mt. Coe, South Brother has excellent views. Views are similar with those at Mt. Coe. The summit is more open and broader than Mt. Coe.

After South Brother was North Brother.  The trail in the saddle between the two mountains is a wet mess!!  Basically the trail is a brook, and there were some patches of snow. I met a group coming from North Brother.  I never did see the first group or the guy at the trailhead again. This stretch of trail is fairly flat until you reach the bottom of the climb of North Brother.  It is somewhat steep and the final ascent is above tree line to the summit.

As with Mt. Coe and South Brother, the views in all directions from North Brother are excellent.  From North Brother you can see into the Northwest Basin of Katahdin.

This was a perfect day for a hike.  A little breezy on the summits, but not unbearable.  The breeze kept the bugs away.  LOL 

This hike took almost 10.5 hours.  I spent a while at all three summits taking pictures and just taking in the views.  The total mileage was around 10.5 miles and total elevation gain was approximately 4,010 feet.  This is basically the equivalent of climbing Katahdin.  It is a hike you'll feel for a day or two after.  LOL

I was also the last person to leave the parking lot.

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