Hunting Moose in Baxter State Park + Hiking Chimney Pond Trail – Part 2

After my Alarm woke me up, I sluggishly crawled out of my sleeping bag, the temperature outside was 38 degrees, and that is normal this time of year and especially in the park, but it didn’t make it feel any less cold. I slipped on my boots, a few layers, and grabbed my backpack full of camera gear and set off. There were a couple of photographers ahead of me on the trail, and they were easy to spot with their massive 600mm lenses. I made it to my spot in what felt like no time, and there were already 6 other photographers there. That being said, they were all incredibly nice and did not mind me showing up to the party late with my camera. Even though the exact spot I wanted was already taken, I was still able to get a similar one on the boardwalk of Baxter State Park.

This is Part 2 of a 2-part story. I highly recommend reading Part 1 before proceeding to this article. 

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Gear List

If you came to this article to just see what gear I’m using – no problem – here you go!

The seven of us waited there for 2 hours that morning with no signs of any moose. While this was unfortunate, this is usually the outcome for most wildlife photography shoots. Patience is key, and while we were not visited by any wildlife aside from a few birds, it was still a stunning morning at the pond for photography. The Fall foliage on the mountains looked amazing with the orange morning light, and I could not have asked for better conditions. I talked with a few of the other photographers that morning while we waited, and I was surprised to hear many of them had been at the pond every morning for over a week, hoping to catch a moose but had been unsuccessful. While I’m not an expert on the movement and behavioral patterns of the North American Moose, I had heard that the current drought we are in, mixed with higher temps and winds, was not to their liking on the Pond.

After a few hours of waiting, I packed up my gear and walked back to camp. On my walk, I figured that since I hadn’t seen a Moose that morning, I might as well spend the rest of the AM doing something I enjoyed to get something out of the trip. That’s when I very spontaneously decided to hike up to Chimney Pond.

Chimney Pond Trail in Baxter State Park

After changing, I hit the trail head for the 6.6-mile round-trip hike with roughly 1500 feet of elevation gain. While I don’t consider this hike to be very hard, it is hard on your feet and ankles. By the time I got back to the car, I was happy to be done, as my feet were killing me, but let that be a lesson to myself to not wear tainers on a rocky trail like this (I’m also out of hiking shape). The trail to the Pond is well maintained but even on a Tuesday morning was very popular as many people had aspirations to climb Katahdin that day.

After a little over an hour of hiking, I had made it to Chimney Pond, where the temperature dropped from a pleasant 65 degrees to a windy and chilly 35 degrees on the pond. Chimney Pond, at about 2,914 feet elevation, is a classic tarn—a small, circular lake occupying the floor of the South Basin cirque on Mount Katahdin’s east side. It formed through glacial processes following the retreat of the Laurentide continental ice sheet during the Pleistocene’s Wisconsin stage. Alpine valley glaciers eroded the underlying Devonian granite pluton, carving U-shaped valleys and steep cirque walls, while a small terminal moraine dammed the basin to impound water from surrounding slopes. This moraine, composed mostly of fresh granitic debris, likely dates to a post-Presumpscot readvance (after 13,000 years ago), though radiocarbon dates from pond sediments suggest deglaciation occurred at least 9,000–11,000 years ago, with potential delays from sediment flushing. Surrounding features like the Knife Edge arête highlight ongoing frost and mass-wasting action shaping the landscape.

After throwing on my hoodie and snapping a few pictures, I turned around a headed back down the mountain to my car and then began the long drive home to edit all of the pictures you have seen in this very article. I hope you enjoyed this small piece and might now be inspired to visit Baxter State Park if you live in the area.

Patrik Orcutt

Patrik is a freelance photographer who has been lucky enough to see a lot of the world and document his travels with his camera. He has worked for the U.S. government as a Public Affairs Officer documenting Multi-National Special Forces Training around the World. He is currently working on becoming a Blackhawk Pilot for the Army while being an avid gear junky and outdoor enthusiast.