Friday, September 10, 2010
The last installment...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Day 140 (9/7) - The Day That Never Comes
The Birches Campsite to Baxter Peak, Mt Katahdin
What can I say about today...I MADE IT! After 140 days, 2180 trail miles, countless non-trail miles, a lot of tuna and some incredible support from friends and family I summitted Mt Katahdin. In a perfect world I would have waited for a better weather day but that isn't going to happen for 4 more days (maybe) so I took what I got and hit the summit. The climb up was tough with a long section of hefty rock scrambles on damp rocks in high wind gusts. Visibility was very low (less than 50 feet) so it was definitely not the spectacular ending I was hoping for, but a very satisfying one anyway.
Not much more to say other than a big thank you to everyone who helped Sabrina and I throughout the journey and to all those who followed along on this blog and on facebook tracking our progress. Keep on the lookout here over the next few days for a specific list of thank yous as well as other post-hike info.
I picked this song as my last day song since for a long time it definitely seemed like it would never get here and now that it did, "the sunshine never came".
Waiting for the one, the day that never comes, when you stand up and feel the warmth, but the sunshine never comes, no the sunshine never comes.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 139 (9/6) - Push It
Wadleigh Stream Lean To to The Birches Campsite
So this morning required some serious decision making due to the upcoming rain in the forecast for Katahdin. Here were the choices that are possible:
1) Continue as planned, summit Big K on Wednesday, likely in the rain
2) Continue slowly and try to wait out any rain before summiting on Thursday
3) Continue faster and summit tomorrow, Tuesday
The implications of this decision will impact the possibility of a good day on the summit or a possibly miserable one. Those who know me well would have seen which choice I would make even without checking the mileage for today. I figured that a really long day today would give me the best possible chance for a decent day on the summit. The forecast for tomorrow is 50% rain, which I am reading as 50% sunny...always the optimist.
I hiked the crap out of the trail today. I covered 19.5 miles in 6 hours then did the last 13.5 in 4.5 hours with a 30 minute lunch in between. I felt good for almost the whole day until about the last 5 miles where the exertion caught up. Good thing it was a nice cool day or this would not have been possible. I finished the day around 6 pm, checking in with the ranger at Katahdin Streams Campground and moving onto the important part of the day...recovery. In a sentimental gesture, I made spaghetti with meat sauce, same as the first dinner on the AT way back in April, and drabk 3 protein drinks to help my muscles get ready for tomorrow. A few Advil and a good night's sleep and whammo! Katahdin tomorrow. Probably be on the summit around 10 am and could be in town in the mid afternoon.
It is sureal to be tented here at the base of this massive mountain that has been a focus of our lives for the past 5 years and I would not be here without the great support from Sabrina and both of our families. My climb tomorrow is dedicated to all those who have been so helpful along the way (many more than I will list right now, but a list will get posted soon) and those who will continue to help as I make my way home over the next few days.
Push it...push it real good!
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Monday, September 6, 2010
Day 138 (9/5) - Cheeseburger In Paradise
Cooper Brook Falls Lean To to Wadleigh Stream Lean To
Other than some interesting stream crossings today the trail was mostly flat allowing for fast miles. The day had 2 major highlights:
1) A great view of Katahdin from Pemadumcook Lake
2) A 1 lb deluxe cheeseburger at White House Landing
The burger was great and a nice change from lunches of tuna packets on tortillas. To get to White House Landing you have to hike 1.2 miles off the AT to a boat dock where an air horn sits to summon the boat for the ferry ride across the lake. The hostel (?) was nice, albeit expensive, so I just stayed for lunch the took my boat ride back across the lake to continue my hiking day.
The downside to the day was finding out that Wednesday is supposed to be the only bad weather day this whole week...the day I planned to summit. I will reserve my decision on whether to wait a day until Tuesday sometime when I get to Abol Bridge. I hope the forecasts are wrong and it is a nice day and I can continue as planned. To be continued later...onto Hurd Brook tomorrow.
(darn...yet another song I don't know lyrics to but it sure seems to fit, apologies to all the Parrotheads out there)
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 137 (9/4) - Goodbye Earl
Newhall Lean To to Cooper Brook Falls Lean To
Lets get the important things out of the way first...HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY SABRINA! We got to chat on the phone for a while today and plans are set to meet up in Boston in less than a week. I am definitely a lucky man to have such a wonderful wife.
Well even a hurricane can't keep me from my schedule or my planned miles. I took a very late start today to let the rest of the downpour finish before going over Whitecap Mtn, my last time above 2000 feet until summiting Katahdin. There was plenty of water on the trail from the rain but at least no more was coming down. Just over the top of the mountain, I ran into Utah, a guy I had hiked with on and off for the first 500 miles of the trip. He decided to flip flop and was heading south bac to Salisbury CT where he got off. It was great to see him and get a little bit of news from behind me on the trail.
After that, the sun made an appearance and it turned into a great day with cool temperatures, nice trail and just good hiking. I caught back up with Tabasco at the East Branch of the Pleasat River where he and two other hikers had been pondering how to ford the rain-swollen river for 2 hours. We spent another hour there and finally found a path that was feasible and more or less safe. We all made it across with nothing more than wet feet. The shelter we ended up at might have the best location of any shelter on the trail. It is right next to a really good waterfall which is running especially fast after all that rain. I am tented not far from the falls and after squeezing 7 people into a tight 6 person shelter last night, the extra space is a welcome change.
Tomorrow should be a great 21 mile day with my elvation staying between 700 ft and 1000 ft all day. A nice easy walk to a shelter on the shore of Nahmakanta Lake. Summiting is still planned for Wednesday.
And turns out he was a missing person who no one missed at all.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 136 (9/3) - Rock You Like A Hurricane
Long Pond Stream Lean To to Carl Newhall Lean To
Planning for today included getting to the end of day target before the rains from Hurricane Earl show up. This was a semi-tough task given the fact that the Barren-Chairback Range was in the way. I hiked the whole day with Tabasco and we did great time all day and did well with the elevation gains and drops we hit all day. There were some good views along the way and even cell phone reception to call home to get a weather update. We made it to the shelter just in time to grab the last two spots and not lose them out to the group frm Colby College that was in the area. The highlight of the day was the trail magic of homemade whoopie pies and soda we ran into near the Pleasant River. Looks like the rain is about to start so time to get bunkered down to stay dry for the night.
Heading over our last big mountain before Katahdin tomorrow, Whitecap Mountain, and hopefully the rocks are not too slippery and the ascent/descent are not too miserable. 4 more days to get to the base of Katahdin.
More days to come, new places to go, I've got to leave its time for a show.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 135 (9/2) - Where the Wild Things Are
ME 15 (Monson ME) to Long Pond Stream Lean To
The town of Monson is not short on options for food for a small town. Lunch at the Lakeside Pub yesterday was great, the community dinner was a real treat and the breakfast at Shaws today was a hiker nirvana (and the gas station supposedly makes great calzones and the BBQ place is also supposed to be worth a visit, although I didn't have a chance to visit either of those places). Breakfast at Shaws is an "order by number" system with three choices: 1, 2, or 3. The number indicates how many pancakes, eggs, bacon slices and sausage links you want (all served with home fries too). It is all you can eat as long as you finish your plate so I went for the 3-3-1 meal today. My goal was 3-3-2 but the pancakes make it tough. I also, for the first time on the trail, skipped lunch since I was so full from breakfast. I think I made up for that with dinner though. Also many thanks to Dawn, Sue and the other staff at Shaws for a great stay, an awesome place to spend my time in Monson.
Hiking today was tough with 8 days of food in my pack an temps in the high 80s and 90s for my start into the 100 mile wilderness. No big climbs yet, but plenty of little ones to keep me working. I get some good cimbs tomorrow going up and over Chairback Mtn and the other peaks on that ridge. A nice night at the shelter with several thru-hikers from previous years, making for good conversation and funny stories. Also passed the 100 mile to go mark today...into double digits now.
You're where the wild things are - toy soldiers off to war.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Day 134 (9/1) - Sad but True
Horseshoe Canyon Lean To to ME15 (Monson ME)
Today was a bittersweet day. It was a day heading into town which is
always good, but it is the last town on the trail with only a long
stretch of remote wilderness between me and the ultimate goal. Music
plus town motivation helped me to cover the 9.0 miles today in less
than 3 hours. Good time even on this flattish terrain. As for
yesterday, sorry to subject everyone to my whining but it was very
therapudic and I definitely felt better after putting it all in
"writing".
This is a nice town here with lots of very friendly people and a good
place to stay at Shaws. Dawn was very helpful despite being very busy
and I am happy with my plan to splurge on a private room here for the
night. Lots of my own space to spread my gear out for a final
shakedown to drop as much weight as possible before heading out
tomorrow with 8 days of food with me. That is a ton of food and I
think it weighs probably close to 20 lbs. That is a lot of incentive
to drop pack weight wherever possible to make the hiking less
miserable. I think I did pretty well and should be in decent shape
tomorrow.
Dinner tonight was great as the community center hosted a pot luck
dinner for only $8 and no one left hungry. Great food too and actually
sat next to a couple from NoVa.
Plans from here call for 5-6 days (likely 6) to get to the base of
Katahdin and one more day for the summit. Should be home sometime next
weekend, at least to Syracuse anyway. Blog posts may be sparodic
depending on cell signal availability but will get sent whenever I can.
I'm your dream, make you real, I'm your eyes when you must steal, I'm
your pain when you can't feel, you know it's sad but true. I'm your
dream, mind astray, I'm your eyes while you're away, I'm your pain
while you repay, you know it's sad but true.
- Snowfox
Sent from my iPod
Day 133 (8/31) - Cryin Like a Bitch
Pleasant Pond Lean To to Horseshoe Canyon Lean To
Ok so before I get into today's recap, time for me to do some venting. I am not looking for any sympathy nor should anyone reading this be worried, just impacts of over 4 months on the trail and I am ready to be done.
1) I am tired.
2) I am sick of flat slippery rocks.
3) I am sick of badly maintained trails with big blowdowns and overgrown vegetation that hides rocks and roots for me to trip over.
4) I am tired of having to continually do first aid om me legs after falls from those rocks and roots.
5) I am sick of waking up in the morning to put on clothes still wet with sweat from the day before.
6) I am sick of pumping every drop of water I drink.
7) I am tired of heat and humidity.
8) I am tired of crappy cell service and non face-to-face conversations with people.
Ok...sorry about that, just needed to vent and let everyone understand that it isn't just a "walk in the woods" out here. It will be good to be done in a week or so.
Anyway, today had some good views from Moxie Bald Mtn and some walking along a river with minimal elevation changes. 6 Course and I were both tired today after our long marathon day yesterday so we slept in for a little bit before heading out on a slightly shorter, but seemingly tougher day due to the heat wave running through the area. I think I drank about 2 gallons of water today and sweated most of it right back out. I plan to rehydrate myself very well while in town tomorrow and part of the next day.
I have 9 miles to go to get into Monson tomorrow and should be in sometime in the mid morning. A nice relaxing day and part of the next day before heading out into the 100-mile wilderness for 6 days or so before reaching Katahdin.
I tell you why...you take your chances, I've told you one too many times that you're cryin like a bitch.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 132 (8/30) - Whoomp There It Is
Little Bigelow Lean To to Pleasant Pond Lean To
Got a good early start today as the plan was to hike old school Virginia style and get through a 20-plus mile day. This would get 6 Course and I down to the Kenebec River in the 2 pm to 4 pm window to catch the ferry (canoe) across the river. We blew through the morning finishing the 21 miles to the ferry by 2 pm. The ferry is a critical piece to the trail since the upstream hydroelectric dam can release large quantities of water at any time raising the river level by up to 4 feet. Fording this river (about 200 feet wide) is not a really good option. Although people still attempt and as the ferry operator said: "you can't stop stupid". Seems to sum it up nicely.
After the canoe ride, we decided to hitch a few miles to the Northern Outdoor Center to try some of their microbrew beers. We had a nice happy hour there and got to use their computer for a while too. The plan after that was to hitch back to the trail and hike about 2 miles to a camping spot. Lets start with the hitch. Right as we were leaving two guys pulled in with a freshly shot black bear in the bed of their pickup. We got a ride with them in the back with the bear. Made for some great pictures. Then as we were hiking out, we discovered that there was no camping spot about 2 miles out and we ended up hiking another 2 hours to this next shelter. Oh well, it positions us nicely for the next two days into Monson.
Hopefully the legs will feel good tomorrow and can get another 22 miles down the trail for a nice easy day into Monson on Wednesday.
I'm taking it back to the old school, cause I'm and old fool who's so cool. You wanna get down let me show you the way - WHOOMP THERE IT IS!
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
Day 131 (8/29) - Anthem for the year 2000
ME 27 (Stratton, ME) to Little Bigelow Lean To
Big news today, I passed over the 2000 mile mark! It is hard to comprehend walking that far but here I am only 10 days from the end. Had some great views today from on top of the Bigelow Range and spent an hour on the West Peak eating lunch and taking it all in. This will be my last time above treeline for a while but it was certainly a good day for it. Lunch was eaten with the Kibby Mtn wind farm as a backdrop and this will be my last day of views of Dad's work. Hopefully some good pictures, but we will know more when I can look at them on a real computer.
The hike today included almost 6000 feet of elevation gain and nearly as much loss. This makes for a tough day on the muscles (going up with a full load of food leaving town) and the joints (always fun on the downhills). After today we get started on some more consistent elevation terrain and hopefully moving back into some bigger miles too, moving myself closer to the ultimate goal, Katahdin (which I think I saw today from the ridge). I ran into a few college orientation groups today from Tufts and thankfully they are not at this shelter so I will be able to sleep well in minimal noise. We have great weather forecasted for the next 4 days so back into my tent for a while and onward to Monson in the sun.
Looking for a big day tomorrow trying to reach the Kennebec River before 4 pm (21 miles from here) to get a ride on the ferry across the river. Updates on my success to come tomorrow.
We'll make it up to you in the year 2000.
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
