Katahdin

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     For those readers who are not family and friends (I will assume slim to few), I apologize for having left you hanging and not finishing our story. My procrastination has gotten the best of me and to be honest I came very close to just leaving it the blog unfinished due to my laziness. We did complete our journey. One year ago today we climbed to the top of Mount Katahdin and became thru hikers. Here is the account of that morning as I remember it.

7/27/2014 Day 146 The Birches Lean-to to Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin - 5.1 miles

     It had become our norm to wake up with the sun but today we were up before the sun. It was a gloomy, cloudy morning. We considered trying to wait and get a later start hoping the weather would clear a bit but we were anxious to get started. We ate our breakfast, tore down camp, and packed our bags for the last time.We left Long Spoon, Lazer Death Kill, Ember, and Tail Lights and together with Kestrel and Sharpshin we made our way to the trail head; Guiseppe waited to catch up with his brothers. We made our way to the trail head where we signed in and began our climb of Katahdin. 
    The hike was relatively easy to begin with but as we gained elevation the terrain became much more difficult. As we made our way to tree line the wind blew so hard it made walking difficult and soon we were no longer walking but climbing up and over rocks for what was one of the most difficult climbs of the entire trail. The boys had hiked on as the terrain became more difficult, it didn't seem to slow them much. As we neared the Tableland and Thoreau Spring, Giuseppe and his brother caught up to us. At this point the terrain had become more of what we were used to and we were able to enjoy ourselves for what would be the last of our 2186 miles. 
     Through the dense fog, I noticed what was a small crowd of people. Assuming the crowd was gathered at the summit I began to hike faster eventually breaking into a slight jog when I finally spotted the famous Mount Katahdin wooden sign I had been admiring in photos for years. I was speechless as we made our way to the sign and finally put my hands on what we had been walking toward for 5 months. We took a moment to reflect quietly on what we had just accomplished but soon the obligatory Mount Katahdin photo session and celebration ensued. We spent an hour or so hanging out at the summit with Kestrel, Sharpshin, and Giuseppe just enjoying the end together. The crowd began to grow as more and more day hikers approached the summit and we felt we had to tear ourselves from Baxter Peak to give others the opportunity to enjoy the beauty. As we made our way back down the mountain we passed the other half of our trail family giving quick hugs as to not delay their finish. The clouds lifted as we descended offering some of the scenic vistas we had hope for.
     As we made our way to the trail head Wide Load's parents met us and hiked out with us. After hanging out at the foot of the mountain for a bit, we tossed our packs in the rental car and made our way to Millinocket where we would spend one last evening with our trail family before heading home. We had dinner at the Appalachian Trail Cafe with both our family and our trail family enjoying one last night together before we would all part ways the following morning.
     The following day we loaded up with Wide Load's parents and began our journey back to southern Ohio. I remember noticing when we had traveled 100 miles and thinking how long that would have taken us to hike. It felt strange to suddenly be covering so much ground. It's hard to explain but as ready as I was to be finished with the trail, I found myself missing it already. We had a quick visit with Ayce as we passed near Boston; we hadn't seen him since Duncannon, PA. In two days we were back home. I dreamed of the trail every night for about two weeks when we returned, each morning waking to the disappointment that it was just a dream. Our hike, however, was no longer a dream but now a memory. One year later I can say with complete honesty, not a day goes by that I don't think of one of the 146 days we spent on that trail and the many, many wonderful people we met along the way. As always, thanks for reading.

Moose














 







"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Dr. Seuss





AT Journeys Magazine

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http://www.appalachiantrail.org/docs/atj/atj-march-april-2014.pdf

The 100 Mile Wilderness

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7/21 Day 140 Monson, ME to Long Pong Lean-to – 15.1 miles

As anxious as we were to enter the 100 mile wilderness, basically the last 100 miles of our journey, we weren't in a huge hurry to leave our last trail town. We packed our bags and enjoyed the all you can eat breakfast at Shaw’s. We ate with many thru hikers we had met and hiked with as well as many south bounders just beginning their journey. I was reminded of our first hostel stay at the Blueberry Patch in Georgia when this whole thru-hiking thing was very new to us and we hadn't quite shed our nerves. I felt ready to finish but I was in a way jealous of those just beginning.

 We were prepared to hitch back to the trail but we were very kindly offered a ride back to the trail by one of the operators of Shaw’s. We piled in and said our goodbyes to Monson. We entered the “wilderness” passing by a sign warning of the dangers of this section and to enter this section with no less than ten days of supplies. We laughed as we had only six days of supplies. The hiking was easy relative to all we had seen in the past months. We were in very high spirits for having just left town partially due to the excitement of being so close to Katahdin and also having the opportunity to spend our last week of trail with new and old friends.






7/22 Day 141 Long Pond Lean-to to Carl A. Newhall Lean-to – 20.8 miles

Today was one of our longest days in a while. The hiking was more difficult with many annoying ups and downs but nothing extremely difficult. As it turns out, the 100 mile wilderness isn't so wild. We have crossed gravel roads and heard traffic and even seen day hikers. It seems more of just a 100 mile stretch with no towns. I guess the “100 miles with no convenient re-supply point” doesn't roll off the tongue quite like “100 mile wilderness.”



7/23 Day 142 Carl A. Newhall Lean-to to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to – 18.9 miles

White Cap mountain is pretty much the last mountain between here and Katahdin. It seems we will basically coast from here to the base of Katahdin. We were excited to climb White Cap Mountain as we were looking forward to our first glimpse of Katahdin. As we made our way up the mountain it became clear we would not see Katahdin today. The rain and thick fog we had become very accustomed to had once again moved in. With nothing to be seen we spent no time on the mountain and continued our trudge through the rain.

Our destination for the night would be Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to a place that had been described by many as picturesque. Arriving at the crowded lean-to soaked in cool rain we were ready to call it quits for the day. We rested under the shelter of the lean-to enjoying the company of the other northbound thru-hikers waiting for a break in the rain to set up tent. Our break came and we quickly made camp before returning the lean-to to cook and eat our dinner.



7/24 Day 143 Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to to Wadleigh Stream Lean-to – 21.5 miles

We took our time breaking camp and getting started today. We had a full day of hiking ahead of us but the elevation profile indicated it would be easy miles. The miles were easy, the sun was shining, and we were beginning to dry out a bit until the rain made another appearance just as we arrived at Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to for lunch. After lunch the sun was back and we soon caught our first glimpse of Katahdin from across Pemadumcook Lake. The peak was shrouded in clouds but it was an amazing feeling to finally see the goal we had been walking toward from 143 days. The end was literally in site, it was an unreal feeling. The remaining hiking today was, as they say, a walk in the woods. I can’t remember any miles on this trail as effortless as these seemed.






7/25 Day 144 Wadleigh Stream Lean-to to Hurd Brook Lean-to – 19.6 miles

Another late start today. Our day began with a small climb up Nesuntabunt mountain where we were treated to unrestricted views of Katahdin and loads of wild ripe blueberries. It was a beautiful day with beautiful hiking through blueberry patches and passing pond after pond. We broke for lunch at Rainbow Stream Lean-to before continuing to Hurd Brook for the night. Many of our friends continued on to Abol Bridge today but we chose to call it quits here with Giuseppe, Kestrel, and Sharpshin. Tomorrow we’ll have a short hike to Abol Bridge and then continue to the Birches Lean-to for our last night on trail.




 




7/26 Day 145 Hurd Brook Lean-to to The Birches Lean-to – 13.5 miles

It was an easy three miles to Abol Bridge where we were re-united with Tail Lights, Ember, Long Spoon and Lazer Death Kill. We met Lazer Death Kill’s dad who had travelled from Colorado to climb Katahdin with him. We hung out under an awning playing euchre, eating, and watching the rain. We had a nice lunch at The Northern Restaurant, bought our last bit of snacks for the evening and then continued to The Birches.
The Birches is the last lean-to (shelter) on the trail for use by thru-hikers only and requires signing in and a small fee at the Katahdin Stream ranger station. We signed in at the ranger station and learned we were northbound numbers 59 and 60 to reach this point. Our last night on trail was as good as I could have imagined. We were lucky enough to spend the evening with Kestrel, Sharpshin, and Giuseppe; three guys we had spent the majority of our nights and days with from the White Mountains to this point as well as Long Spoon, Lazer Death Kill, Ember and Tail Lights who we had hiked with pretty much from Gatlinburg, TN to Harpers Ferry. I felt very fortunate to have spent our last night with this amazing group of people but also really missed those who we had come to know but had continued ahead of us or were trailing behind or had left the trail for some reason.

I had been counting down the days to this point for over a week but suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness that this would all be over tomorrow. I was excited to go home to my family but saddened with the idea of leaving these people who had become our family for the last 145 days. This trail had been our life and it had been amazing. Tomorrow we will complete a task that I have been dreaming of for years; I thought this day would never come. Tomorrow we will climb 4200 feet to Baxter Peak, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. It will undoubtedly be a day filled with mixed emotions.


Thanks Lazer Death Kill!
Thanks for reading,

Moose


The Adjective and the Verb

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As much as I would love for you to hear the ending of our story from the trail, I have decided that my husband should be the one to do the telling. You see, when we started this hike, Moose always wrote about our day to day adventures while I picked random topics I thought relevant; we thought it would be less confusing that way with two people and one blog. As time passed and it became more difficult to keep up with the blog, I decided to pitch in and write a few entries of my own. However, there's something you should probably know about us:  I can be quite stubborn--the adjective and he possesses this innate ability to procrastinate--the verb. So in honor of February and Saint Valentine, historically the month where birds are noted to pair and all manners of love, marriage, and fertility are celebrated, I thought I would entertain you with the story of us while you wait.


Fall of 2005, it was my sophomore year at college and I was writing name tags for new students at a Caribbean Karaoke hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ. I was told there was a guy from my hometown inside so I went in search of the new freshman. First impression, he had long hair and he was tall as I tapped on his shoulder to get his attention, there was definitely something about him. Sorry, no mushy love at first sight story but we did become really good friends over that next year. My friends always told me we should date but I always said it would never work because we were too much alike and too indecisive. 


In case you hadn't guessed, I'm kind of fond of walking and my friends would use that against me. When I would head out for my walk around campus or to the park they would send Chris out after me for my protection. They especially hated it when I went hiking alone--it wasn't safe. Anyway, it took us a little over a year for him to finally ask me out and for me to actually say yes. I'm old fashioned, and stubborn, and I always wait for him to make the first move. Almost five years later, on a rock cliff in Hocking Hills, Ohio, he asked me to marry him...and two and a half months later we said I do; I would have married him after the first two weeks, sometimes you just know. There's not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for my husband and best friend. Now there's a lot that happened in between these years, and if you'd like to know the whole story just ask, but you get the gist of it. I can be extremely patient and he will do something whenever he gets around to it. For those that personally know us, you know this to be true. 


I write this post not to pressure Moose into finishing the blog; trust me, I've tried, and it does not work. I write simply to give you hope and a promise that we have not forgotten about you and that you will receive an ending to this story, someday. In the meantime, I hope you have enjoyed this entry and mayhap after reading this you will also have a better understanding as to the personalities of us. 

Love and prayers always,

Wide Load

"And I pray that you may know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."  Ephesians 3:17-19







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