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View Full Version : 4 days at Katahdin



TJ aka Teej
08-17-2005, 19:58
Howdy Hikers,
What a nice time of year to spend four days in Baxter State Park. Climbed mountains, canoed ponds, traced the old Appalachian Trail (found a tin diamond marker!), and spent some time with the Rangers and AT hikers.
1/2 of AT '84s GA>MErs Swags of the Blue Ridge stopped by for a visit, and recent ATers in the Park were BooBoo, StinkerBell, AprilShowers, Skirt, The Bs, Ninja, Stealth, Turnankle, Stumper, Dad&Grin, Snail, Zeke, BurningBoxers. Met Senator, Search and Rescue, Dr Chickadee (who found out from her Mom and Aunt the morning she started up Katahdin that she was now *Auntie* Chickadee!), Frenchie, RunningBear, Stick, Hiaku, ALDHA member Silver, JuneBug, Rattle (whose girlfriend was trying to find him, and after a three campground search she and I found him after dark next to a seaplane at Abol Bridge), Rhino (who had the *best attitude* of any human I've recently met), Rock and Little Rock finishing an 8 year section hike, El Jefe, Opa, Geronimo, AugustWest, and Fatty. Several flippers had just come in, and a few MEGAs were still heading south. Also met, and stayed up late waiting for, two female sectioneers called 'The Beas' who at 70 and 75 were finishing a section hike of the AT. They went up at 7AM, came down at 2:25AM. Yes, that's right - almost 20 hours. As darkness fell, we could see their headlamps come on as they climbed down off the Hunt Spur. A rescue was not considered, as they were still moving, the weather was warm and calm, they were not alone, and they did not ask for a rescue. A day hiker named Forrest sent his two girls back down the mountain and he stayed with then throughout their long descent. A really decent guy, and I'm glad to know him.
On my way out of the Park I stopped in to see Linda at her store at Abol Bridge, impressed as always by her humor and good sense. We wrote up an update for the Companion and I was off towards Greenville - but only made to the 100 Mile Trailhead where brandy-new 2000 miler Rhino and his most excellent trail dog were doing Trail Magic. SmilingJoe (you gotta see his pack cover, ya just havta!) and HumptyDumpty were there too, enjoying a perfect Maine day. Thence to Greenville and the nice folks at NorthWoods and Indian Hill, and a visit with Chamber of Commerce guru Bob, where I was tempted to stay and marvel at the Plum Creek/LURC revival show. The huge proposed development north and west of the AT around Moosehead Lake just might hinge on poop and the various laws and decrees that regulate the wheres and hows of poop disposal. But I was off to Monson instead, where in the space of four hours I met *everyone* in town, from Pat to Postmaster. Great fun was had as Keith Jr (an amazingly generous person, btw) and I were entertained by a patio full of hikers dumping out maildrops. As dusk fell I loaded flippers Del and MarVa into the truck, dropped them at the 100 mile trailhead, and then headed myself south to the seacoast.
Much fun, went by too quickly, but worth every minute.
Teej