Saturday, July 21, 2007

Mt Cube Lean-to

The hikers had a great day in sunny weather to hike today...unlike the past several days (almost the whole month of July) in the rain. All is well as they hike on...Their boots were dry and they made good time. Stickman's camera has stopped working...a problem yet to be solved....but, we are so thankful for no injuries and great hiking weather! Lillian and Dan Barnes (Faithful's parents) met up with them in the Glen Cliff area and hiked with them and brought them to the Rumney area for warm showers and food, and to dry out. They stayed with great people, Chet and Kathy White, wonderful supportive friends of the Barnes'. Tonight they are staying at Mt Cube lean-to. Then, tomorrow they head onward toward Hanover, NH.

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/19/07...Thursday...Got up today with no hurries, no worries, but still planning on a little hiking. We intended to do some “slack-packing” (very little in our packs...), but actually hiked “no packing”, opting to take only water. We got a lift to Rt 25, and hiked in the rain, over to Rt 25C, a distance of 4.9 miles in 1 hr 50 minutes! I took one spectacular fall, tumbling into a big vat of mud. Nothing hurt, not even pride... you learn that this is just the way of the hiker... a dirty, sometimes muddy trail, that you will eventually flounder in. I was, as they say, a chocolate mess! You really have to have a bit of a sense of humor to be out here, and definitely no aversions to being dirty most of the time. ... We met only one hiker, “Taj” like in “Taj Mahal”. We did get to chat for a bit, sharing with him about the ScriptureStick ministry, and giving him a card. Nice to meet you, Taj. We hope your hiking is truly blessed! ... Dan and Lillian showed up about an hour after we reached the road. When we had told them what time they should come meet us, we had grossly miscalculated our ETA. Who knew we could hike so fast! The wait was fine, though, as we were able to rest, and eat some raspberries that were all around us. When we again struck out on the trail, Lillian was hiking along with us. We walked, this time, from Rt 25C to Rt 25A, a distance of 4.8 miles. We were amazed to complete this stretch in 2 ½ Hrs., especially since we were still slogging around in the rain, everything muddy, slippery, and quite dangerous. Lillian did a great job hiking this stretch, which really was quite difficult. We never saw any other hikers... I think it was just too wet for anyone in their right mind to be out there!!! We got to the road, and didn’t wait terribly long for Dan to pick us up. We got back to the White’s, went to the showers, then got all of our clothes washed and dried. We enjoyed a nice, comfy evening, with some company stopping in. A very nice lady, Yvonne, who is a Pastor from Windsor, Canada, came by for a visit. Many things were talked about, and the ScriptureStick ministry being one of them. Yvonne loved the ScriptureSticks, and now has one of them to take with her back to Canada. I also gave her a few cards. Well, it was another nice day, even with the rain. I believe that it is time to turn in for the night, and get rested up a bit. Tomorrow is going to be a “zero” day, get the mail, decide what I want to take back on trail with me, and try to set some kind of a schedule as to where we intend to be, and when. Seeya tomorrow, then... God Bless you, and keep you all in His care!

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/20/07...Friday...Today was a big, fat, “ZERO” day, and I loved it! I just relaxed and started to get my gear sorted out for a little re-packing session. We went to Glencliffe P.O., where I forwarded my resupply box on to Hanover, N.H. . The whole day was very relaxing. The highlight of the evening was the speaker right here at Rumney Bible Conference. It was Rev. Paul Veit, the “DinoPastor”, who speaks on creationism. A lot of his subject focus is on dinosaurs and fossils... by the way, someone had brought a fossilized potato to show everyone. Yes... a fossilized potato! It was a very interesting night! I had heard Rev. Paul speak several years ago, back at Crossroads Bible Church, back home in Madison, Maine. I enjoyed him then, and equally enjoyed him this time. He said it would be great if Pastor Val would have him back at Madison sometime... Well, Pastor Val? Probably many of you back home remember Rev. Paul... Hey, Tyler, I bet YOU do!... Still got that FOSSIL!?! Oh, by the way, before he spoke, Kathy White introduced Faithful and I to the attending group, shared an overview of our ScriptureStick mission, and then prayed for us! I can’t begin to say just how much that means to me! Thank you Kathy, you are so very thoughtful!... After the presentation, I spoke for a bit with Rev. Paul, then we all went for a trip to the Snack Shack, where I opted for a terrific strawberry shortcake. YUM! I stayed around a bit longer for a big helping of chit-chat, and when I got tuckered out from talking, headed back to Chet and Kathys. Now I lay me down to sleep... and pray that God is Blessing you all real good!

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/21/07...Saturday... Ah, a beautiful, mostly sunny, day! I kicked about a bit this morning, having a light breakfast with lot’s of coffee. I sat on the steps out front, savoring it, and attempted to place a few phone calls. I got through to a few folks, and the rest I left messages with. I do want you all to know that I think of you often, and pray for you. I wish that I had more time to talk to more folks. ... I finished getting ready to go back on trail, and tried to get a couple of pictures, but my camera has finally gone kaput. The display is now non-functioning... I went on up to WalMart to see if there was anything they might do to help me out. There wasn’t. Looks like I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new one, but we’ll see. Cari may be able to get some help on this. Sure hope so. ...I got back on trail at Rt25A after we said our thank-you’s and goodbyes to Chet and Kathy White. Their hospitality was wonderful! One last goodbye to Faithful’s parents, and we were headed downtrail. Although we hadn’t got going until almost 3:30 PM, we were able to trek the 5 or so miles to Hexacuba Shelter in fair time, arriving at 6:30PM. We met three NOBO’s along the way, and they each stopped to chat for a few minutes, taking our card before moving on. ...Hey, Wolverine, Truffles, and Secondwind, we hope you all have a great finish to your hikes! ... As I sit reading the shelter log, I see that John “Huck” Pendolino was here on the 14th. He was hiking NOBO now, heading to Gorham, NH. Huck is the young man that Cari and I met at SHAW’s in Monson, Maine. He is the one who took the awesome picture of the moose, from within his tent. You may remember seeing that picture in our blog... Thanks, Huck, for letting us use the picture. It is great to see that you are still on trail! Happy trails, and God Bless you too, Huck, so sorry we missed you! I see from the log that we are a couple of days behind Brit, Smokey, Yellowbird, and E.T., would sure be nice to see them again. ...Well, time to drift off to sleep. Hope your day was as Blessed as mine was!

Stickman

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Glen Cliff, NH

Finally an update! Stickman and Faithful were able to warm up and heal their weary feet a couple of days up Littleton way with Doc Dave, a close friend living there. Hiking through the Whites has been very wet, and the hikers were grateful to be able to get dry and rest . After doing laundry, eating, and visiting, they hiked back to the trail. More rain and mountains.... Kel and Dave were so pleased to be able to "work for stay" several times at several huts as they hiked thru . They met great people at the huts there, and Kel even learned a few banjo runs from one of the other workers. The hikers are as far as Glen Cliff today!... Dave's parents, Dan and Lillian, have traveled down to that point to bring provisions, more walking sticks, and to hike part of the trail with them. They should be in Hanover in about a week and then over the state line into Vermont. We should have some great updates once the Barnes' come back home!

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/12/07...Thursday...Not where I thought I would be this morning...I’m in the little town of Bethlehem! Come to find out, this is where Dave lives, not Littleton...but close...he works in Littleton. My day was filled with resting up, downtown walks, meeting the good folks of Bethlehem. The evening was awesome! Dave treated us to dining at Rosa Flamingos’. Thank you so much for your generosity! It is so good to spend time with a good friend. Dave took us for a grand tour of the area, then back to rest, converse, then top off a great day with a little light reading...and sweet, restful sleep...g’night, God Bless.

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/13/07...Friday...Pretty much a continuation of yesterday! Enjoying the downtown, and shopkeepers, was a highlight. I especially enjoyed Melissa at Maia Papaya’s, a coffeeshop. The WREN (Women’s Rural Entrepreneur Network) was also fascinating. I wandered into a couple of antique shops, which I always enjoy. I was blessed with another kind evening with my friend, Doc Ferris. So nice to be able to sit and talk with you my friend! Wish my wife, Cari, could be here too! She would enjoy this time too! Well, I think I shall have another restful night...God Bless you all!

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/14/07...Saturday...Yawn...Up at 5:30 AM to get ready for the trail...The rest has done wonders! We all went down to Maia Papaya’s to get a good cup of coffee and I also got a delicious bagel topped with a cream cheese and herb spread. Yum’s the word. We had a pleasant visit with the owner, Melissa, then headed off to the grocery store to pick up a few “trail goodies”. It was then back to Rt. 302, Crawford Notch, and after a somewhat reluctant farewell to my good friend Doctor Dave, started up trail at 9:00 AM, or thereabouts. Thanks, again, go out to Brave Dave. Taking us in on short notice, and treating us so well...we we’re truly blessed. Some things will always stand out in my memories of this trip. Thanks for making a great memory for me! ...Today, the ultimate goal was to attempt the 14.5 miles between where we were, and Galehead Hut, and secure a spot on the “work for stay” roster. Things moved along quite well, a brisk pace set, which we broke only when we had an opportunity to share our mission with a fellow hiker, (or at least hand them a card). One hiker was “Steve T.”, and he was accompanied by his “cajun wonder dog, Thibodeau”. We did have a nice conversation with him, and he shared that his brother used to Pastor a UCC Church in Andover, ME. Now, we don’t always get folks names, or trail names, and when we do, we sometimes forget exactly what it was by the end of a long day. Then again, some names stick out. Like the couple that we met named Patrick and “Hellbender”. Not being sure of the intended impression of that particular name, I asked for some enlightenment. So...if you might find that name offensive, there is no need...It is the name of a giant salamander that makes it’s home down South! Now...I made a statement just a bit ago regarding an “ultimate goal”. Well, what I was referring to was in regards to “hoped for trail progress”. The real “ultimate goal”, or the IMPORTANT one has nothing to do with mileage, and everything to do with meeting other hikers...and gently being a witness for the Lord. We had ample opportunity to meet others on the trail today, speaking to many of them, and giving out at least 20 cards. We pray that folks will not only read the blog, but go to the website, and be blessed by their visit. Yes, praise the Lord! WE were BLESSED today! Okay...now for a bit of humor... hmmm...humor...well, it depends on who you are...and your perspective in this story. Sometimes, for some involved, it doesn’t get real funny until the day is over. But, it was “my bad”, and it is time for me to ‘fess up. Let me set the stage, and roll with ACT ONE. A trail...sunny skies...beautiful scenery...two hikers, “Faithful” and “Stickman”, who have been cruising right along today. Suddenly, there was a sign! At an intersection! Well, actually, there were a couple of signs. One sign said “Zealand Hut, 0.2 miles”, and pointed up a VERY steep path. The other sign gave various trail names and distances, and had little arrows pointing out the direction of travel. The top listing was for the trail that we intended to take, and showed us, in magic marker, that we were to continue in the direction in which we were headed, and NOT up past Zealand Hut. (Cameraman pans the scene, stopping briefly to show the various trail options, and the STEEPNESS of the trail leading to Zealand Hut. Cameraman ends the scene with a panoramic 360 degree shot, coming to rest on “Stickman”. The shot clearly shows a weary traveler, red-faced and sweaty, then ZOOOMS IN...on the eyeglasses dangling around his neck). ACT TWO ...There is a HUGE boulder at this particular intersection ...Faithful and Stickman are engaged in a conversation revolving around lunch. They are discussing options ...sit up on the rock to eat, and then try to get some more quick miles in...take time to scale the looming 0.2 mile cliff to Zealand Hut, relax, and possibly enjoy a nice coffee with lunch ...keep on hiking! Do the miles, THEN do lunch! That seemed appropriate! The course is set! Fade...ACT THREE ...Entering the scene from behind them is “Yellowbird”, saying “STICKMAN!”, “FAITHFUL!”. We were surprised and pleased to see her! We had met Yellowbird and her mom, Grey Goose up in Maine, in the stretch between Caratunk and Monson. We had hoped to meet again, but until now had hiked around each other. She is a fast hiker, and had been ahead of us until she took a few days off trail ...thus, now coming up behind us. We chatted for a minute, then she asked what our next plan was. I glanced over my shoulder, looking briefly down trail. I stuck my thumb out in that direction ...”Keep hiking South!”, I said, with great confidence. The camera pans 360 degrees, stopping for an instant on each happy face, before resting on Stickman ...ZOOOOM ...to the eyeglasses hanging from his neck ...pull back, swing to the sign with the little magic marker arrows ...omigosh! ...THE SIGN!!! ...LOOK AT THE SIGN!!! ...the little arrow DOES show SOUTH trail IS the ZEALAND HUT TRAIL!!! LOOK! PLEEEEZE LOOOOOOK!!! ...fade... ACT FOUR ...STICKMAN offers to let YELLOWBIRD lead the sheep downtrail, as she is certainly the fastest hiker, and will set a nice pace. We certainly didn’t want to slow her down ... After a mere 15 minutes or so, of superfast hiking, Yellowbird was well ahead of us, and in fact, was just ...going ...out of sight. ...fade... ACT FIVE ...We hiked onward, covering about 1 ½ to 2 miles, (the wrong way), and not catching up to Yellowbird. Suddenly, Faithful says “BLUEBLAZE!!!”. Now, that is NOT good news, as the A.T. is marked with white blazes. Can’t be true... Stickman looks curiously at the blue blaze ... reality is beginning to seep into his overheated brain... yup ... wrong trail... ... ...and where is Yellowbird?!? She was somewhere down trail... way down trail. Or, to be a little more honest, way down the WRONG trail! I had led her astray, and had no way to stop her. Even without my pack I doubted that I would catch up to her for a long, long time. AARRRGH! I hung my head in despair...and shame...fade...FINAL ACT...As Stickman lifts his head to gaze miserably down the trail, his eyes behold Yellowbird zipping up the trail towards him. She is saying something, loudly...oh, yes!, she is saying “BLUE BLAZE!!!”. I was immediately inundated with a range of emotions that...well, they were all mixed up! Happy, sad, embarrassed, fearful, relieved, and the like. How could I ever apologize enough to redeem my miserable self. As she got into range to be able to hear my sincere regrets, I began with my very nervous apology. Boy, was I ever surprised with her reaction! Yellowbird was SO kind, much more kind than most would be. She had a nice big smile, laughed, and said, “It was a very nice walk, and a real pretty area!”. She was determined not to have her day spoiled, and was able to see humor and beauty in the moment. Thank you, Yellowbird, for being so nice about it, and for letting me off the hook so easily. It was a wonderful example of grace and forgiveness on your part. I assure you, I will take more care from now on, and just might put my glasses on from time to time! ...Next stop was up at Zealand Hut! We all took time together to grab a meal before moving on. We made our way to Galehead Hut, a little late, and a little long in mileage. We arrived at 7:30 PM, and, by way of my mistake, had covered a distance of 18 ½ miles, in 10 ½ hours. That was our longest miles per day so far! OOPS! The “Croo” at Galehead Hut were very nice to us, allowing another opportunity for “work for stay”, even though we had gotten there late. They fed us a great meal, and tomorrow, after breakfast, we will do whatever work is asked of us before we leave. There is rain in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, so the hiking may be tough. It is only about 13 ½ miles to Franconia Notch, but it is 11:00 PM, and if I don’t get some shuteye, I might not make it. So... good night, and God Bless all of you. Special Blessings are prayed for for Yellowbird, a very special person.

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/15/07...Sunday...Up and at it nice and early, and got packed up so that folks could have their breakfast when they got up. When they were all done chowing down, the Croo fed us quite well. Then we swept through the building, and folded the blankets, to boot! Big thanks to the Croo, you all treat us so wonderfully! As suspected, we got rain, but it eventually stopped, as we made our way. We met a few groups of hikers, and I again was able to give most of them my card. Many of them also listened as I told about our missions trip. It was a great day! ...We ended up also enjoying a wonderful ridgeline hike that must have been two to four miles long. I had also been trying to call home when I had reception, to check on our son, Josh, and Shanty, to see if they were proud parents yet. I finally got the good news that they were, and that Cari and I were now proud parents of a beautiful little girl. Shanty delivered her at 3:58 PM, as I was starting my hike down Franconia Ridge. Her name is Lilliana Elizabeth Hibbard, 8 lbs 8 oz., and 21” long. She has a full head of long, wavey, dark hair, and she is definitely the delight of my day! ...We continued on, making our way down to the Flume Visitor Center, where Dr. Dave again met up with us... this time he was toting cold sodas and Italian sandwiches ...making him VERY appreciated! So nice of him to do so much for us. He is the definition of friend. We went back to the house for the night, and to repack all of the stuff that we didn’t carry with us on this last leg of our journey. I got to sit for awhile and spend a little more time with my good friend, topping off what was already a superb day! Now, it is off to sleep, with great anticipation for the coming day. How could I be any more blessed! I hope you are all well blessed these days, too. I do ask for special blessings for Josh, Shanty, and children... yes, God Bless, and good night!

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/16/07...Monday...Got up early-ish, said goodby to Doc, then we finished getting all of our stuff ready. We stopped in town for a bagel at Maia Papayas, and said thank you and goodby to Melissa. We needed to catch a ride to get back to the Flumes Visitor Center, so we headed for the edge of town to try our luck. We stood for more than 2 hrs., with high hopes... Finally, a young fella came to the rescue... and took us part way there! I thanked him, and left a card with him, then resumed the waiting game. The next ride was a long time in the coming, but a lady hiker, named Nancy, did stop, and brought us the rest of the way to the Flume. I gave her a card too... thank you Nancy! We stopped in to the Visitor Center, where I found the perfect postcard to commemorate the birth of my grand-daughter, Lilliana. It was a nice picture of the Franconia Ridge, right where I was when she was born. I was also fortunate to get a Franconia cancellation, which I was able to back-date to yesterday, and hand cancel myself. I dropped it into the mail, sent to Cari, and wandered back to the trail at about 2:30 PM. It was an awful late start for the hiking day, but off we went. We met just a handful of hikers, but it was a good day, all in all. We finally got in to the Eliza Brook Lean-to about 9:30 – 10:00 PM. I was just able to squeeze out a little space to get in out of the weather, so am fairly comfortable for the night! Pretty ragged and worn out, so no eats tonight, just sleep. Sleeeep Sleeeeeep. God Bless!

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/17/07...Tuesday...Up at 5:30 AM, trying to catch Yellowbird. I was pretty sure that she was in the Lean-to for the night, but wasn’t positive... hard to tell late at night, and if you don’t remember a hiker’s gear, you’re not likely to figure out just who is who. At any rate, I knew she was an early riser, and as I looked about, several hikers were in the process of packing their gear. Yup, there was Yellowbird, almost ready to hit the trail. I caught her, and gave her a note and a cookie, that a friend of hers at Lonesome Lake Hut had asked me to give her, if I caught up. The deed being done, I wished her a nice day, and off she went, “on the fly” again. I got to my packing, had a quick, cold snack, and went to check on Faithful, and his progress. We managed to get on trail at about 7:00 AM, and by 3:00 PM we had found our way to Beaver Brook Shelter, located on the very steep side of Mt. Moosilaukee. We had a tough day, but a pleasant one, very beautiful. We only saw a few hikers today. I don’t know where they could be. When we got to Rt. 112, there was an older couple in the parking lot, and they asked us a lot of questions. We were happy to stop and share some time with them. They also were happy to share with us! They gave us a big bag of cherries, two bottles of H2O, and some soda! We thanked them kindly for being Trail Angels, and gave them a card. Thanks SO much, we enjoyed the magic! Shortly after our visit, we started our climb of Mt. Moosilaukee. It is beautiful... and STEEP! We walked, and climbed, along the “Cascades”, a series of waterfalls and rushing waters, that must have been 2 miles long. WOW! We had to use ropes, ladders, and steps, some of which were missing, as they were in the process of being replaced. When we got to Beaver Brook Shelter, we were bushed! We had a bite to eat, then Eric “E.T.” showed up. Great to see him again! A NOBO, “Achilles”, also arrived in camp, and as always, the conversations were enjoyable and refreshing. I foraged for firewood, and E.T. and Faithful built a super sweet fire. Two Brits just came in, too. I was able to share my ministry with everyone, and gave out cards. Everyone is turned in and settled down for the night now, so I guess that I will try to sleep too. Good night, God Bless!

Stickman

STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/18/07...Wednesday...I woke up to lot’s of rain today, at 5:30AM. That was wonderful, because I really need to take a shower on occasion! Hiking is temporarily postponed for rain delay. I sat in the shelter, watching the rain, and waited, as everyone else eventually came to life. We sat in semi-quiet, watching the rain, and engaging each other in light conversation. I’m not sure when Achilles decided to make a break for the trail, but off he went, heading North, and having to navigate the extremely slippery and steep Cascades. I silently said a prayer for his safety as he walked away from camp. Faithful and I finally saw fit to give it a go at 8:30AM, and were able to reach Rt. 25 at 12:00 Noon. We had walked in a steady rain, and as we had gotten to the top of Mt. Moosilaukee, it got quite cold and windy. We were pelted, relentlessly. I did manage to get a picture of Faithful at the summit, even though we were in the middle of the clouds. We then hurried down the mountain, reaching Rt. 25, somehow managing to cover 8 miles, in the rain, in just 3 ½ hrs. At Rt. 25, we found a hikers’ hostel, and went in to try to dry off a bit and get a bite to eat. All of the hikers that we saw there were NOBO’s, and we took some time to talk with them a bit. Faithful went off to give a call to Chet and Kathy White, with whom we would be staying. Faithful’s folks, Dan and Lillian were going to be there to spend time with us, but had not showed up as of yet... so ...Chet drove over from his house, located at Rumney Bible Conference, to pick us up. He was an immediately likeable guy, and graciously brought us to a diner, where we dried out, warmed up a little, and were treated to a nice hot meal. Thank you, Chet, you are way too kind to us! We got back to their house, and found that Dan and Lillian had safely arrived. Faithful and I both took a quick timeout from visiting, to get nice hot showers and some dry clothing on us. I feel human again! We spent a nice evening with everyone, and met a few folks. Donna, who lives with the Whites, is very nice, and we also got to meet Chet’s mom, who is also wonderful. Chet also gave us a quick tour of Rumney Bible Conference, which was very nice of him. It looks to be a great place for a men’s retreat (or womens...). Well, looks like everyone is about ready to bunk down for the night, so I will close for now, praying God’s Blessings on all of you. G’night!

Stickman