Kelly left a message at about 4:30pm to say that they are almost to the Gentian Pond Campsite. From there, they are about 12 miles or so from Gorham New Hampshire! They will hike into town to the post office to get a package there for Dave...they will be in their second state!!! Only 12 more to go!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/5/07...Thursday...We were out on the trail by 8:30 AM, with threatening skies. We were hopeful to do a few extra miles today, but from Full Goose Shelter to Gentian Pond Campsite was about all we had time to do. We got to Gentian Pond at 5:30 PM, having hiked just over 9 miles in 9 hours. There isn’t much in the way of “flat”, or easy hiking. It’s pretty much a hard, steep climb, followed by a harder, steep, descent. And I’m sure that we would have enjoyed the days hiking much more if we’d had a little less clouds and a lot more sun. We certainly didn’t get to see much in the way of views...For that matter, we didn’t get to view many hikers, either. There was one group of High School aged girls out doing a section hike, sponsored by a college located in Massachusetts. There were also a couple of other sectioners. Tonight, we enjoy the company of two NOBO’s, Doc and Compass. They are getting anxious to reach Katahdin. I had a pleasant conversation with them both, and Compass and I talked a bit about our beliefs. Thank you, Compass, for being candid with me. (I don’t believe that he will mind my writing down a brief profile of his thoughts, as they are not different from so many others that we meet)...here goes...He considers himself an agnostic, or someone who doesn’t believe that there is a knowable God. He, therefore, does not claim that there is a God. He also cannot, and does not claim that there is no God. He was raised in Church, and says that he holds no bitterness regarding religion in his upbringing, but rather considers that a part of his base of knowledge. He is a very well read person, and has some knowledge of the Bible. He is capable of quoting scripture, but refused a gift from me of a New Testament. He likes the wisdom and teachings of the Dalai Lama (the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism), as he considers those teachings to be of a “straightforward” nature...Thanks, again, Compass, for sharing yourself with me. Many people don’t, including some that would claim to embrace Christianity. I decided to write this down to illustrate to you all what one hikers’ view might be. It is all quite typical, out here, and back in the “real world”, where you all are. Perhaps this is a reflection of yourself, before becoming a Christian. So, anyway, Compass, my prayers go with you, as you continue on to Katahdin, and as you walk the journey of life. God Bless!... By the way, Compass and I agree in at least one area. If the “real world” was more like the “trail world”, everyone would benefit. I hope to bring back some of the good, positive attitudes that are found along the trail.
Not much else to write...I was going to try to phone home, but the cellphone battery is low. I will have to get a recharge in Gorham, NH...Oh, yeah! We are actually IN NH TODAY! It was great to get Maine under our belts, felt so good. We will have to do 12 miles tomorrow, if we are to get into Gorham. Faithful has a maildrop there, so we need to try to make it to the Post Office before it closes. We will try to get up earlier in the AM, and try to get a good jump on the day. We will have three prominent uphill elevation changes to conquer, with three drops. It looks like the elevation changes are 800’, 600’, and one at 1700’. It looks like a fairly easy day, but not if I don’t get any sleep. Looks like it is only 8:30 PM right now, so I could get a real good nights’ sleep if I start now...Good night, God Bless!
Stickman
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
They Are on The Trail Again!
As of Tuesday morning Stickman and Faithful are on the trail again! Dave and his parents drove down Monday night and stayed with Pastor Al and Margaret in Andover, Me. Larry drove Kel down Tuesday morning to join them. They were on the trail about 10:45 with Dan and Lillian along to hike to the falls...a spot that they had hiked with Dave and his brother Jonathan when they were small! Just think....all these years later and here they are again! So Cool.
Now, here it is the 4thof July and we just received a call at about noon that they are up on top of Old Speck Mountain at Grafton Notch, Me. Old Speck is the 3rd highest peak in Maine, with an elevation of 4180 feet. It is located in the White Mountain National Park, with a 360 panoramic view of the Maine and New Hampshire countryside. I can only imagine how beautiful it is there...and, we WILL see pictures! Can't wait. The views do inspire me...I may become more of a hiker...it is so tempting!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/3/07...Tuesday...We’re back on the trail again, today. I had a hard time leaving home, will miss my wife and kids (adult kids, but still kids!), and the birth of our next grandchild. All will be OK, though...Larry brought me back over to Andover, ME, to meet up with Faithful. He and his folks were already over there, at Pastor Al’s place. Thanks, Larry!...I think that we had gotten back on trail at about 10:30 AM, and Faithfuls parents, Dan and Lillian, hiked in with us. We all hiked together up to Dunn’s Falls, a place very familier to the Barnes family, and then Faithful and I continued on alone. We had another pleasant day of hiking, and reached Baldpate Lean-to, at a distance of a little over 8 miles. Our hiking time was just under 8 hours, as we stopped hiking at 6:15 PM. It had been a pretty tough day of hiking. The initial mile was mostly downhill, then a three mile climb up over Surplus Mtn., and a steep ½ mile after that. Next on the plate was a very steep two miles up to the east peak of Baldpate Mtn., and a quick, one mile, “down and up”, that took us to the top of the West Peak. The rest, as they say, was “downhill all the way”, and I do mean downhill! After working our way downhill for the last mile, we put the brakes on, and finally stopped at Baldpate Lean-to. My feet and knees were having a tough time with it all, but we made it, and the views were fantastic!...Again, we had the opportunity to meet some great people out here. Most of our encounters were very brief, but we still had many hikers stop long enough to say hello, and accept a card from me. I pray that they will take a moment to visit the website when they get to civilization....Spent a little time at camp conversing with “New Hampshire Mary” and her hiking partner. Oops!, sorry, the name escapes me. Sure wish I had a tad bit better memory...Got a sweet fire going this evening, and found it quite fit for cooking on. Why is it that even boiled water tastes better when boiled over a campfire?!? Sure seems that way, doesn’t it!? Just add Ramen Noodles, and SHAZAM!!! Life seems to be so much better when lived so much more simply...Well, the belly is full, and the eyelids are getting heavy, dancing to the flicker of the waning fire. Must be that time...LIGHTS OUT!...and of course, may God richly bless all of you...g’night!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/4/07...Wednesday...Up and about at 6:30 AM, and rolled out onto the trail at 7:45 AM. Put in a fairly tough trek today, but legs and feet are feeling fine. We managed 12 miles today, in 12 ½ hours, ending the day at 8:15 PM. What we were able to tackle today was awesome! Initially, we dropped down from Baldpate Lean-to to Rt. 26, then went up the enormous, (and steep), Old Speck Mtn., which crests at a little better than 4000 ft. There were some bumpy ups and downs while we were up there, finally cresting the Mahoosuc Arm, and coming back down to struggle in the Mahoosuc Notch. That stretch extends for a mile or more, and seems to live up to it’s reputation for being a major challenge. Some say that it is the toughest mile that will be encountered on the whole distance of the AT. I hope so! WHEW!!!...We passed by a moose carcass in the Notch. We had been getting several reports on it’s status, and it finally expired not long before we passed by it. It had taken a bad fall, into one of the many voids in the boulder field, and although it was not a very deep hole, it was unable to get back up on it’s feet. The poor moose had a large gash on it’s neck, and, I suspect, at least one broken leg. We sure hated to see that, and certainly didn’t like the fact that the animal had suffered greatly...but that is the way of the wild. It was a harsh reminder to all of the hikers that passed by, as to what one good fall can do...At any rate, the Notch was quite a rock scramble, with a lot of climbing over, and crawling under. It was kind of scary and fun at the same time! We also saw lots of ice caves, and other neat features...As the weather was starting to turn on us, we pushed to finish that stretch, and then got up and over Fulling Mill Mtn. That put us at Full Goose Shelter, and it started to rain...hard...just made it! Got our water, cooked up a meal, then crawled into our bags to get warmed up, and stay dry. We met quite a few NOBO’s today and yesterday. We met a Brit who was doing a section hike, and others, including Tricycle and Salamander. Lot’s of hikers stopped to talk, and take a card, but others, mostly the NOBO’s, were in a bit of a hurry...they’re gettin’ the itch for Katahdin!...Well, it’s quite late, and I need to recharge...so I will close, with a big God Bless to all of you!
Stickman
Now, here it is the 4thof July and we just received a call at about noon that they are up on top of Old Speck Mountain at Grafton Notch, Me. Old Speck is the 3rd highest peak in Maine, with an elevation of 4180 feet. It is located in the White Mountain National Park, with a 360 panoramic view of the Maine and New Hampshire countryside. I can only imagine how beautiful it is there...and, we WILL see pictures! Can't wait. The views do inspire me...I may become more of a hiker...it is so tempting!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/3/07...Tuesday...We’re back on the trail again, today. I had a hard time leaving home, will miss my wife and kids (adult kids, but still kids!), and the birth of our next grandchild. All will be OK, though...Larry brought me back over to Andover, ME, to meet up with Faithful. He and his folks were already over there, at Pastor Al’s place. Thanks, Larry!...I think that we had gotten back on trail at about 10:30 AM, and Faithfuls parents, Dan and Lillian, hiked in with us. We all hiked together up to Dunn’s Falls, a place very familier to the Barnes family, and then Faithful and I continued on alone. We had another pleasant day of hiking, and reached Baldpate Lean-to, at a distance of a little over 8 miles. Our hiking time was just under 8 hours, as we stopped hiking at 6:15 PM. It had been a pretty tough day of hiking. The initial mile was mostly downhill, then a three mile climb up over Surplus Mtn., and a steep ½ mile after that. Next on the plate was a very steep two miles up to the east peak of Baldpate Mtn., and a quick, one mile, “down and up”, that took us to the top of the West Peak. The rest, as they say, was “downhill all the way”, and I do mean downhill! After working our way downhill for the last mile, we put the brakes on, and finally stopped at Baldpate Lean-to. My feet and knees were having a tough time with it all, but we made it, and the views were fantastic!...Again, we had the opportunity to meet some great people out here. Most of our encounters were very brief, but we still had many hikers stop long enough to say hello, and accept a card from me. I pray that they will take a moment to visit the website when they get to civilization....Spent a little time at camp conversing with “New Hampshire Mary” and her hiking partner. Oops!, sorry, the name escapes me. Sure wish I had a tad bit better memory...Got a sweet fire going this evening, and found it quite fit for cooking on. Why is it that even boiled water tastes better when boiled over a campfire?!? Sure seems that way, doesn’t it!? Just add Ramen Noodles, and SHAZAM!!! Life seems to be so much better when lived so much more simply...Well, the belly is full, and the eyelids are getting heavy, dancing to the flicker of the waning fire. Must be that time...LIGHTS OUT!...and of course, may God richly bless all of you...g’night!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...7/4/07...Wednesday...Up and about at 6:30 AM, and rolled out onto the trail at 7:45 AM. Put in a fairly tough trek today, but legs and feet are feeling fine. We managed 12 miles today, in 12 ½ hours, ending the day at 8:15 PM. What we were able to tackle today was awesome! Initially, we dropped down from Baldpate Lean-to to Rt. 26, then went up the enormous, (and steep), Old Speck Mtn., which crests at a little better than 4000 ft. There were some bumpy ups and downs while we were up there, finally cresting the Mahoosuc Arm, and coming back down to struggle in the Mahoosuc Notch. That stretch extends for a mile or more, and seems to live up to it’s reputation for being a major challenge. Some say that it is the toughest mile that will be encountered on the whole distance of the AT. I hope so! WHEW!!!...We passed by a moose carcass in the Notch. We had been getting several reports on it’s status, and it finally expired not long before we passed by it. It had taken a bad fall, into one of the many voids in the boulder field, and although it was not a very deep hole, it was unable to get back up on it’s feet. The poor moose had a large gash on it’s neck, and, I suspect, at least one broken leg. We sure hated to see that, and certainly didn’t like the fact that the animal had suffered greatly...but that is the way of the wild. It was a harsh reminder to all of the hikers that passed by, as to what one good fall can do...At any rate, the Notch was quite a rock scramble, with a lot of climbing over, and crawling under. It was kind of scary and fun at the same time! We also saw lots of ice caves, and other neat features...As the weather was starting to turn on us, we pushed to finish that stretch, and then got up and over Fulling Mill Mtn. That put us at Full Goose Shelter, and it started to rain...hard...just made it! Got our water, cooked up a meal, then crawled into our bags to get warmed up, and stay dry. We met quite a few NOBO’s today and yesterday. We met a Brit who was doing a section hike, and others, including Tricycle and Salamander. Lot’s of hikers stopped to talk, and take a card, but others, mostly the NOBO’s, were in a bit of a hurry...they’re gettin’ the itch for Katahdin!...Well, it’s quite late, and I need to recharge...so I will close, with a big God Bless to all of you!
Stickman
Friday, June 29, 2007
A few days off
The hikers made it!! Katahdin! They have hiked some 256+ miles in about 3 weeks, and they made it up and back down the mountain on Wednesday! Larry met them at the Katahadin Stream Campground Tuesday night,with more good food of course, and had a great time catching up. After a good night's sleep, they headed out at about 6:45 am. Larry drove around to the trail's end and spent the day at the base of the mountain, doing computer work, reading,took a swim,and chatting with Rangers and hikers. They climbed the Hunt trail and decended on the Saddle Trail to Chimney Pond, to Roaring Brook Camp. What a climb! They met so many wonderful people from all over...Illinois, Maine, Montreal, Germany,England, New Hampshire, and more. Larry drove them home through thunder storms (almost lost the kayak off the truck because of the high winds). They will be off trail for a few days visiting friends and family and plan to be back on the trail next week. Kelly will be adding a few trail notes while he is home, so check the past posts next week!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/28/07...Thursday...through 7/2/07...Monday...Getting some “zeros” in...I’m getting as much of Chris Roy’s “Kennebec Ice Cream” into me as is possible, and when I’m not eating ice cream, I’m trying to hook up with a few friends, and get a few ScriptureSticks sanded. All of you take care, and God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/28/07...Thursday...through 7/2/07...Monday...Getting some “zeros” in...I’m getting as much of Chris Roy’s “Kennebec Ice Cream” into me as is possible, and when I’m not eating ice cream, I’m trying to hook up with a few friends, and get a few ScriptureSticks sanded. All of you take care, and God Bless!
Stickman
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Katahdin!
The hikers have made great time and have enjoyed the remainder of the hike through Maine. Today, Wed., they plan to finally hike "The Mountain....Katahadin", in Baxter State Park! Larry traveled up Tuesday to greet the hikers and spend the evening catching up, feeding them, and hearing their stories of the trail. Today is a very exciting day! We are praying the threatening thunder storms will stay away. Kelly reminded me that the mountains have their own weather and who knows if they will be able to even hike it. Lillian (Dave's mom) will be heading up this morning with a couple of gals from the youth group to do some hiking and be there to meet the hikers . If all goes well, they will be home late tonight and will probably be back on trail in Andover on Monday. WOW. What a journey...and they will be heading south for more adventure. Kelly will blog trail notes while he is home, so we will get more information on the actual hike. Pray for good weather!!!!!!
By the way, Huck took the picture of the moose...it was peering down at him in his tiny backpacker tent, possibly wondering what the strange creature there on the ground was! What a great pic! Huck, you were so brave!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/24/07...Sunday...AHHH!, What a wonderful day! We had no expectations for the day, no big miles either...We took our time, and our day was blessed. We got up and got our packs together, then headed up to the lodge to have breakfast at 8:00AM. We had a wonderful conversation with Bill, as he cooked, and we ate. Delicious! Bill gave us a bit of a rundown on some of the history of White House Landing, and other interesting tidbits. His wife, Linda, and son, Ben, also showed up while we were eating. We had a good time with them, then readied ourselves for the boat ride back to the opposite shore. We had a lot of walking before us, and Bill and Linda were needing to prepare for 11 visitors who were to be arriving soon...(and probably a few more hikers will show up, if we did a good job of convincing them as to what a great place it was!). Our stay was very relaxing, and I would hope to have the chance to visit again, someday. We took our time today, leaving White House Landing for the trail at 9:30 AM. We met very few hikers for quite a while, many of them may have bypassed us while we were having breakfast. We stopped at Nahmakanta Lake for awhile, and just relaxed. We snacked a bit, and I cooled my feet in the water. Then this fella, Don showed up, with three of his children. We chatted some about fishing, (there are some BIG fish in the stream!), and about his children, being involved with sports, etc....they were from Dover, Maine, and I mentioned that we, (Madison), used to play against Dover-Foxcroft Academy, during the football season, and maybe still did. He thought that we played against each other, too, and commented that D-F Academy had been a powerhouse in recent years, under the coaching of Paul Withee...Now, I had found a connection! Paul is a Madison native, and my wife and I had attended school with him. I asked Don if he ever sees Paul, and he figured at least twice a week. I gave Don a couple of my cards, and asked him to pass one along to Paul, and let him know that we think of him fondly. We got to talk a bit longer, then we hit the trail again, headed for the crest of Nesuntabunt Mtn. . ...Beautiful hike! The trail is interesting and difficult, and interspersed with wonderful views of the “Big K”...No, not ME, Katahdin!!!...It was beginning to get on in the day, so we started on our way down....OOPS! Oh yes, can’t forget the hikers that we met at Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, and at the base of the mountain that we had just begun to climb...There was the “Mississippi Three”, John and his two friends, that are finishing the section at Katahdin. We stopped to chat, and wished them well, and a great hike...As we began to pick our way up Nesuntabunt, we met Scott, and chatted with him, also...then, we started up the mountain. After hiking a bit, I thought I heard singing...sometimes it is “only in my head”, so I listened hard! It got louder! All of a sudden, we happened upon the singer, Tina, who was doing a SOBO hike. I think that we may have startled her a bit, as she was singing along to her MP3 player, and couldn’t hear us. I verified that, in fact, she had been singing, and that the song being sung was “ ‘tis so sweet to trust in Jesus”. We shared that we were all Christians, and told her about our missions trip. I gave her our card, and she will be in contact. Then, she shared with us the details of her hike. She is hiking to raise funds for a woman’s shelter...AWESOME! She was going to stay at Wadleigh tonight, and I suggested White House Landing as a destination for tomorrow. With her funds being way limited, she didn’t think that she should...so I made a small donation to the cause, to help her out with the costs...I hope she has a wonderful hike, and that she is able to raise the badly needed funds for the ministry that she is involved with! Thank you, Tina from Tennessee, you were a bright spot in my day!...Hiking on, it was getting pretty late. We still had about 7 ½ miles to go to get to Rainbow Stream Lean-to, hopefully before it was too dark. We did well, arriving at 9:00PM, with me just at the point of having to turn on my headlamp. We were able to do 17 miles in 11 ½ hours, and pretty much had taken our time doing it. We were dead tired, though, and called it a night, with no cooking, just a light snack. It’s lights out, John Boy...good night and God Bless!!!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/25/07...Monday...Dragging our feet a little bit on this fine morning? You bet! We got up a little late, then chatted with “Sapra”, who had tented nearby. His name is Peruvian for “Beard”. He had spent a couple of years there in the high Andes, with the Peace Corps, and was the only person there having a beard. Real nice guy, hope he has a wonderful hike. In the shelter were a few odds and ends that someone had left, to be picked up by other hikers. Apparently, it is very common that a hiker will leave the trail, or just lighten their load, and leave the goods at a shelter, to the benefit of a fellow hiker. One of the items that had been left was a very nice headlamp...much nicer, and brighter than the one I was carrying. Sapra suggested that it would be good etiquette if I was to take the lamp, and leave my lamp in its’ stead. I was about to do just that, when a better opportunity presented itself. Bobby Lee, from Nevada, had just showed up with a lady hiker, (sorry, forgot name)...Seeing as Bobby Lee had no light at all, I kept my old one, and gave him the new one. God always seems to provide, and has helped me many times to show some small act of kindness. Bobby Lee was an entertaining character, and we enjoyed his company very much. As we were finally leaving camp to jump back on trail, we received a nice thank you from Bobby Lee, and he said that he hoped that God would bless our trip...He just did, Bobby Lee, He just did! ...Later, we came across “Smiles”, a young man who recently had left the Army...(By the way, Smiles, if I did not thank you for your service to me and the rest of the country, please accept my apology. I am so grateful to you, and to all of our servicemen and women!)...Now, you can probably figure how he got his trail name...he SMILES! And, that makes everyone else smile! It’s infectious! Try it sometime!!! Now, here is the real interesting part of our meeting...Smiles was heading SOBO, but stated that he had completed more than 800 miles...that just didn’t make sense to me, unless he was flip-flopping, which he wasn’t! Here’s the deal...He had gotten out of the Army in March, and started hiking in April. Yeah...from Indiana to Maine. That was his “warm-up walk”, so to speak. 800 miles. It seems that when he was hiking East, he came upon the Trail, took a left, and headed North to Katahdin. After he summited, he started hiking SOBO, heading for Georgia. I asked what his plans were when he got to Springer Mtn., Georgia, and he said that he thought that he might just as well keep going. He thought that he would head West, maybe taking a dip into Mexico for a time. If he is up to it, eventually complete the circuit by hiking North, then East again. No doubt he can do it! Hope all goes well, Smiles, may God bless your travels!...Met a man from New York, who was hiking with his young son. They appeared to be having a bit of a hard time on the trail. I asked how far they were planning to hike, and he said that he hoped to make it back to New York. Not that I have figured out the finer points of hiking, and what to carry, I assessed some of their gear, which was quite plentiful, and heavy. I told them that I had no doubts that they could complete their hike, and even go further, but that it might go well if they were to lighten the burden a bit. I encouraged them to stay at it, and folks along the way would help them get it all manageable, and they would be fine. Hopefully, they will not give up yet, as it has only been a couple of days of hiking for them. It is a general “rule of thumb” that even after making the decision to leave the trail, a hiker should remain on trail for at least three days before actually stopping the hike. Things often change for the better in three short days...Arriving at Hurd Brook Lean-to, we met Rebecca, a young ER Nurse, and a young man named Eric. They are both from the West coast, she from Washington, he from California. They actually met here in Maine, and are hiking together, for the present time. We had a nice evening talking with them. We discussed lot’s of things, including gear, food, hiking light, and the like. Eric is already pretty light, carrying 35 lbs., or less, including his water and food (enough to get him through ten days of hiking). He talked about other things that he planned on getting rid of, some small, like his compass/whistle, and some large, like his lightweight tent. There were many other items, also, and I started, jokingly, to refer to him as “Naked Man”, as he was obviously a “bare necessity” hiker. I don’t believe that name will stick, nor would I want it to, but it did get a good chuckle out of him...They are early risers, usually hiking by 5:30 or 6:00 AM, so they have turned in, and are fast asleep. I will close shortly, also, and get some rest. We didn’t start hiking this morning until 10:45 AM, and stopped early, at 5:30 PM. That’s 6 ¾ hrs. of hiking, completing 11 ¾ miles from Rainbow Stream Lean-to to Hurd Brook Lean-to. Tomorrow, we will try to cover the 13 ½ miles between us and Katahdin Stream Campground. That will set us up nicely to climb to the top of Mt. Katahdin on Wednesday. Here’s hoping that the weather holds up! Love to you all, God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/26/07...Tuesday...We had a super day today! We finished the 13 ½ miles to arrive at Katahdin Stream Campground! One of the big highlights of the day was when we emerged from the “100 mile wilderness”, walking down the road across Abol Bridge, and seeing the Abol Bridge Store! The owner of the store was there (sorry, ma’am, I’ve forgotton your name), and a sweet young clerk named Olivia. They were both so nice and helpful! We tanked up on food, while sitting at their picnic table, and I made out a few postcards. I wasn’t very hungry, so I only had a roast beef and cheese sub...and an Italian sandwich, ...whoopie pie...bag of chips...soda, crackers, and maybe a couple of other things...It was SO good! After asking the ladies to send out my postcards, we started back on our way to Katahdin Stream Campground, at Baxter State Park. When we entered the campground, I looked off to my right, and could see my brother Larry’s pickup truck parked at one of the shelter sites. We didn’t find him, though, so we continued on to the Rangers’ Office, where Ranger Corrigan got us all squared away with our fees and such. Brother Larry then showed up, and we all had a good chat with the Rangers. They were extremely friendly, and accommodating, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with them. We then went back to Larry’s site, where, of course, we had some more to eat. Thanks Larry! Faithful and I were able to set up our bags in the back of Larry’s truck, which made for a comfortable nights sleep. We had thunderstorms, and some rain, through the night, and the truck’s cap proved out to be watertight. We ended up having a great nights sleep in preparation for our climb of Katahdin. We also were able to give out many cards today. They were all accepted, with many of the folks saying that they would check out the website and the blog. I can’t ask for a better day! Time to sign out...God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/27/07...Wednesday...Got up to a bit of a cloudy sky, and wondered if we would be able to climb Katahdin. We decided that we would be OK, and had a bit of food for breakfast, and some nice, hot, coffee. We started along the Hunt Trail (the A. T. route) at 6:50 AM. The weather cleared up a little bit, and we were able to get a few good pictures along the way. Faithful had a great hike up, having no problems in navigating all the rocks, iron bars, and the like. I surprised myself, also having no problems in making the climb. Up at the top, it was very cloudy, wet, and cool. We got our pictures taken at the sign, and then I took pictures for many of the other hikers. I didn’t mind doing that at all, and it gave me several opportunities to start up conversations with them, and tell them about the missions trip. I am not sure just how many cards I gave out, but it was a pile of them! We met people from all kinds of places, and most accepted a card from me. There were a lot of folks from Canada, also some from England, Germany, and Finland. Eventually, we left the mountain’s summit, making our way to the “Saddle Trail”, on which we would find our way back down. We met many more folks on the way down, including a group of young hikers as they made the camps at Chimney Pond. Two young men from England led the way. I took pictures of the group for them, then helped the leaders and one young hiker play a trick on the rest of the troupe. We convinced them that they needed to get their gear stowed in the bunkhouse quickly, so that they would have plenty of time to enjoy the “Hot Springs” at Chimney Pond! (There aren’t any...). Countering one young fella’s insistence that there were no hot springs in Maine, I asked him if he thought the only place was Hot Springs, Arkansas. What about Circle Hot Springs and Chena Hot Springs, both located in chilly Alaska? Of COURSE Chimney Pond was a Hot Spring! Why would they call it “Chimney”, if it wasn’t hot?!? Having convinced them thoroughly, they hustled to get all their gear in order, and Faithful and I went happily on our way! By the way, the pond is strictly protected, and is off limits to swimming, bathing, etc...oops! Onward and downward we went, and I had a bit of a time with it. The trail, initially, was steep, and consisted of a lot of loose rock and the like. My knees took a pretty fair beating, and twice, the right one gave out on me, sending me sprawling on my face. But, eventually, I made it! We got back down to the end of the trail at Roaring Brook Camp, where we found Larry patiently waiting for us. He was sitting on a bench reading. He had also had a great day, getting in a little swimming, reading, and moose watching. Our day had been just grand, even though we didn’t get the “perfect day”. We had made it to the summit and back in just under 10 hours. The Rangers had said that was a good average hike time, so I was feeling pretty good about not just making it, but being “average”, to boot! On the way home, we learned that Lillian and two girls, from the youth group at their Church in Canaan, had come over to meet us, and do a bit of hiking. They were going up Hunt Trail as we were coming down Saddle Trail... OOPS! So sorry that we didn’t connect...maybe we will do this again sometime? We ran into severe thunder storms on our way home, along with some incredibly high winds. We all got home safe and sound, but had reports that Larry’s house on Lake Wesserunsett was damaged in the storm, along with several other camps and homes in his area. A bit of a microburst...Let’s keep them all in prayer, that the damages are not too severe, and there are no injuries. Well, that’s about it for now, time to take a couple of “zero days” before returning to the trail in Andover, Maine. Again, our thanks go out to Larry for all of his terrific support! Night all, and God Bless!
Stickman
By the way, Huck took the picture of the moose...it was peering down at him in his tiny backpacker tent, possibly wondering what the strange creature there on the ground was! What a great pic! Huck, you were so brave!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/24/07...Sunday...AHHH!, What a wonderful day! We had no expectations for the day, no big miles either...We took our time, and our day was blessed. We got up and got our packs together, then headed up to the lodge to have breakfast at 8:00AM. We had a wonderful conversation with Bill, as he cooked, and we ate. Delicious! Bill gave us a bit of a rundown on some of the history of White House Landing, and other interesting tidbits. His wife, Linda, and son, Ben, also showed up while we were eating. We had a good time with them, then readied ourselves for the boat ride back to the opposite shore. We had a lot of walking before us, and Bill and Linda were needing to prepare for 11 visitors who were to be arriving soon...(and probably a few more hikers will show up, if we did a good job of convincing them as to what a great place it was!). Our stay was very relaxing, and I would hope to have the chance to visit again, someday. We took our time today, leaving White House Landing for the trail at 9:30 AM. We met very few hikers for quite a while, many of them may have bypassed us while we were having breakfast. We stopped at Nahmakanta Lake for awhile, and just relaxed. We snacked a bit, and I cooled my feet in the water. Then this fella, Don showed up, with three of his children. We chatted some about fishing, (there are some BIG fish in the stream!), and about his children, being involved with sports, etc....they were from Dover, Maine, and I mentioned that we, (Madison), used to play against Dover-Foxcroft Academy, during the football season, and maybe still did. He thought that we played against each other, too, and commented that D-F Academy had been a powerhouse in recent years, under the coaching of Paul Withee...Now, I had found a connection! Paul is a Madison native, and my wife and I had attended school with him. I asked Don if he ever sees Paul, and he figured at least twice a week. I gave Don a couple of my cards, and asked him to pass one along to Paul, and let him know that we think of him fondly. We got to talk a bit longer, then we hit the trail again, headed for the crest of Nesuntabunt Mtn. . ...Beautiful hike! The trail is interesting and difficult, and interspersed with wonderful views of the “Big K”...No, not ME, Katahdin!!!...It was beginning to get on in the day, so we started on our way down....OOPS! Oh yes, can’t forget the hikers that we met at Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, and at the base of the mountain that we had just begun to climb...There was the “Mississippi Three”, John and his two friends, that are finishing the section at Katahdin. We stopped to chat, and wished them well, and a great hike...As we began to pick our way up Nesuntabunt, we met Scott, and chatted with him, also...then, we started up the mountain. After hiking a bit, I thought I heard singing...sometimes it is “only in my head”, so I listened hard! It got louder! All of a sudden, we happened upon the singer, Tina, who was doing a SOBO hike. I think that we may have startled her a bit, as she was singing along to her MP3 player, and couldn’t hear us. I verified that, in fact, she had been singing, and that the song being sung was “ ‘tis so sweet to trust in Jesus”. We shared that we were all Christians, and told her about our missions trip. I gave her our card, and she will be in contact. Then, she shared with us the details of her hike. She is hiking to raise funds for a woman’s shelter...AWESOME! She was going to stay at Wadleigh tonight, and I suggested White House Landing as a destination for tomorrow. With her funds being way limited, she didn’t think that she should...so I made a small donation to the cause, to help her out with the costs...I hope she has a wonderful hike, and that she is able to raise the badly needed funds for the ministry that she is involved with! Thank you, Tina from Tennessee, you were a bright spot in my day!...Hiking on, it was getting pretty late. We still had about 7 ½ miles to go to get to Rainbow Stream Lean-to, hopefully before it was too dark. We did well, arriving at 9:00PM, with me just at the point of having to turn on my headlamp. We were able to do 17 miles in 11 ½ hours, and pretty much had taken our time doing it. We were dead tired, though, and called it a night, with no cooking, just a light snack. It’s lights out, John Boy...good night and God Bless!!!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/25/07...Monday...Dragging our feet a little bit on this fine morning? You bet! We got up a little late, then chatted with “Sapra”, who had tented nearby. His name is Peruvian for “Beard”. He had spent a couple of years there in the high Andes, with the Peace Corps, and was the only person there having a beard. Real nice guy, hope he has a wonderful hike. In the shelter were a few odds and ends that someone had left, to be picked up by other hikers. Apparently, it is very common that a hiker will leave the trail, or just lighten their load, and leave the goods at a shelter, to the benefit of a fellow hiker. One of the items that had been left was a very nice headlamp...much nicer, and brighter than the one I was carrying. Sapra suggested that it would be good etiquette if I was to take the lamp, and leave my lamp in its’ stead. I was about to do just that, when a better opportunity presented itself. Bobby Lee, from Nevada, had just showed up with a lady hiker, (sorry, forgot name)...Seeing as Bobby Lee had no light at all, I kept my old one, and gave him the new one. God always seems to provide, and has helped me many times to show some small act of kindness. Bobby Lee was an entertaining character, and we enjoyed his company very much. As we were finally leaving camp to jump back on trail, we received a nice thank you from Bobby Lee, and he said that he hoped that God would bless our trip...He just did, Bobby Lee, He just did! ...Later, we came across “Smiles”, a young man who recently had left the Army...(By the way, Smiles, if I did not thank you for your service to me and the rest of the country, please accept my apology. I am so grateful to you, and to all of our servicemen and women!)...Now, you can probably figure how he got his trail name...he SMILES! And, that makes everyone else smile! It’s infectious! Try it sometime!!! Now, here is the real interesting part of our meeting...Smiles was heading SOBO, but stated that he had completed more than 800 miles...that just didn’t make sense to me, unless he was flip-flopping, which he wasn’t! Here’s the deal...He had gotten out of the Army in March, and started hiking in April. Yeah...from Indiana to Maine. That was his “warm-up walk”, so to speak. 800 miles. It seems that when he was hiking East, he came upon the Trail, took a left, and headed North to Katahdin. After he summited, he started hiking SOBO, heading for Georgia. I asked what his plans were when he got to Springer Mtn., Georgia, and he said that he thought that he might just as well keep going. He thought that he would head West, maybe taking a dip into Mexico for a time. If he is up to it, eventually complete the circuit by hiking North, then East again. No doubt he can do it! Hope all goes well, Smiles, may God bless your travels!...Met a man from New York, who was hiking with his young son. They appeared to be having a bit of a hard time on the trail. I asked how far they were planning to hike, and he said that he hoped to make it back to New York. Not that I have figured out the finer points of hiking, and what to carry, I assessed some of their gear, which was quite plentiful, and heavy. I told them that I had no doubts that they could complete their hike, and even go further, but that it might go well if they were to lighten the burden a bit. I encouraged them to stay at it, and folks along the way would help them get it all manageable, and they would be fine. Hopefully, they will not give up yet, as it has only been a couple of days of hiking for them. It is a general “rule of thumb” that even after making the decision to leave the trail, a hiker should remain on trail for at least three days before actually stopping the hike. Things often change for the better in three short days...Arriving at Hurd Brook Lean-to, we met Rebecca, a young ER Nurse, and a young man named Eric. They are both from the West coast, she from Washington, he from California. They actually met here in Maine, and are hiking together, for the present time. We had a nice evening talking with them. We discussed lot’s of things, including gear, food, hiking light, and the like. Eric is already pretty light, carrying 35 lbs., or less, including his water and food (enough to get him through ten days of hiking). He talked about other things that he planned on getting rid of, some small, like his compass/whistle, and some large, like his lightweight tent. There were many other items, also, and I started, jokingly, to refer to him as “Naked Man”, as he was obviously a “bare necessity” hiker. I don’t believe that name will stick, nor would I want it to, but it did get a good chuckle out of him...They are early risers, usually hiking by 5:30 or 6:00 AM, so they have turned in, and are fast asleep. I will close shortly, also, and get some rest. We didn’t start hiking this morning until 10:45 AM, and stopped early, at 5:30 PM. That’s 6 ¾ hrs. of hiking, completing 11 ¾ miles from Rainbow Stream Lean-to to Hurd Brook Lean-to. Tomorrow, we will try to cover the 13 ½ miles between us and Katahdin Stream Campground. That will set us up nicely to climb to the top of Mt. Katahdin on Wednesday. Here’s hoping that the weather holds up! Love to you all, God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/26/07...Tuesday...We had a super day today! We finished the 13 ½ miles to arrive at Katahdin Stream Campground! One of the big highlights of the day was when we emerged from the “100 mile wilderness”, walking down the road across Abol Bridge, and seeing the Abol Bridge Store! The owner of the store was there (sorry, ma’am, I’ve forgotton your name), and a sweet young clerk named Olivia. They were both so nice and helpful! We tanked up on food, while sitting at their picnic table, and I made out a few postcards. I wasn’t very hungry, so I only had a roast beef and cheese sub...and an Italian sandwich, ...whoopie pie...bag of chips...soda, crackers, and maybe a couple of other things...It was SO good! After asking the ladies to send out my postcards, we started back on our way to Katahdin Stream Campground, at Baxter State Park. When we entered the campground, I looked off to my right, and could see my brother Larry’s pickup truck parked at one of the shelter sites. We didn’t find him, though, so we continued on to the Rangers’ Office, where Ranger Corrigan got us all squared away with our fees and such. Brother Larry then showed up, and we all had a good chat with the Rangers. They were extremely friendly, and accommodating, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with them. We then went back to Larry’s site, where, of course, we had some more to eat. Thanks Larry! Faithful and I were able to set up our bags in the back of Larry’s truck, which made for a comfortable nights sleep. We had thunderstorms, and some rain, through the night, and the truck’s cap proved out to be watertight. We ended up having a great nights sleep in preparation for our climb of Katahdin. We also were able to give out many cards today. They were all accepted, with many of the folks saying that they would check out the website and the blog. I can’t ask for a better day! Time to sign out...God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/27/07...Wednesday...Got up to a bit of a cloudy sky, and wondered if we would be able to climb Katahdin. We decided that we would be OK, and had a bit of food for breakfast, and some nice, hot, coffee. We started along the Hunt Trail (the A. T. route) at 6:50 AM. The weather cleared up a little bit, and we were able to get a few good pictures along the way. Faithful had a great hike up, having no problems in navigating all the rocks, iron bars, and the like. I surprised myself, also having no problems in making the climb. Up at the top, it was very cloudy, wet, and cool. We got our pictures taken at the sign, and then I took pictures for many of the other hikers. I didn’t mind doing that at all, and it gave me several opportunities to start up conversations with them, and tell them about the missions trip. I am not sure just how many cards I gave out, but it was a pile of them! We met people from all kinds of places, and most accepted a card from me. There were a lot of folks from Canada, also some from England, Germany, and Finland. Eventually, we left the mountain’s summit, making our way to the “Saddle Trail”, on which we would find our way back down. We met many more folks on the way down, including a group of young hikers as they made the camps at Chimney Pond. Two young men from England led the way. I took pictures of the group for them, then helped the leaders and one young hiker play a trick on the rest of the troupe. We convinced them that they needed to get their gear stowed in the bunkhouse quickly, so that they would have plenty of time to enjoy the “Hot Springs” at Chimney Pond! (There aren’t any...). Countering one young fella’s insistence that there were no hot springs in Maine, I asked him if he thought the only place was Hot Springs, Arkansas. What about Circle Hot Springs and Chena Hot Springs, both located in chilly Alaska? Of COURSE Chimney Pond was a Hot Spring! Why would they call it “Chimney”, if it wasn’t hot?!? Having convinced them thoroughly, they hustled to get all their gear in order, and Faithful and I went happily on our way! By the way, the pond is strictly protected, and is off limits to swimming, bathing, etc...oops! Onward and downward we went, and I had a bit of a time with it. The trail, initially, was steep, and consisted of a lot of loose rock and the like. My knees took a pretty fair beating, and twice, the right one gave out on me, sending me sprawling on my face. But, eventually, I made it! We got back down to the end of the trail at Roaring Brook Camp, where we found Larry patiently waiting for us. He was sitting on a bench reading. He had also had a great day, getting in a little swimming, reading, and moose watching. Our day had been just grand, even though we didn’t get the “perfect day”. We had made it to the summit and back in just under 10 hours. The Rangers had said that was a good average hike time, so I was feeling pretty good about not just making it, but being “average”, to boot! On the way home, we learned that Lillian and two girls, from the youth group at their Church in Canaan, had come over to meet us, and do a bit of hiking. They were going up Hunt Trail as we were coming down Saddle Trail... OOPS! So sorry that we didn’t connect...maybe we will do this again sometime? We ran into severe thunder storms on our way home, along with some incredibly high winds. We all got home safe and sound, but had reports that Larry’s house on Lake Wesserunsett was damaged in the storm, along with several other camps and homes in his area. A bit of a microburst...Let’s keep them all in prayer, that the damages are not too severe, and there are no injuries. Well, that’s about it for now, time to take a couple of “zero days” before returning to the trail in Andover, Maine. Again, our thanks go out to Larry for all of his terrific support! Night all, and God Bless!
Stickman
Saturday, June 23, 2007
White House Landing
.JPG)
Just heard from the hikers from WhiteHouse Landing! They had walked 17 miles yesterday and 16 miles today. Kelly was so excited to blow the airhorn and signal for a ride across the lake to spend a the night there. Kel said that they are thankful to be sleeping in a bunkhouse out of the wind. After eating a 1 pound hamburber and sharing a 14 inch pizza, they enjoyed conversation with the owners. Then...off for a hot shower and phone calls home! A bull moose was in the grass not far from the house and they got pictures, too. How cool! They think that they should arrive at the base of Kahatadin on Wednesday and possibly climb the mountain on Thursday(if the weather permits) then off to andover to head south after a day or two at home. We won't see them again until perhaps New Hampshire. What a wonderful trip this has been so far!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/23/07...Saturday...Off to a late start again today, but really needed the rest. Left Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to @ 9:00 AM, and hit the trail running. It was a fast downhill most of the day, except for one bump on the trail...That would be Potaywadjo Ridge. It tops out at a little less that 1000 ft., with a base elevation at 500 ft. Now, I know that 500 ft. in elevation gain should not be too tough to hike, but we had just completed almost 10 miles at full steam when we hit it. It slowed us down somewhat, but we had good momentum, and were still moving at the top. After climbing a mile uphill, we crested, and we never hit the brakes on the way down. We coasted to a stop 4 ½ miles later, at WHITE HOUSE LANDING, located on the very beautiful Lake Pemaduncook, at 3:30 PM. By my figuring, we made 15 ½ miles in 6 ½ hours. Wow! That’s almost 2.4 MPH!!! Try doing that pace for 6 ½ hours over mud bogs, bog bridges, big rocks, little rocks, roots, and a combination of “all of the above”...with a 35 to 45 lb. pack on your back. I know that just sounded like bragging, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was only meant to illustrate. In fact, other hikers would just chuckle! For my age and condition, that’s hiking at a pretty good clip, but some of the younger guys are doing 20 plus miles. I talked to two of them yesterday, (when we did 17 miles), who said that they were going to end the day with 27 or 28 miles under their belts...now that is FAST! ...Myself, I like to look around once in awhile, just in case there is some wildlife nearby. Today I crested a small rise to find a doe deer on the other side, smack in the middle of the trail. We did a bit of a staredown, but she stood still long enough for me to get her picture. Last night, it was an owl. I heard its’ hoot, hoot, as I was walking my last mile into camp. I really had to look up and around a bit to find him, but I soon did, and I got his picture too...I know, that to complete this hike, I need to average 15 plus miles per day. I figure that I can make my daily hikes a little longer when I get a little further down South, but in this rugged terrain, you not only need to pay a lot of attention as to where you step, it is also nice to look around a bit too. I think some of the younger guys can sustain their pace, but some will burn out or be injured by it. At very least, they may not see the moose or bear that is less than 25 yards from them...So, okay, we get to WHITE HOUSE LANDING. We are actually on the opposite shore, and have to give a short blast on an air horn, so they know we are there. In a flash, we see the boat pull away from the dock, and speed over to get us. The owner, Bill has arrived with his son, and they jet us back to the LANDING. We get to meet with him and his wife, Linda for a bit, then it is off to the bunkhouse, off to the showers, and finally, off to the lodge, where Linda served us up her famous 1 lb. cheeseburgers with the works. Incredible! Of course, I also had her whip up a 14” hamburg and mushroom pizza, to take back to the bunkhouse. I shared it with Faithful, as we made calls to our families. Now, I’m almost full. I actually lost a few pounds, and am at about 192 lbs., and feeling better these days, as I lean out, muscle up, and the hiking gets a little easier. Thanks, Linda, for the excellent cooking, and great conversation. This is certainly a place that I would love to come back to!...Well, again, it has gotten late, about 10:20 PM, and breakfast is served up promptly at 8:00 AM. I guess I’d better close now, or miss my next meal! Love you all, God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/23/07...Saturday...Off to a late start again today, but really needed the rest. Left Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to @ 9:00 AM, and hit the trail running. It was a fast downhill most of the day, except for one bump on the trail...That would be Potaywadjo Ridge. It tops out at a little less that 1000 ft., with a base elevation at 500 ft. Now, I know that 500 ft. in elevation gain should not be too tough to hike, but we had just completed almost 10 miles at full steam when we hit it. It slowed us down somewhat, but we had good momentum, and were still moving at the top. After climbing a mile uphill, we crested, and we never hit the brakes on the way down. We coasted to a stop 4 ½ miles later, at WHITE HOUSE LANDING, located on the very beautiful Lake Pemaduncook, at 3:30 PM. By my figuring, we made 15 ½ miles in 6 ½ hours. Wow! That’s almost 2.4 MPH!!! Try doing that pace for 6 ½ hours over mud bogs, bog bridges, big rocks, little rocks, roots, and a combination of “all of the above”...with a 35 to 45 lb. pack on your back. I know that just sounded like bragging, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was only meant to illustrate. In fact, other hikers would just chuckle! For my age and condition, that’s hiking at a pretty good clip, but some of the younger guys are doing 20 plus miles. I talked to two of them yesterday, (when we did 17 miles), who said that they were going to end the day with 27 or 28 miles under their belts...now that is FAST! ...Myself, I like to look around once in awhile, just in case there is some wildlife nearby. Today I crested a small rise to find a doe deer on the other side, smack in the middle of the trail. We did a bit of a staredown, but she stood still long enough for me to get her picture. Last night, it was an owl. I heard its’ hoot, hoot, as I was walking my last mile into camp. I really had to look up and around a bit to find him, but I soon did, and I got his picture too...I know, that to complete this hike, I need to average 15 plus miles per day. I figure that I can make my daily hikes a little longer when I get a little further down South, but in this rugged terrain, you not only need to pay a lot of attention as to where you step, it is also nice to look around a bit too. I think some of the younger guys can sustain their pace, but some will burn out or be injured by it. At very least, they may not see the moose or bear that is less than 25 yards from them...So, okay, we get to WHITE HOUSE LANDING. We are actually on the opposite shore, and have to give a short blast on an air horn, so they know we are there. In a flash, we see the boat pull away from the dock, and speed over to get us. The owner, Bill has arrived with his son, and they jet us back to the LANDING. We get to meet with him and his wife, Linda for a bit, then it is off to the bunkhouse, off to the showers, and finally, off to the lodge, where Linda served us up her famous 1 lb. cheeseburgers with the works. Incredible! Of course, I also had her whip up a 14” hamburg and mushroom pizza, to take back to the bunkhouse. I shared it with Faithful, as we made calls to our families. Now, I’m almost full. I actually lost a few pounds, and am at about 192 lbs., and feeling better these days, as I lean out, muscle up, and the hiking gets a little easier. Thanks, Linda, for the excellent cooking, and great conversation. This is certainly a place that I would love to come back to!...Well, again, it has gotten late, about 10:20 PM, and breakfast is served up promptly at 8:00 AM. I guess I’d better close now, or miss my next meal! Love you all, God Bless!
Stickman
Friday, June 22, 2007
Not Sure Where!
Haven't heard from the hikers in a couple of days...really not sure where they are...guessing possibly around Carl Newhall Lean To. Hopefully we will be able to get reception this weekend. I am also guessing that they will be hiking Katahadin the middle of next week if the weather holds. It all remains to be seen!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/21/07...Thursday...Left the shelter at Chairback Gap at 9:00 AM. After going up and over Chairback Mtn., we descended to ford the West Branch of the Pleasant River, which was very beautiful. Then, uphill for 6 ½ miles to the top of Gulf Hagas Mtn. Once on top, it was just another mile until we arrived at Sydney Tappan Campsite...Yup, campsite...figured it would be the perfect place to finally try out my hammock. It actually did work out quite well, even though I didn’t have it set up perfectly. I needed about two more feet between the two trees I chose, to be able to properly stretch out the fly. I made do, though, and I was quite comfortable, sleeping well, and waking up dry in the morning. It had rained pretty hard during the early morning hours of the day. All in all, it was a wonderful day, having had a chance to share the mission trip with some of the hikers. Other hikers were to hurried to stop and chat, as they scurried for the next shelter. I can’t blame them for not wanting to stop, as it rained off and on all day, depending on where you happened to be. We met a couple of fellas from Canada, and a few other hikers, including Lunar and Solar, and Shasta and Billie Goat. In the evening, we shared a fine fire with Roger, a programmer from Texas. It is always so much fun meeting other hikers, listening to their stories, and finding out where they are from. All in all, it was a wonderful day. We covered about 12 ½ miles today, getting to camp at about 5:30 PM...So, I would say we did it in 8 ½ hours. Not bad, when you factor in “talk time”, and such....Getting late, so it’s “lights out”...Good night, God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/22/07...Friday...We got everything wrapped up, packed up, and were on trail at 9:00 AM. We put in a super long day, getting to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to at 7:15 PM. We were able to cover 17 miles in 10 ¼ hours...I believe that most of those miles were slogged in the rain. My feet took a real bad pounding today, but I have tried my best to take good care of them. They, (my feet), get a nice alchohol rubdown at night, followed up with a nice powdering. Happy feet! We need to try to get 16 miles in tomorrow, to reach the White House Landing, and get a good meal and a sleep in a bunk. We saw very few hikers today, and the ones that we did see were “on the fly”, trying to make some miles, even in the rain. One pair of hikers did stop to chat. They were Tod and Contact. Tod said that he would go to my website and leave his blog address. Contact was hilarious...he has all the gadgets, GPS, solar charger, and more! He was from New Hampshire, Tod from Georgia....We have had our evening meal, and I am exhausted...Oh, yeah! We got pictures of a moose yesterday, on the trail, and today I got pictures of a porcupine and an owl! Love to see the wildlife!...I guess I’d better close for the night, get a little shuteye...ah, sweet, blissful, sleep...all for now, good night, God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/21/07...Thursday...Left the shelter at Chairback Gap at 9:00 AM. After going up and over Chairback Mtn., we descended to ford the West Branch of the Pleasant River, which was very beautiful. Then, uphill for 6 ½ miles to the top of Gulf Hagas Mtn. Once on top, it was just another mile until we arrived at Sydney Tappan Campsite...Yup, campsite...figured it would be the perfect place to finally try out my hammock. It actually did work out quite well, even though I didn’t have it set up perfectly. I needed about two more feet between the two trees I chose, to be able to properly stretch out the fly. I made do, though, and I was quite comfortable, sleeping well, and waking up dry in the morning. It had rained pretty hard during the early morning hours of the day. All in all, it was a wonderful day, having had a chance to share the mission trip with some of the hikers. Other hikers were to hurried to stop and chat, as they scurried for the next shelter. I can’t blame them for not wanting to stop, as it rained off and on all day, depending on where you happened to be. We met a couple of fellas from Canada, and a few other hikers, including Lunar and Solar, and Shasta and Billie Goat. In the evening, we shared a fine fire with Roger, a programmer from Texas. It is always so much fun meeting other hikers, listening to their stories, and finding out where they are from. All in all, it was a wonderful day. We covered about 12 ½ miles today, getting to camp at about 5:30 PM...So, I would say we did it in 8 ½ hours. Not bad, when you factor in “talk time”, and such....Getting late, so it’s “lights out”...Good night, God Bless!
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/22/07...Friday...We got everything wrapped up, packed up, and were on trail at 9:00 AM. We put in a super long day, getting to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to at 7:15 PM. We were able to cover 17 miles in 10 ¼ hours...I believe that most of those miles were slogged in the rain. My feet took a real bad pounding today, but I have tried my best to take good care of them. They, (my feet), get a nice alchohol rubdown at night, followed up with a nice powdering. Happy feet! We need to try to get 16 miles in tomorrow, to reach the White House Landing, and get a good meal and a sleep in a bunk. We saw very few hikers today, and the ones that we did see were “on the fly”, trying to make some miles, even in the rain. One pair of hikers did stop to chat. They were Tod and Contact. Tod said that he would go to my website and leave his blog address. Contact was hilarious...he has all the gadgets, GPS, solar charger, and more! He was from New Hampshire, Tod from Georgia....We have had our evening meal, and I am exhausted...Oh, yeah! We got pictures of a moose yesterday, on the trail, and today I got pictures of a porcupine and an owl! Love to see the wildlife!...I guess I’d better close for the night, get a little shuteye...ah, sweet, blissful, sleep...all for now, good night, God Bless!
Stickman
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Barren Mountain
I heard from the hikers this noontime. they were headed for Barren Mountain. They had made it to the Long Pond Stream Lean-To and were pushing on. We are hoping that the rain will miss them, although it was clouding in when we were on the phone. They met two hikers today....both from Georgia... But they were not hiking together! They expect to meet a few more hikers coming toward them from Katahadin. Kel is still trying to get a blister on his heel to heal, and David has been fighting an upset stomache. But, other than that, all is well! This is the 100 Mile Wilderness...70 plus miles to go!
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/19/07...Tuesday...On the trail @ 8:15 AM, leaving the Leeman Brook Lean-to, skipping the Wilson Valley Lean-to, and arriving at the Long Pond Stream Lean-to at 7:00 PMish. Racked up a total of 12 miles. Not many hikers are around, and we only got to talk to a few of them. Where is everyone??? We did get to give out a few cards, and were able to share our Mission with Surge and his hiking partner, and a couple of others, one being a section hiker. Our meetings are few, but good. I am settling in for a good meal, and (hopefully) an equally good night of sleep! So, it’s good night to all of you, as I need to rest my body, and let the bruises heal. God Bless you all.
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/20/07...Wednesday...Skipping down the trail this morning at about 8:10 AM. It was quite overcast, with occasional bursts of sun popping out to warm us. The weather actually had held up fairly well, until just after we checked out the magnificent “Barren Slide”. As we began to make our way up Barren Mtn., the rain became steady. Everyday, however, has it’s bright, shining moments...one of today’s was meeting Alpine and Princess Brat. They both work at the Walasi-Yi Center, in Neel’s Gap, Georgia. They worked until the NOBO’s had moved through, then scooted to Katahdin to do a SOBO, having to be back at work in November, to serve the other SOBO’s and the Fall tourists. I shared with them our ministry, and gave them a card. Alpine asked that God might Bless me!...something that you don’t hear too much on the trail! He also said that they might be interested in selling our ScriptureSticks at Neel’s Gap! Who knows what God has planned! I tried not to hold them up too long, talking, as they were trying to get some miles in for the day. They also needed to make time, as they were down to one day’s food remaining. They assured us that they were OK on food, and as they left, Alpine again asked God to Bless our journey. With steps much lighter from words of encouragement, we also headed on our path, up and over Barren Mtn., past the Cloud Pond Lean-to, and finally, knocking off Fourth Mtn., too! I was now having a bit of a time, as I had hyper-extended my right knee several times, once badly. I then proceeded to take a good tumble, while going downhill. I landed hard on my left side, doing minor insult and injury to my shoulder and elbow, and spraining my wrist. The icing on the cake was that I bent one of my poles! I managed to straighten it out somewhat, and I think I can get quite a few more miles out of it...Next was Third Mtn., and finally, it was up, and over , Columbus Mtn., arriving at Chairback Gap Lean-to, at 6:30 PM sharp! To my amazement, we had traveled a little over 11 miles! Not bad! Alan, Smokey, and Kenneth are also here, and we all got a nice fire going to warm us up and dry things out a bit. I always seem to have the best time foraging for the wood! It is a major challenge to find good wood, especially when everything is soaked! Well, we have all cooked and eaten our suppers, shared some stories, and I got to share the ministry, which I never get tired of doing. Some folks are indifferent, some polite, some curious, and occasionally, someone is genuinely interested! I still love to share with them all, and I also enjoy their stories too! Hard to put the feelings to words, sometimes...Everyone is sound asleep now, except for Faithful and I, so I guess it would be prudent for us to follow their lead...time to close this one out, it is after 10:30 PM...Please keep us in prayer! God Bless!...You’re very sleepy now...there goes a mouse...sleepy...sleepy...OWL!...sleeeep.....sleeeeep......sleeeeeeeeep.....
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/19/07...Tuesday...On the trail @ 8:15 AM, leaving the Leeman Brook Lean-to, skipping the Wilson Valley Lean-to, and arriving at the Long Pond Stream Lean-to at 7:00 PMish. Racked up a total of 12 miles. Not many hikers are around, and we only got to talk to a few of them. Where is everyone??? We did get to give out a few cards, and were able to share our Mission with Surge and his hiking partner, and a couple of others, one being a section hiker. Our meetings are few, but good. I am settling in for a good meal, and (hopefully) an equally good night of sleep! So, it’s good night to all of you, as I need to rest my body, and let the bruises heal. God Bless you all.
Stickman
STICKMANS' JOURNAL...6/20/07...Wednesday...Skipping down the trail this morning at about 8:10 AM. It was quite overcast, with occasional bursts of sun popping out to warm us. The weather actually had held up fairly well, until just after we checked out the magnificent “Barren Slide”. As we began to make our way up Barren Mtn., the rain became steady. Everyday, however, has it’s bright, shining moments...one of today’s was meeting Alpine and Princess Brat. They both work at the Walasi-Yi Center, in Neel’s Gap, Georgia. They worked until the NOBO’s had moved through, then scooted to Katahdin to do a SOBO, having to be back at work in November, to serve the other SOBO’s and the Fall tourists. I shared with them our ministry, and gave them a card. Alpine asked that God might Bless me!...something that you don’t hear too much on the trail! He also said that they might be interested in selling our ScriptureSticks at Neel’s Gap! Who knows what God has planned! I tried not to hold them up too long, talking, as they were trying to get some miles in for the day. They also needed to make time, as they were down to one day’s food remaining. They assured us that they were OK on food, and as they left, Alpine again asked God to Bless our journey. With steps much lighter from words of encouragement, we also headed on our path, up and over Barren Mtn., past the Cloud Pond Lean-to, and finally, knocking off Fourth Mtn., too! I was now having a bit of a time, as I had hyper-extended my right knee several times, once badly. I then proceeded to take a good tumble, while going downhill. I landed hard on my left side, doing minor insult and injury to my shoulder and elbow, and spraining my wrist. The icing on the cake was that I bent one of my poles! I managed to straighten it out somewhat, and I think I can get quite a few more miles out of it...Next was Third Mtn., and finally, it was up, and over , Columbus Mtn., arriving at Chairback Gap Lean-to, at 6:30 PM sharp! To my amazement, we had traveled a little over 11 miles! Not bad! Alan, Smokey, and Kenneth are also here, and we all got a nice fire going to warm us up and dry things out a bit. I always seem to have the best time foraging for the wood! It is a major challenge to find good wood, especially when everything is soaked! Well, we have all cooked and eaten our suppers, shared some stories, and I got to share the ministry, which I never get tired of doing. Some folks are indifferent, some polite, some curious, and occasionally, someone is genuinely interested! I still love to share with them all, and I also enjoy their stories too! Hard to put the feelings to words, sometimes...Everyone is sound asleep now, except for Faithful and I, so I guess it would be prudent for us to follow their lead...time to close this one out, it is after 10:30 PM...Please keep us in prayer! God Bless!...You’re very sleepy now...there goes a mouse...sleepy...sleepy...OWL!...sleeeep.....sleeeeep......sleeeeeeeeep.....
Stickman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)