Catch-up Time

September 7, 2011

Days 74-78.  Dave hiked his last 4 days through the second half of the 100 Mile Wilderness, then up and down Mt. Katahdin.  He had sunny weather but the trail was very wet, muddy and slippery.  When he got to the top of Mt. Katahdin, it was very cold and foggy and he could see just a few feet in front of himself.  Thank goodness he had someone take a picture.

Dave broke open a single-serving bottle of Old Granddad and shared it with his 5 buddies.  He had two bottles with him, but after they passed the first one around, it was still half full!  Fishes and loaves?



Total trail miles from June 12 to September 7 = 871.  That number does not include the miles back down Katahdin, trips into towns for resupplying, side trips for water, etc. etc.
Days on the trail = 78
WOW

In Salem, MA.  Dave had his beard shaved by
a barber but had not yet had a close shave.

Dave finished on Wednesday, 9/7/11, the first day of my drive.  I drove from GA to WV, having a great day of good weather and fairly light traffic until about 5:30 pm when traffic came to a screeching halt on I-81 due to a major accident.  Fortunately, I was right next to an exit with a Hampton Inn, so I squeezed my way off and checked into the hotel.  I had gone 650 miles in 11 hours. (I make multiple stops.) The next day as I was driving from WV to MA and having the worse driving day of my life, Dave took a bus from the hostel in Millinocket to Portland, ME.  One of his hiking buddies, Pilgrim, was meeting his wife in Portland and she offered to drop Dave off in Topsfield - my destination for the evening - at Kathie Tremblay's house.

I have to digress and tell you on my second day of driving I encountered highway and surface street closings due to flooding, constant rain, sometimes so hard I couldn't see the vehicle in front of me, two major accidents that caused me to sit in the car having to pee so badly I was wishing I had some Depends with me ... and finally got to Topsfield just minutes before Dave did.  It had taken me another 11 hours to go just over 500 miles.

So, I had ONE bad day of driving and Dave hiked on the Appalachian Trail 78 days.  No comparison!

Denise and Afton in Portsmouth, NH

We originally planned to spend several days in Maine, taking a little vacation, but when Dave knew he could catch a ride to Topsfield, he jumped at the opportunity.  I never made it to Maine!  We spent Thursday evening, Friday and Saturday with Kathie, leaving Sunday morning.  Friday we went to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem (what a museum it is!) and Saturday we went to Portsmouth, NH to have lunch with Deni and Aftin.  Deni had done some research to find the best restaurant with outdoor seating - and lobster - and we thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.  We had planned to spend the night with them in Kingston, NH on our way back from Maine but everything changed when Dave hitched a ride to Massachusetts.

Dave, me, Kathie, Deni and Afton

Today, Sunday, we had a nice leisurely drive south to the Connecticut coast and spent all afternoon at Mystic Seaport.  We finally had a lobster roll at The Boathouse.

When we checked into our hotel tonight,  Dave poured the rest of the Old Granddad into two cups for a toast.  I asked if he was retiring the Old Granddad trail name. He said he was toasting the end of our long separation.  What a guy.

I think we'll be at Geoff & Betsy's tomorrow night.  I'd better call them and make sure that's okay!

DONE!!!

 Dave finished his hike today!  871 miles this summer from Port Clinton, PA to Mt. Katahdin.  Congratulations ... I'm so proud of you!

(more details as I get them)

Days 72-73 on the Trail - 800 Mile Mark

An incredible 800+ miles!!!

As of 09/02/11:
Miles in the last two days - approx. 25
Miles to date - 807.3


Dave is back in Monson for one night, and will take off for his last 55 miles Saturday morning.  He expects no cell service until he is at the top of Mt. Katahdin.  The area between Monson and Katahdin is 114.4 trail miles, known as the 100 Mile Wilderness (Dave has hiked 60 miles of it SoBo since staying at Shaw's).

Beginning of the 100 Mile Wilderness

The sign reads, "There are no places to obtain suppies or get help until Abol Bridge 100 miles north.  Do not attempt this section unless you have a minimum of 10 days supplies and are fully equipped.  This is the longest wilderness section of the entire AT and its difficulty should not be underestimated.  Good hiking."

Shaw's, the hostel where Dave camped out for 4 days pre- and post-Irene, was jam packed with other hikers stumbling in from their trials and tribulations with Irene and gearing up for their last leg in the 100 Mile Wilderness.  There are not enough bunks so many of them are sleeping in their tents in the yard.  When Dave and his gang of merry pranksters got back to Shaw's, the owners put them up in a rental house they own - very special treatment for whom I think are very special guys.  They greatly appreciated Shaw's saving rooms for them!

While hiking SoBo from where they were dropped off, they ran into the father-daughter team (Dad: Long Time and Daughter: Click who is carrying a monster camera) and the single woman A-Game who is hurrying to meet her boyfriend and starts a new job 9/6.  They were doing okay though the merry pranksters saw evidence of some of their stream crossings - "bridges" of found logs/branches rolled over the swollen streams.  They all thought how dangerous it would be if you lost your footing.  Another couple they passed included a tiny woman.  Her boyfriend had made a harness out of her jacket, tied a rope onto it and pulled her across a stream that was over her head.  Are these people suffering from hypothermia to make such decisions?  Oh well, all's well that ends well.

100 Mile Wilderness

I asked about Chainsaw.  Dave said he was staying right on his (Dave's) heels like a puppy dog.  He didn't say what caused the change of attitude.

So, Gentle Readers, this may be my last blog for several days.  Dave now hopes, if the weather holds out, to summit Katahdin on Sept. 8th (Chad's birthday!).  I leave Savannah on the 7th, will be in Topsfield MA on the 8th and Dave and I will figure out a meeting point in Maine on the 9th.  HOW EXCITING!

Days 70 - 71 on the Trail

Dave called from the top of Whitecap Mountain on Wednesday.  I didn't realize until I was googling Whitecap Mountain that he is probably within shouting distance of Kat Tremblay's ski condo. (Postscript on Saturday:  I pulled out my AAA Maine map yesterday and discovered Dave's White Cap Mtn. is not close to Kat's.  In fact, by googling more, I found at least 4 Whitecap/White Cap Mtns in Maine. If you happen to look at a AAA map, the Appalachian Trail is printed in dashes, and he was about half way between Monson and Baxter State Park.  My friend Lynn has a camp on Long Pond -- without even trying I found 3 Long Ponds. Maine is a big state amongst the little New England states.)

As of 08/31/11:
Miles in the last two days - approx. 25
Miles to date - approx. 782

Since I don't know what campground Dave hiked to, I can't be exact about the mileage, but this is close.

Hurricane Irene over Maine

He said the trail is "crappy" after all the rain from Irene and the streams are swollen but he's making steady progress.  When he first called he was getting concerned about Chainsaw.  Even though they had decided to hike together, Chainsaw was nowhere to be seen Wednesday morning.  The other hikers, Dave, Buckeye Flash, Pilgrim and Deadman saw him Tuesday afternoon, but they did not know where he pitched his tent in the evening. He did not check in with them in the morning, so after waiting a while, the hikers decided to get going.  When Dave called me, he was at a spot near the top of Whitecap, resting, waiting for Chainsaw and getting chilled.  By this time, the hikers were wondering if indeed he had left before them, or if possibly something had happened to him the previous evening.

Dave waited about another 30 minutes, then called the group that went ahead, and they had found Chainsaw.  Dave was aggravated that after agreeing to hike together for safety reasons, Chainsaw had struck out on his own without letting anyone know where he was.  I'm wondering if Dave will still be hiking with him in the next few days.  I should hear from him again tonight.