The After Action Report

I have one last follow-up post about my 2015 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. A quick update on some of the characters I met along the way and what I did immediately after getting off the trail.

I spent a couple of days in Millinocket, the closest town to the end of the trail in Katahdin. The town seems like its a bit down on its luck, a shell of its former self, but I rather enjoyed the town. It was small and quaint. It had strange signs like the announcement of a grand opening of the Family Fun Center.... in 2009. I'm left wondering if it really reopened at all. Who knows?!

Watch out for moose in Millinocket!

It was also fun spending a couple of extra days in Millinocket watching hikers I knew arrive and catching up with them one last time. I knew Bearfish had to be close behind me, and he was the one I was looking forward most to seeing again, and we did catch up in Millinocket. He had started his hike from Waynsboro, VA, and the last I talked to him, still hadn't decided if he was going to go back down and hike the rest of the trail. New Hampshire and Maine took a lot of the energy out of him. But in any case, he was definitely going to take an extended rest for a little while.

Bionic Woman, the one-legged hiker I first met hiking up the Approach Trail on my first day--she did succeed in her thru-hike. She finished on December 30th, nearly 10 months after she finished. She certainly didn't set any speed records, but that was never the goal! Just completing the trail in a single year is an amazing accomplishment and last I heard about her, she had started writing a book about her trail adventures. I have no idea when that will be available but perhaps I'll post again when it is.

The Four Horsemen finished the trail a couple of weeks before I did and scattered their separate ways. Bostrich finished first, while Superman, Heavyweight and Blueberry summited Katahdin together on August 1st. They didn't have good weather at the top, but Superman has the best summit photo I've ever seen. His pathetic hand-stand attempt at the top of Katahdin is wonderful as well. =)

I heard a rumor about some of the Four Horsemen getting together for a short backpacking trip somewhere out east. I'm trying to get in on that deal. I think it would be a lot of fun to catch up with some of them again. =)

The movie for A Walk In the Woods came out shortly after I finished the trail, and--of course--I had to go see it. It was okay, I suppose, but not nearly as funny as the book was. I didn't think it would translate into the big screen very well. It did so better than I expected, but at best... I considered it an okay movie. I'm very curious how much of an impact it has on the AT hiking community next year, though.

I wasn't brave enough to order the Summit Sundae at the Appalachian Trail Cafe, but these hikers did. I took this photo of their photo on their cell phone since it was mostly gone by the time I had arrived. It's a gluttonous sundae enough to fill a dozen people.... or two thru-hikers. =)

Oh, I set a new AT record myself.... So far as I know, I'm the first person named Ryan Carpenter to hike the trail in 160 days flat. It's a record I'm proud of, even if I didn't try particularly hard to set a new record. (The previous record, in case you're curious, was 162 days.)

I say that in jest, of course, although it is true. I finished the trail two days faster this time around than I did last time. What I find more interesting, however, is that I took 22 zero days this year--about a week more than I did my first time around. I needed more zero days to write these constant blog posts, check up on Atlas Quest and Walking 4 Fun (neither of which existed during my first thru-hike) and these things definitely slowed me down. But I averaged more miles each day I did hike more than compensating for the difference--especially in the beginning.

Also an interesting side note: My longest day of hiking this time around covered 23.7 miles. During my first thru-hike, it was slightly over 24 miles. So my longest day on the AT is still part of the 2003 thru-hike.

I counted 21 official "rain days" in my logbook. A rain day was generally any day when it rained long enough and hard enough that I got wet. There were some days when a trace of rain would fall, but I didn't count those as rain days because I never really got soaked. The rain that fell dried faster than it fell! Other times it rained, but if I was safe and dry in a shelter or town and otherwise unaffected by the rain, it didn't count. So it rained a lot more than 21 times, but only 21 days did I have to actively hike in miserable rain. By comparison, during my 2003 thru-hike, I probably hiked that many days in rain in May alone. This trail this time around was a heck of a lot drier!

Really? A grand opening? The date on that was more than six years ago! Yeah, I have a question....

Here are some other interesting numbers I counted during the hike:

• Snake count: 36
• Bear count: 3 on trail,  5 off trail (the two in the Bear Mountain Zoo I'm not counting because that would feel like cheating)
• Moose count: 1 on trail, 1 off trail
• Porcupine count: 1
• Interstates passed: 17
• River fords: 5
• Photos taken: 24,995

I didn't get all of the photos processed and added to Walking 4 Fun until December, but you can now virtually walk the trail! I wound up using 9,657 photos for the virtual walk, or about 4.4 photos per mile. A lot more than you've seen on this blog!

I left Millinocket a couple days after my arrival, getting a shuttle ride to Medford, Maine, where I caught a bus that took me to Bangor, where I caught another bus that took me into downtown Boston where I met up with my cousin and spent a week.

I didn't loaf around for a week, though. No, I still had work to do. I spent the week pounding out blog posts to last at least through the end of September and getting some of my digital affairs in order because I wasn't quite done hiking yet. I was heading to Europe!

I love small towns. That's the only place I see "business hours" written like this.... =)

I had three major checkboxes I wanted to hit while in Europe:

1. Hike the 110-or-so miles on the Tour Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland. It's a gorgeous trail around Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. It would be my first time in both Italy and Switzerland as well. 
2. Then I'd take a bus to Milan, Italy. I wanted to check out the World's Fair. They call it an "Expo," but a World's Fair by any other name is still the World's Fair. =) I'd heard so much about them--in Chicago, in Paris and even in Seattle (the Space Needle was built for the World's Fair, after all), but I'd never been to a World's Fair and by golly, I'd been waiting for years to see one. If I was just a short jump away from it while hiking the Tour Mont Blanc, I may as well stop for this too.
3. Then fly out to Corsica--a French island in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy. I intended to hike the 120-or-so miles of the GR 20, a difficult and strenuous trail crossing the spine of Corsica. I'll have company on this trail as well--Karolina, who hiked the West Highland Way with me last year--will be returning to my blog for a limited time!

So I spent the week in Boston writing blog posts and organizing my whirlwind trip through Europe booking flights, buses and accommodations. The week would also give my banged-up knee a chance to rest and recuperate.

So this blog hasn't come to an end. The Appalachian Trail is done, but stay tuned. Next post, I'll be flying to Europe and taking my first steps on the Tour Mont Blanc. You won't want to miss it! =)

Best summit photo ever! Gotta love Superman.....

A less than impressive handstand at the top of Katahdin! That's Blueberry (L) and Heavyweight (R) holding up Superman.

Don't think that Superman can't do a real handstand, though. This is him doing one on Dragon's Tooth back in Virginia. INSANE!

Not impressed with Dragon's Tooth? How about his handstand on McAfee Knob?!

Mural in Boston

Another mural in Boston.

Elevators are evil!

An exclusive sneak peak at the Tour Mont Blanc! Where the mountains are bigger than ever!

Then a quick jaunt to the World's Fair in Milan, Italy!

And finally, my grand tour of Europe will end with a thru-hike of the GR 20--renowned around the world for being among one of the toughest trails out there.

But the incredible scenery along the GR 20 makes it totally worth it! So stay tuned... there's a lot more coming to this blog!

Day 160: Summit Day!

August 14: It was summit day! My last day on the Appalachian Trail. After 160 days, I was finally at the end of the trail. Bittersweet, but glad it would soon be done.

It suddenly occurred to me that I could quit right now and honestly say that I've hiked the entire Appalachian Trail twice. I hadn't summited Katahdin yet, but after I reached it during my first thru-hike, I had to turn around and hike the 5 miles back to the trailhead so, technically, I've actually done these last 5 miles of trail twice already. I suppose that would have made me a section hiker. Complete 5 miles in 2003, and 2,195 miles in 2015. =)

The ranger station where I checked in as thru-hiker #252 to finish the trail.

No, I was going to summit Katahdin again. It wouldn't be right not to! Anyhow, I still needed the photos for Walking 4 Fun. I didn't take enough during my 2003 thru-hike which was the whole reason I was out here a second time in the first place.

I took my time packing up camp, giving the morning time to burn off some light morning fog. I was in rush--I had a mere ten miles to complete. Granted, it's a tough ten miles, but even at a measly 2 mph--I'd be done in five hours. Maybe six hours if I take an extended break to savor the moment at the top.

So it wasn't until 7:00 that I was finally packed and ready to go.

From the shelter, I walked the 0.2 miles to Katahdin Stream Campground. I carried two packs--one on my back, and one in my hand. The second pack was borrowed from the nice rangers who provided them for thru-hikers to slackpack up Katahdin. I picked it up the evening before when I checked in at the ranger station. No reason to carry gear I wouldn't need when I'd just be walking back down to here!

When I put on the day pack, however, it absolutely reeked! All thru-hikers stink, but good grief--the stench about knocked me out. I rearranged my gear again putting stuff I didn't need in the day pack and decided to use my own backpack as the slack pack. It smelled too, but at least that was a tolerable smell. =)

So I was carrying the borrowed pack in my left hand back to the ranger station where I'd store it until I returned. My trekking pole was in my right hand, but I wasn't using it since the ground was a dirt road that was completely and utterly smooth.

And somehow, my trekking pole got twisted up my legs and tripped me. I crashed to the ground on Tote Road in a most spectacular fashion, totally face-planting into the road. Both of my hands were full so I couldn't catch myself. My immediate sensation was pure shock. What the hell happened?!

And yet, no warning signs on Tote Road! =)

I picked myself and looked around, but nobody appeared to notice my fall. Nobody was around to notice my fall. My right knee throbbed with pain--I had banged it pretty hard. I took a few steps and the knee throbbed even more. So much so that I worried if I'd be able to summit Katahdin after all. I knew what the trail ahead was like. A jungle-gym of boulders that required a great deal of scrambling, and it was a less than ideal place for an injured knee.

I hobbled over to the ranger station and set the pack down and decided to hike up Katahdin anyhow. Or at least I'd try to. I could always turn around early if I had to--although I certainly hoped it wouldn't come to that. I couldn't believe it. On completely flat and level ground, on the friggin' road for crying out loud--and I'd injured myself so badly that I was wondering if I could make it to the top now. Well, rescue from here would be a heck of a lot easier than from the summit of Katahdin, but it was ridiculous! "Yes, I needed rescuing from Tote Road!" No... I wasn't going to do that. Damn it, I'd rather hike halfway up the mountain and then tell people I injured myself and required rescue. It would look more dramatic at any rate. =)

The first mile or so, the trail climbed gradually and I soon caught up with Salty Dog and met his wife who had come out to join him for this last section. I also caught up with Red Titan and her dad. Her dad I'd seen numerous times waiting for her at trailheads since Vermont, but it was actually the first time I met Red Titan who I'd heard so much about.

The injured knee definitely slowed me down some, but I was still in considerably better shape than most of the day hikers going up and I passed people quite regularly. Katahdin is a very popular destination and I started counting the number of people I passed. I lost count after about 30, though. It was a busy, busy trail!

And it was an absolutely beautiful day for it! Mostly clear with a few high-flying clouds to give the sky some character. The summit of Katahdin--for the time being--was actually clear of clouds. The stars had aligned well!

Katahdin Stream Falls is perhaps my favorite waterfall of the entire trail!

A little over a mile later, I reached the beautiful Katahdin Stream Falls, and admired it for a few minutes. I didn't linger too long--I could linger on my way back down. I had Summit Fever and just wanted to get to the top at this point.

Now the trail became even stepper, but it wasn't until the trail popped above tree line that the trail becomes spectacularly difficult and a giant maze of boulders that needed to be navigated. Progressed slowed to a crawl. The throbbing in my right knee increased dramatically as well, but I pushed onward and upwards.

Maybe three hours into the hike, I started passing people I knew already heading back down the mountain. Axon and Shrugged--the French Canadians I kept seeing in the 100-Mile Wilderness--had already reached the summit and were coming back down. Near the top I passed Loon who was also heading down. These people must have gotten some seriously early starts in the morning!

And at around noon, I approached the summit. It was swirling with what seemed like a hundred people. I took photos--lots of photos--and admired the commanding and dramatic views. Absolutely, jaw-dropping beautiful views and among the very best of the entire Appalachian Trail. I had missed these views my first time up in 2003 due to fog, but I made up for it this time around.

I didn't want to leave. It was so amazing up there! Other thru-hikers arrived soon behind me. Some of them I knew, some of them I didn't. I was surprised when Young Blood walked up shortly after me, hollering with joy upon his arrival at the summit. Nothing subdued about his summit, but I was surprised to see him at all. Last I knew, he had camped near Abol Bridge last night, and he told me that he started hiking at 2:00 that morning or some ungodly hour to summit today while the weather was good. Tomorrow, he said, the weather was expected to be a lot worse so he pushed himself hard to reach the summit today.

Salty Dog had the same concerns about the weather tomorrow and actually skipped the trail between Abol Bridge and Katahdin Stream Campground completely. His plan was to summit today with the good weather, then go back and finish that section he missed tomorrow when rain was expected. So technically, Salty Dog had yet to finish the trail. He'd finish tomorrow--but I think he made the right decision. Today was the day to summit, no argument there!

Eventually I moved off to the side where I pulled out my cell phone and checked to see if I got a signal. I wanted to tell both my mom and Amanda that it was official--I had finished the trail. I still needed to hike back down to the trailhead, but I was done. It was time to leave this trail. I talked to my mom, but Amanda was presumably flying because my call went to her voicemail. I left her a message. I also tried using the weak Internet connection I had to post a photo of the summit to my Facebook account, but it was too much for the feeble connection. I'd have to post photos later.

After about an hour of lingering at the top, I started heading back down and was surprised to see Good Man nearing the summit. He too had started hiking at an ungodly hour to make it from Abol Bridge to summit today. So we high-fived each other and chatted for a few minutes. He pointed down the trail to a specific person on the trail. Just a dot from our location, but he described him as a bit chunky, wearing a certain color shirt and hiking by himself. But he said he knew that person. They crossed paths completely by accident, but they had gone to school together years ago, and this guy was just starting the trail, planning to hike southbound to Springer Mountain. This was his first day on the trail.

"Poor guy," I said sympathetically. Good Man seemed to think that was funny, but he was getting to a point.

"This morning," Good Man continued, "he put sunscreen on his face. Or rather, he tried to. But he accidentally used toothpaste instead."

I laughed.

"So he rubbed toothpaste all over his face thinking it was sunscreen. When he realized what he did, he tried to wipe it off, but there's still bits of it you can see in his beard and on his face. His trailname is now Sensodyne."

Oh wow, that was funny. Which had a strange symmetry with the fellow I met who had just started thru-hiking the Long Trail in Vermont who had tried to brush his teeth with sunscreen. What is up with people confusing their sunscreen with their toothpaste? Take a lesson people: If you pack sunscreen and toothpaste in your own containers, make sure the containers look different! =)

So I learned these interesting tidbits from Good Man, but what he really wanted me to do, he told me, was to do my whole "thing" about "Save yourself! Quit the trail while you still can!" Scare him a little bit. I nodded. Yeah, I can do that. =)

We gave each other a fist bump and continued on our separate ways.

Above tree line, the trail became a lot more difficult and slow!

Maybe ten minutes later, I reached Sensodyne. When we approached each other, he stopped briefly on the side of the trail to let me pass. Actually, I think it was a convenient excuse just to stop and rest. He looked sweaty and exhausted, hurting from the steep climb up.

"You're almost there!" I said to him. "Just a little bit further!"

And I could clearly see some bits of white toothpaste in his beard. It was very difficult for me to keep a straight face. It could have easily passed as sunscreen that he didn't rub in very well, but I knew better.

"Hey," I said, "you missed some of the spots of sunscreen on your face," I commented innocently.

He smiled, in an embarrassed sort of way. "Oh, that.... that's toothpaste," he told me, launching into an in depth explanation of how he had mixed up his toothpaste and sunscreen earlier. I laughed, no longer having to keep the straight face. And he said he was just starting his south-bound thru-hike. Today was his first day on the trail.

Taking that as my cue, I launched into my spiel: "Don't do it! Quit! Quit while you still can! It's not worth it!" I said with conviction.

Synsodyne looked surprised, and I toned down my rhetoric. "Here's the thing," I confided. "Katahdin--this is the most difficult most beautiful part of the entire trail. It's all downhill from here. Literally and figurative. Save yourself. Once you've done Katahdin, you have nothing to prove. This IS the hardest part of the entire trail! And it's the most spectacular! You've already done it all! You can quit now and save yourself all that heartbreak you'd otherwise have!"

The man looked like he might be taking my advice seriously, contemplating my words. Then I popped the bubble.

"Oh, screw it! It's an adventure! What else are you going to do for the next five or six months? Go for it! Do the whole trail! Have a blast!"

My sudden turn-around seemed to surprise him as well, so I confided even more. "Good Man told me to say that," I whispered.

Then  you could see the wheels in his head clicking. Ah.... he knows Good Man.

"Wait a minute.... so you already knew about the toothpaste fiasco?"

I smiled. "Yes, yes I did." =)

We talked for a few more minutes then continued on our separate ways.

On the way down, I walked first with Red Titan and her dad, then later with Salty Dog and his wife. They were all relatively slow hikers. Well, Red Titan wasn't particularly slow, but her dad was so she'd stop to wait for him regularly. I wanted to walk with some slow people, though, because by now my knee was absolutely killing me. This rock scrambling was causing a lot of trouble with it, and I wanted some slow hikers to check my speed. I didn't tell them that, but I was limping pretty badly at this point.

At one point along the strenuous descent, I lost my grip on my trekking pole and dropped it--right into a narrow crack of two large boulders. @#$#!!!

I took off my pack and tried squeezing myself down the crack to retrieve the trekking pole. I could see it, but I couldn't quit reach it. It did, however, appear that light was entering the cavern from the side, so I scrambled down the side of the boulder to another (larger) entrance and was able to squeeze in far enough to retrieve my trekking pole.

I needed to be more careful with that.... you could lose gear permanently in some of these cracks. I was fortunate to loose my trekking pole down a crack where I could retrieve it from another direction.

And in the mid-afternoon, I finally reached the Katahdin Stream Campground. I headed back to the ranger station to retrieve the rest of my gear from the smelly pack I left behind, then tried hitchhiking back to civilization.

Well, hitchhiking isn't an entirely accurate term. I'd approach people who were just finishing Katahdin asking if they were heading out of the park and back through Millinocket. Katahdin is a destination. People to there, then they go back home. I didn't have to stand on the side of the road hoping a passing stranger would stop for me. I just had to ask people as they were getting into their car for a ride.

But I struck out. One woman was picking up a bunch of hikers from the trail and wouldn't have room in the car. Others were camping nearby and not heading back into Millinocket.

But sometimes, you had these metal bars stuck into the boulders to help with the scrambling. Not enough of them, but I'll take what I can get!

Eventually, Salty Dog and friends took pity on me and gave me a ride out of the park. They dropped me off at a campground that they were staying about a mile short of Millinocket, not wanting to take the one-mile detour into town to drop me off.

A mile walk into town normally wouldn't have bothered me too much, but I was exhausted and my knee was still throbbing painfully. I was a little annoyed that they wouldn't drive me the extra mile into town--it wasn't that far away. If our rolls were reversed, I'd have driven the extra mile in a heartbeat.

But I had another idea for how to avoid walking the last mile into town or trying to hitch a ride from a passing car: I pulled out my smartphone, called the hostel I'd be staying at and asked if they could send a shuttle to pick me up. My guidebook did say that they regularly shuttle people to the trailhead for Katahdin--my requirements were considerably shorter than that! I just needed a ride for the last mile!

The woman I talked to on the phone said that wasn't a problem, asked me exactly where I was located. I told her the name of the campground and that I was the only person standing outside by its entrance so I'd be hard to miss. A few minutes later, a van pulled up and I hobbled into the front seat.

"Looks like Katahdin really beat you up," she said, noticing my heavy limp.

I grinned. "Actually, I got this injury on Tote Road before I even got on the trail." And I told her the story of my fall. She seemed to think it was hilarious. Lots of people have gotten injured climbing Katahdin over the years and needed rescuing, but apparently I was the first person she'd ever heard of injuring themselves on Tote Road before even starting the climb.

"I made it, though!" I said with pride. "But my knee is going to pay for it for awhile. I'm just glad I don't have to hike anymore. Not for awhile, at least."

I soon checked into the hostel in Millinocket. For dinner, I headed to the Appalachian Trail Cafe with a group of other hikers to celebrate our completion of the trail. Well, for some of us, it was our completion. We were a mix of hikers. Some were flip-flopping and had started at Harpers Ferry so were now only half done with the trail. One of others had just started the trail, climbing Katahdin, but hurt so bad afterwards he got off the trail to recuperate before returning to the trail later. But all of us had summited Katahdin that afternoon and regardless of whether it was our first day on the trail or our last, we all felt like we had something great to celebrate.

The ceiling of the restaurant is filled with those perforated ceiling tiles that are so ubiquitous everywhere, but this restaurant--the Appalachian Trail Cafe and owned by the same people who ran the hostel--had a tradition that thru-hikers who finish the trail can sign the ceiling tiles. As of today, I qualified. =)

The "active" ceiling tile--the one currently being added to--was lying on its side against the wall along with a basket of colored markers one could use. Naturally, I had to stamp my stamp on the tile, but I also wrote out "I ♥ Green Tortuga" (I in black, ♥ in red, and Green Tortuga in green) like Amanda would do in chalk on the sidewalks. She was with me in spirit, after all. =)

Red Titan's dad, whose name I now forget. Everyone just tended to call him Red Titan's dad!

From front to back: Red Titan's dad, Red Titan, and Salty Dog.

The end is near! The AT follows that ridge of boulders right to the top.

Red Titan scrambles up the trail. This really is the trail. See the white blazes? On the boulder to the right, and the other by her raised foot? They call this a TRAIL?!

The air is getting thin up here! =)

What is that strange contraption alongside the trail?

There you have it--it's part of a cable system to move rocks.

There were a heck of a lot of people at the summit--but what a beautiful day for it!

All of the thru-hikers at the top at this time did a group photo. That's Young Blood sitting on the sign, and the older fellow on the left is Salty Dog. The woman in front... I forget her name, but she was from Norway or something and spoke with a really thick accent. I had met her very briefly in Monson. The other two... I didn't meet them until here at the summit!

The end of the trail. The sign looks a little worn--they should replace it with a new one. *nodding*

I spent about an hour at the top savoring the views.

Of course, the end of the trail doesn't mean the hike is over. We still have to get back to the trailhead five miles and 4,000 feet down. (From foreground to background: Red Titan, Salty Dog, and his wife.)

Salty Dog and his wife navigate a particularly tricky spot down the mountain.

I checked in at the Appalachian Trail Lodge for the night and introduced myself to Gomer who likes to hang out in the front. =)

Good Man admires the ceiling tiles of the Appalachian Trail Cafe.

Then we signed the current ceiling tiles ourselves. We'd earned it! =)

Day 159: Legal Hurdles

August 13: I made sure to hit the trail as early as I could, 6:00 AM, in the hopes of getting a coveted and limited spot in the Birches Lean-to--the last shelter of the trail at the base of the Great Mountain known as Katahdin. Baxter State Park, where the trail ends.

A beautiful sunrise over Rainbow Lake!

The trail was mostly flat and although muddy, it didn't seem as difficult as yesterday. I made it out of the 100-Mile Wilderness before noon and at Abol Bridge reached a group of hikers who were just standing there admiring the view of Katahdin--still stubbornly stuck in the clouds despite it being an otherwise beautiful, clear day.

The only one of the hikers I recognized was Loon, who I hadn't seen since I deviated off-trail into the Gulf Hagas. She'd gotten ahead of me and only now did I catch up again, and she had bad news for me. The Birches was already full.

Shoot.

I continued on to the general store where I bought a few snacks. Afterwards, I headed to the restaurant to eat lunch and ponder my options. Loon and the other hikers had already taken a table and I would have liked to join, but the table was already crowded with six people and the only person I knew was Loon. Chatting with a bunch of strangers didn't particularly appeal to me, so I took a table by myself at the window.

I was feeling a little sad. None of my friends were around. Even Loon--who was perfectly pleasant--I didn't really consider a good friend. I'd only met her less than a week earlier and only for a couple of days before she pulled ahead never to be seen again until today.

All of the people I considered good friends... none of them were around, and I was a little sad over that. The Four Horsemen had passed through two weeks earlier based on register entries. Little Red and Chuckles were at least a couple of weeks behind me according to the emails I'd last gotten from them. Bearfish was probably the closest person I had to what I'd consider a friend that was in my general vicinity--at least I'd met him more than a week ago and two states ago. He probably wasn't more than a day or two behind me.

But at the moment, I felt completely alone. And sad.

I ordered a hamburger and fries and while those were being made, Good Man and a hiker who'd just completed the 100-Mile Wilderness named Chris joined me. At least they were familiar faces. I knew a little about them having met them both in the 100-Mile Wilderness. Good Man I met just the day before, but I'd take what I could get!

Chris was camping at the campground next to the store and said that we were welcome to join him--he had plenty of room. Good Man and I weren't sure what we would do and we kicked around the options.

Sneak into Baxter Park and stealth camp illegally? Camp legally at the campground here, then hike a whopping 15 miles to Baxter Peak, 5 miles back down to the nearest trailhead, then hopefully hitch a ride back out of the park? That's 20 miles of hiking, though, including Katahdin itself which is no small task. Seeing as my biggest day of hiking on the AT during the whole trail was 23.7 miles, it didn't seem like doing 20 miles on some of the roughest terrain of the entire trail was a good decision, though. Or maybe we could camp legally here, then get a spot at the Birches tomorrow night, and finish the day after tomorrow. Except... the weather forecast for the day after tomorrow wasn't looking good. The weather forecast for tomorrow, however, was looking excellent.

We all ate our meals and chatted. I decided to walk into Baxter SP to check things out, still not sure what I'd do for the night.

The trail followed a dirt road, turned left, then entered Baxter State Park where I soon ran into a ridge runner who seemed to be permanently stationed at the entrance. He told me that the Birches shelter was full--no surprise there--and I asked if there were any other options. His blunt option was... no. Camping outside of established campsites was illegal, pure and simple. The Katahdin Stream Campground was already full as well. There were, he told me, absolutely no legal places for me to camp in the park tonight.

Out of curiosity, I asked him what the fine would be if I was caught camping illegally. After all, if it was $20--hey, no problem! I'd be more than happy to pay it! He said it was "up to" $1000 which was definitely a little out of my price range!

So I asked him about what that means, exactly. "Up to" $1000? Is it at the discretion of the person writing the ticket? Or is the maximum fine only applied for multiple offenses? What if you're a first-time offender?

I think the ridge runner was a little surprised at my questions. I'm sure hikers have camped illegally many times before. In fact, I was absolutely certain this ridge runner was stationed here because it has been such a big problem recently. (During my 2003 thru-hike, there was no ridge runner here.) But I suspect that he hasn't actually had a hiker trying to decide if paying a fine was worth it or not. He clearly didn't want to encourage me to camp illegally, though, and stuck to the "up to $1000" fine. I'm not sure he actually had the authority to fine people since he was a ridge runner rather than a "normal" park official, so many he didn't actually know how the fines worked out, but he certainly knew who to talk to who could hand out fines, and he definitely seemed to want to avoid saying anything that might encourage me to camp illegally.

*sigh* Bummer.

Katahdin loomed larger than ever, but the peak just never seemed to want to come out of the clouds. Bad, clouds! Bad!

I retreated back to the park boundary, near where a picnic table was set up, to sit down and ponder my options some more. A few minutes later, Good Man arrived and I told him everything that the ridge runner had told me and we discussed our options some more.

Try to sneak around the ridge runner and camp illegally? I've camped illegally before, but I wasn't really inclined to do it in this instance. Baxter State Park is an absolutely wonderful place--one of the few places in the country where nature actually comes before people. The park is really quite strict about this.

Dogs aren't allowed at all. Just their scent can disturb wildlife, after all. The roads are unpaved and limited. Parking lots are small and specifically intended to be small to limit the numbers of people who visit the park. It's an unusual concept in our country--parks that are created for nature first and people second. Even the official campsites don't have clean, running water piped in. It's a special place and I very much appreciate that fact, and although the restrictive rules were very much hindering my hike now, I still wanted to respect them.


While discussing matters, three woman walked up the trail who seemed quite familiar with the park and said it would be stupid to camp illegally because they'll find us. They're looking for thru-hikers that camp illegally.

Then one of them suggested that we could hike the Blueberry Ledge Trail to Katahdin Stream Campground which is actually about five miles shorter than the official AT. But, she assured us, it was even prettier than the official AT!

That got my attention. I have fond memories of the trail through Baxter Park and it was absolutely beautiful. Lots of lakes and ponds and streams and I even saw a moose last time around. And the Blueberry Ledges was even better?!

It was also a 5-mile shortcut. I'm not big on taking shortcuts, but I certainly will if it improves the views. I took the 5-mile longcut around Gulf Hagas just for better views. I could make up for it by cutting off 5 miles of hiking tomorrow.

But the other advantage this shortcut had.... which was a critical selling point for me... was that I could make it to the top of Katahdin and back down in just 15 miles. That was doable! Trying to do 20 miles up Katahdin seemed a little iffy, but I was sure I could knock off 15 miles in a day. Perfect! I could camp legally outside of the park, then still summit Katahdin tomorrow. The best of both worlds!

Good Man seemed to like that idea as well. It was still early in the afternoon, though. What would we do for the rest of the afternoon? There was a map of Baxter State Park at the entrance of the park and we noticed a few trails running in loops near the entrance and we decided to do a quick loop-hike three or four miles in length down the Abel Stream Trail, which connected to the Abol Pond Trail, which connected to the Blueberry Ledges Trail, which connected back with the AT where we'd hike back out of the park and set up camp.

The trail was still quite rough in places!

Good Man surprised me when he expressed an interest in joining me. It seems like most thru-hikers would rather die than walk a single step more than they had to, but I guess he felt the need to explore the area while he could--especially since he had nothing better to do at the moment. I was happy for the company. =)

So off we went! We took our time, enjoying the views and chatting. Across one creek, I slipped off the wooden bridge and fell into the water. I landed on my feet so I didn't get soak--just my feet and my pants from the knees down got wet. I cursed the wooden board. Good Man just laughed.

We completed the loop in a little less than two hours and chatted with the ridge runner some more near the park boundary. I'm half-convinced that he was surprised to see us. We told him about our plan to do a day-hike around the edge of the park here, but he probably suspected that we were really just trying to sneak around him. Especially after my questions about how much a fine would cost!

Then we walked back towards the general store. Near the store, we bumped into Young Blood who's parents had come out to be with him at the end of the trail. He was clearly very excited about his parents coming out to visit and we chatted for a few moments when the ridge runner walked up from us and asked to talk to me.

"Me?" I asked, confused.

So I wandered over to him to see what he wanted. I wasn't really concerned about being in trouble--quite literally, I'd done nothing bad or illegal. Maybe contemplating thoughts of illegally camping, but I hadn't done anything. Not yet, at least. What did he want with me?

Then he told me he had radioed the ranger station at Katahdin Stream Campground and a spot had opened up at the Birches. Since I was the first person who had arrived after the shelter was full, he was giving me first dibs on the now-open spot.

"YES!" I exclaimed excitedly. I definitely want it! Woo-who!"

All my hand-wringing over what to do and where to camp all afternoon for nothing--I got a spot in the Birches after all!

(Later, the next day, I'd see Young Blood who explained what he saw from his point of view. The ridge runner calling out to me, me talking for a few seconds with the ridge runner, then walking off with the ridge runner back towards the park. Young Blood thought I'd been busted for something or another and had no idea why I was walking away with him--so he assumed it must have been something bad. I hadn't even thought to mention that I was heading to the Birches before I left! But thinking back, looking at how the ridge runner and "tracked me down" and "marched me off," I could see why it might have looked bad!)

Toad on the trail! Their camouflage is really amazing! I'd only notice these fellows because they'd jump and their movement would give away their positions.

But I had to hustle. It was now 4:30 in the afternoon and I'd only have a couple of more hours of daylight left to take photos. It would have been a heck of a lot more convenient if I had learned about this good news a couple of hours earlier.

I immediately decided to take the Blueberry Ledges Trail shortcut since it was the only way I could possibly make it to the shelter before dark. I can do 5 miles in two hours. I can't do 10 miles in two hours, though--which is what the official AT trail would require--and I figured I had about two hours of decent daylight left.

I hustled, walking quickly as I could. The trail was a bit rough, but not terribly so. I assumed with a name like Blueberry Ledges and the topo map of the area showing the trail near the top of a cliff that there would be some amazing views. The woman earlier did say that she thought this trail was even more spectacular than the official AT and that must surely be the reason.

I'm going to say this right now, however: I think she's wrong. In hindsight, the Blueberry Ledges Trail was pretty boring. Not really any great views to speak of, mostly in the trees the whole time. No water features such as lakes or streams. All-in-all, remarkably disappointing. Not that the trail was bad, but nothing near as awesome as I remembered the AT section that I had just skipped.

But I made to the shelter at dusk and was glad to be at the Birches.

Surprisingly, one of the two shelters there was completely empty, so I took it for myself. About half the hikers at the shelter were camped around it rather than in it, although technically speaking, I think only two people are allowed to camp outside of it. Well, not my problem. I'm in the shelter. And had the whole thing to myself!

Golden Road marks the end of the 100-Mile Wilderness. I have SURVIVED!

I set up camp, then wandered the extra 0.2 miles down to the ranger station at Katahdin Stream Campground to report in. There I met Knots, who had just finished thru-hiking the PCT and now wanted to thru-hike the AT heading southbound.

"Holy cow!" I exclaimed. And really, he's already finished the PCT? It was only mid-August! Being a former PCT thru-hiker myself, I gave him some advice.

"Don't tell anyone that you think the PCT is better than the AT. It is, but don't tell them that. It'll annoy the hell of them and they'll hate you for it. After all, they've just spent the last 5 or 6 months of their lives hiking to get here, and they'll get a little annoyed if you keep reminding them that the trail they're on sucks." =)

"If you want to make a lot of friends on this trail," I told him, "tell people how much better the AT is than the PCT. Lie your ass off! If there's anything about the PCT you hate, tell people about that and why the PCT sucks. That," I told him confidently, "is how to make friends on the AT."

I meant it half in jest, but there actually is some truth to it. For the most part, I deliberately avoided comparisons between the AT and PCT unless someone directly asked me about it. I'd tell them some of my PCT stories and didn't hide the fact that I had thru-hiked the PCT before, but I generally avoided making comparisons of it with the AT. Nothing could come from that!

When I checked in with the ranger, she told me that I was the 252nd northbound thru-hiker to arrive. My official number: 252. I wasn't even at the top of Katahdin yet, and I was now officially the 252nd person this year to finish the trail.

I walked back to the shelter and mostly kept to myself. I didn't know a single person at the shelter. Not one! It made me a little sad.

Katahdin, as seen from Abol Bridge. Still stuck in the clouds! I hoped that wouldn't be the case tomorrow....

The general store at Abol Bridge.

The restaurant where we ate lunch near Abol Bridge.

Good Man signs us into the register for our day-hike through Baxter SP.

This is the official sign-in location for thru-hikers wanting to stay at the Birches--which thwarted me much of the afternoon. But at 4:30, I got the okay to hike through to the Birches Lean-tos. That's the Blueberry Ledges Trail to the right of the sign which I'd take to the shelter. The official AT is the trail on the left. (You can see a white blaze on the rock at the edge of the photo.)

The Blueberry Ledges Trail started off nice and easy! It would stay pretty nice and easy the whole way, although the last part was a bit more overgrown than this section.

The Blueberry "Ledges" didn't offer much in the way of views.... I was a bit disappointed!

I made it to the Birches Lean-tos at around 6:30 in the evening, and would have that first shelter all to myself despite the multitudes of other hikers camped around it.