Date: 2007-08-21
From: Trident Col Campsite 

To: Carlo Col Campsite, Maine 
Miles today: 10.1

This was probably the best day I have had on the Appalachian Trail to date. Not just because the weather was, again, absolutely perfect (no wind, mid 70s, low humidity, unlimited visibility); and not just because the vistas and the beaver ponds and woods and sky were also breathtakingly beautiful; and not just because I ran into someone whom I met on the Trail in North Carolina three years ago; and not just because I felt strong and hiked well; but because of all of these elements, and because I was able to share them all with my son. The day began with goodbyes to ¢Grasshopper¢, ¢Two Dogs¢, and ¢M&M¢, who were planning on putting in a 14-mile day today. After scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese burritos with coffee, Jack and I started out around 9:15. We stopped often to just stand in awe of the primitive beauty of the several old beaver ponds we passed. Our eyes were sharp to see wildlife, and we especially hoped to see a moose, but we have not yet been treated to that experience. For a long while we watched an osprey soar over a pond from a unique vantage point on a cliff several hundred feet above him. We stopped for lunch on the rocks alongside Gentian Pond near the shelter bearing the same name. After a brief rest, we faced the day¢s big challenge - the 1,000-foot climb in one mile to the summit of Mt. Success. We had just passed the 800-foot point, where the trail finally became a little less steep, when we met a couple of SOBO¢s Section Hikers: ¢Yolanda Vega¢ (better known by her northbound name, ¢Mrs. Gorp¢) and her friend, ¢Stumpknocker.¢ When we introduced ourselves, I said to him, ¢You¢re the second ¢Stumpknocker¢ I¢ve met on the AT.¢ And he said, ¢No, Bumpo, I¢m the same guy you met three years ago when you, ¢Freebird.¢ He reminded me how I spent the night in the Mt. Cammerer lookout in the Smokies with him and ¢Freebird,¢ and how we got up to watch the sunrise from the balcony. I could not believe it! He was now clean-shaven and much trimmer than when I first met him, and he was much more talkative too. I found out by talking to him that he had now completed five back to back Thru Hikes in the past five years, and he and ¢Mrs. Gorp¢ (who has done three through hikes herself!) just returned from riding their bicycles from Virginia to Oregon and back to New England. As crazy as that may sound, coming from them it did not sound all that bad. As a matter of fact, the idea of it sounded quite intriguing. The four of us had a nice chat and then took some pictures before moving on. Soon thereafter, and much to my surprise, we passed through tree line and entered the alpine zone of Mt. Success, which was at 3,500 feet - nearly 1,000 feet below where it has occurred on all the other mountains here in the Whites. It was a treat for Jack to experience this environment here in New Hampshire, which he has previously only experienced above 11,000 feet while hiking in the Western states. As we approached the summit of Mt. Success, we thought we could see Mt. Katahdin sitting on the horizon, now "only" 281 miles away. Ahhh, the power of wishful thinking! After Power Bars and water, we turned on our ¢jets¢ and flew down the trail to the campsite, doing the final 212 miles in 112 hours in spite of some very steep and treacherous sections. Along the way, Jack got some great pictures of a grouse (¢wood chicken¢ to the pioneers and natives) that posed for him in the middle of the trail, showing absolutely no fear of us. A few minutes before arriving at our destination for the day, we entered the State of Maine, where ¢The Way Life Should Be!¢ - at least according to the sign. Maine is the fourteenth of the fourteen states through which the Appalachian Trail through. It subsequently is the fourteenth state in which I have now hiked. We arrived at the campsite and pitched our tents on one of the available wooden platforms built for that purpose. We snarfed down dinner of beef stew on instant mashed potatoes followed by tea and a South Beach protein bar. We then sat quietly together writing in our Trail Journals. We said our ¢good nights¢ to one another in anticipation of another great day tomorrow here in the State of Maine. It is dark in the woods, but the stars are unbelievable. Wish you were here.