Date: 2004-09-14
From: Trident Col Tentsite

To: Full Goose Shelter ME
Miles today: 9.6

09/14/2004GatherWake up, slept good last night. Cook eat, pack up and hit the trail heading north, putting one foot in front of the other flashing my wicked grin.Pass by dream Lake, go by Moss pond. Pass by the Gentian Pond Campsite 2,166 ft. Climb Mt. Success 3,565 ft, pretty hard climb.Whoooopie, Yahoooooo, Happy, Happy Happy!!! Come upon the New Hampshire / Maine state line!! Here I am in MAINE!! This is the sign I have been looking for, 1,892.7 miles, 178 days, and here I am!! I sat down and celebrated with a Pop-Tart, Champaign is kinda hard to come by out here, and too heavy to carry.I sat there and think about this for a while, it¢s hard to believe, I¢ve made it to Maine! When I first started this trip, someone asked me if I was thru-hiking, I told them no, I was just getting started. Then people would always ask where are you going? I would tell them Maine. Now when they ask me if I¢m thru-hiking, I can say almost! But when they ask me where I¢m going? I can¢t say Maine anymore, but I will say KATAHDIN!!!!281.4 miles from this exact spot I will have this sucker whipped!! I must have sat here for half an hour letting it soak in. I¢m in Maine! Can you believe that!! I¢ve made it to Maine!Pass by the Carlo Col Shelter and Campsite, keep on pushing. Climb Mt. Carlo 3,565 ft, very tough climb, but grinning the whole way, I¢m in Maine!Climb up Goose Eye Mountain, east peak 3,790 ft. Go by Goose Eye Mountain north peak. Stumble into Full Goose Shelter and Campsite, still grinning, call it a day here. Kip, Arms, De-Bone, Little Munchkin, and Chef are here. Cook, eat and celebrate with the group, we¢re in Maine!!!I see where the Slimer was here , he always signs the registers, that puts him about three days out in front of me. I would like to summit Katahdin with Slimer, but he¢s pushing really hard. He¢s got this stupid idea in his head they¢re going to close down the trail, so they are all rushing up the trail. I will stick to my plan, go at my own speed, do what my body tells me to. As Kurt at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports said, Katahdin isn¢t going anywhere. I just hope they don¢t push too hard and injure themselves.In the morning we will face another tough obstacle, the Mahoosuc Notch trail, supposedly the toughest mile on the A/T!! They say it takes most of the day to get through there. That¢s ok, I¢m gonna whip that sucker in record time. After Mount Washington, Frances, and the moose, this one will be fun!!I will leave here in the morning heading north, putting one foot in front of the other (on Maine soil) flashing my wicked grin ¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦Trident Col Tentsite - to ¢ Full Goose Shelter ¢ 9.6 miles09/14/2004SlimerWake, look around, all kinds of tracks, bear tracks too!! I don¢t even want to think that was a bear last night!!Eat, pack up and hit the trail heading north, cold again this morning. Gonna get colder too!!Mud everywhere through here, bogs and wetlands all over the place. The trail maintainers have plank walk ways build through the bogs. Let me tell you these suckers are as slick as stewed okra. Do a couple of jigs, and I don¢t even dance!! But I¢m getting the hang of it, I just need to find a name for it. I wish I could have seen ole Carp when he came through here, Carp is ahead of me somewhere, about a day I think.If you slip and fall off these planks and logs you¢re gonna be in trouble for sure. It would take a sky hook to pull you out, minus your shoes of course!!I heard Alabama¢s dog Kaya jumped off the planks and into the mud, took three people to get the dog out they said. Then when the dog got out he shook mud all over them. I have run upon several dogs with the name Kaya on this trail.Keep pushing, make it to Old Blue Mountain 3,600 ft. decide to call it a day here. I cowboy camp again. weather is holding up good, but I hear Ivan the Terrible is steaming this way, that¢s not going to be good!!Turn in and get some sleep,Dunn Notch Falls ¢ to ¢ Old Blue Mountain ¢ 13.7 miles