Date: 2006-09-07
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birtches Campsite (Baxter State Park)
Miles today: 9.9

At daybreak I awoke to the lurking outline of Mount Katahdin before me. Last night I decided to pull my sleeping mat up beside the campfire and to sleep under the stars. That¢s right no tent, no shelter, and no protection from the bugs It proved to be a good idea though because my first site this morning was what we had all walked for over five months to see. As I lay there a light fog blew across the waters surrounding the main channel of the Penobscot River fading what little view I had of the mysterious giant. Off in the distance I could hear the wilderness coming to life and at a much closer distance the sounds of dad snoring. That¢s right there is nothing like the sounds of nature with a twist. Soon after daybreak I started fumbling around in the fire pit looking for some tinder and a hot ember to start a fire. First there was smoke shortly followed by flames, we are now off to the start of a good day. Everyone slowly started getting up as they heard the crackling of the fire. It is always a bit motivating some mornings when there is a warm fire to huddle around that will knock the chill off. Shortly after eating a little breakfast we broke camp and said good-bye to mom and dad. They were going to drive up into Baxter State Park for the night and meet us at the Birches about an hour before dark. We left Abol Bridge Camp Ground and headed up the Golden road for about a half-mile before crossing Abol Stream into Baxter State Park. We met up with ____ at the information board just inside the park. _____ was at Kincora during Trail Days talking about Katahdin and telling us details about the area. He gave us all a quick spill about what to expect, we signed our names to reserve a spot at the Birches for the night, and then continued north. Since today¢s hike is just less than 10 miles we took our time and enjoyed the day. For the first couple of miles we followed the natural curves of the Penobscot River banks before starting to gain elevation as we passed the lower then upper fork of the Nesowadnehunk Stream. With about 7.5 miles to go to the summit, which is planned for tomorrow, we stop at Daicey Pond. This is the last of the ponds that we will pass on this journey so just in front of the library there at the south bank of the pond Mike, Zan, Jangles, H-bomb, Baro, and I pose for a picture with both the pond and Mount Katahdin behind us. From here the trail skirts around the western edge of the pond unveiling some nice swimming holes. With plenty of time on our hands and now better since than to swim in a Maine pond in September, we jump in and splash around for a while. We only lacked about 2.5 miles to the Birches so after the refreshing dip it only took us about 45 minutes and we were done for the day. The Birches was a little past the ranger station so we walked up a little gravel road and made ourselves at home. Since this was our last night on the trail we all stayed in the shelter and made no effort to pitch a tent. We got settled in and Mom and Dad showed up with a truck full of goodies. We unloaded the stove, lantern, cooler, boxes of food, chairs, and most importantly a good cook. Mom set up an in no time had spaghetti, meatballs and fresh tossed salad for all of us. I will never forget Zan's eyes when she saw all of the fresh food. At that time she was warming up some old macaroni and cheese left over from last nights dinner and drinking a hot Budweiser that she had hiked all the way from Abol Campground earlier that morning. We stuffed ourselves and made our way over to the campfire for a few stories before crashing for the night. Tonight at the Birches: H-Bomb, Jangles, Shasta. Baro, Jelly Beam, Snuffy, Mike, Zan and I. Donkey and Hot Springs stayed back at Katahdin Stream Campground with Hot Spring¢s parents.