Date: 2018-08-19
From: Abol Bridge

To: Katahdin Stream Campground 
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The So thankful to be back with my Next Step! He was waiting by the road when I pulled into the parking lot of the motel. He was flashing his red light on his head lamp at me. I sure have missed my crazy mountain man!! I couldn¢t believe how lean he had gotten, just since I left the trail. Yowsa! I¢ve already warned him that he will not be able to fill up for about the next three weeks! That was how I felt, and I only hiked half as far as he did!! Speaking of filling up, we got up around 7:30 this morning and headed to the Appalachian Trail Cafe for some yummy breakfast. The ceiling was full of thru-hikers¢ signatures. If everything goes as planned, Next Step will add his name on Tuesday morning! There are no words to describe how proud I am of him. No. Words. We hung out at the restaurant for awhile so Next Step could finish yesterday¢s journal entry. I tried to get him to write it last night while he was waiting for me to get there, but he was afraid he would fall asleep. I¢m thankful that I got to talk to him and the kiddos on my late drive. It definitely helped me from getting too sleepy. My sleep schedule hasn¢t changed much since I¢ve been hanging out at my parent¢s house. So driving until 1:30 am was waaayyy past my bedtime! My back and ribs were still a bit tender to the touch this morning, but the spasms had settled down, so we thought it would be a good idea for me to hike up to the base of Katahdin with Next Step today. Just to warm me up and see how my body handles it. We started right outside Baxter State Park at he Abol Bridge Campground. Before we started our hike, we drove over the Abol Bridge so that I could get my first look at Katahdin...OH. MY. Now THAT is a mountain!!! I was trying not too be too intimidated. I just kept reminding myself that lots of other people have hiked up it and survived. LolThe hike was 9.5 miles of almost ¢hiker heaven¢ terrain. I guess it¢s the calm before the storm!! It felt so good to be back in the woods! Of course I was pointing out every mushroom, and all the different mosses and trees. I forgot for a minute that Next Step has been capturing all of these every day on his hike. I couldn¢t help but ¢talk¢ to the red squirrels that love to chatter any time someone comes near them on the trail. I was startled several times when they would dart across the trail, right at my feet! This was my first trip to Maine and I certainly wasn¢t disappointed! I got a small taste of the roots that Next Step has been dealing with, but fortunately,they only lasted for about a mile. No thank you, I¢d rather just have the nice pine straw covered path instead. We had to cross the Nesowadnehunk Stream a couple of times. I could certainly tell that I was out of practice. I had gotten pretty good at that before I had to get off the trail. But today, I was very hesitant and had lost a bit of my courage. But I made it, and my feet stayed dry, so that was a win! We stopped at the Big Niagara Falls for a snack break and to do our communion. There were a couple of guys fly fishing and a few other hikers taking in the beauty. It was just another amazing part of an awesome day! When we finally reached Katahdin Stream Campground, we stopped by the Ranger¢s Station to register our summit tomorrow. Next Step sat on a nearby picnic to look at the map to try and figure out the best way to get back to our rental car. I saw a car dropping off a hiker and getting ready to head out, so I ran over and tapped on their window and asked if they could give us a ride back to a picnic area near the car. It would only leave us about a mile and a half from our car instead of having to walk 4 1/2 miles down the campground gravel road. Thank you for the ride! No sooner had we started down the trail when we came across some LARGE fresh moose tracks! At one point, we even caught a whiff of him, but never saw him. Of course, I let Next Step lead the way, just in case. We ran into the General Store for some yummy chocolate milk before heading back to Millinocket for some even yummier pizza. Next Step certainly hasn¢t forgotten the little things that make me very happy. I survived the hike and I¢m just hoping that after another night of ice, stretching, Ibuprofen and lots of prayers, that our fairy tale ending will take Next Step to the summit, with his bride at his side!!! HugsWhich WayElevation Data:Ascent - 900Descent - 390Grade - 2.5Weather:Day - 77 / Mostly SunnyNight - 53 / Partly CloudySoaring Above: Mount Katahdin