Date: 2006-09-26
From: Hurd Brook Lean-To

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

We had a big last-night-in-the-wilderness campfire. With only the two of us here at the shelter, the night was quiet and peaceful. Rain came in late adding to the cold. Damp and cold go so well together, don¢t you agree? Sometime around 2 a.m. during a nature break, Chuckbuster stirred the coals and the fire fought off the rain and reignited. Apparently excited to no end about reaching Katahdin today had Chuckbuster awake and wound up like a five year old on too much sugar. So he got up and restacked the wood to make the fire more respectable. I on the other hand was zipped tight dreaming yet another whacky dream. The other night I dreamt I was back in the advertising world and involved with a huge new business pitch. The CEO whispered something to me that I couldn¢t quite make out. As I continued the finishing touches for the presentation, the CEO once again said something to me I couldn¢t understand. Finally I said ¢Excuse me, I didn¢t hear you clearly. What did you say?¢ The CEO said, ¢You need to do something about your hygiene.¢ ¢Oh,¢ I replied, ¢you don¢t understand, I¢m thru-hiking.¢What a nutty dream.At 6:30 a.m. I finally woke to Chuckbuster breaking more wood and adding it to the fire ¢ it was an action he had been doing since 2 a.m. When he ran out of wood throughout the night, out he went by headlamp to gather more. He didn¢t sleep a wink.With the Abol Bridge Campstore open for business a seven, I packed up and was ready to go my usual quick way leaving Chuckbuster with the emotional dilemma of having to douse the fire he¢d nurtured all night. But hot brewed coffee just four miles away erased any of his hesitation.I emerged out of the Hundred Mile Wilderness on the morning of the sixth day. We stopped at the bridge to gaze at the famous view of Katahdin. A vale of clouds hid the Greatest Mountain; it would not have been a good day to try for the summit. We¢d learn that afternoon that it was heavily snowing with ice and wind there. Yikes.Photos were taken nonetheless. As we reflected on the moment an enormous bird took flight off a pine, its unmistakable white head and tail contrast against the dark evergreens ¢ A bald eagle. Wow. Needless to say it was a great moment.We arrived at the campstore and let no time lapse before food found my mouth.While we repacked our resupply needs for the day and tomorrow, a terribly sad moment flooded over me. In came a pickup pulling a trailer. Yesterday was the opening of moose hunting season and to my shock was a dead bull moose on the trailer. By the time two more pulled in, I said to Chuckbuster that I had to get myself out of here. It would take the beauty and majesty of entering Baxter State Park to dull the emotions I was feeling. My hike, all 2000 miles, has celebrated the wildlife sightings, especially the moose. It was too overwhelming to stand witness to the trophy weigh-in.Bright colorful foliage and hide-and-seek sunshine followed us the last nine miles to the campsite that Jim (Chuckbuster¢s friend) reserved for us. With Jim was a stuffed ice chest of beef, corn, snacks, beer and ironically, moose steaks! Life is amazing at times isn¢t it? Jim¢s generosity was at a level of ten ¢ a great guy.We moseyed over to the Ranger Station to register our hikes and intended next day summit where I learned I was #327 of northbounders who have made it. More importantly though was that the weather tomorrow, summit day, was to be awesome ¢ Brisk, cold, lingering ice, but clear. That sure beats the snow job that was currently dumping on the summit.We started eating at four and didn¢t stop till bedtime at ten. Tomorrow I climb Katahdin. It¢s big, demanding and can be dramatic. My hope is it will simply be a day of joy.