Date: 2010-07-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well after a long break from the AT, I¢m heading to the great State of Maine. As we prepared to depart for my return trip over 3 weeks ago, our family has been beset with rather unusual cases of medical problems. My wife, Linda had to have 2 root canals. It¢s painful even writing about that. A week later, my son had to have 4 impacted wisdom teeth surgically removed. He was off his feet for 4 days. Then last week my daughter developed an infection in her knee. She is on crutches and on some heavy duty antibiotics. If the antibiotics don¢t work, surgery will be needed. It was good to be home to provide some support and the extra time allowed my right foot to get stronger too. But at last, we are packing up and driving to Maine. We plan a side trip to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Once in Maine we will visit Acadia National Park. That is one more National Park on the list that I visited! I think I have been to about 42 of the 88 National Parks.   On Tuesday, I will attempt to climb Mt. Katahdin located at the north end of the Appalachian Trail. It¢s the highest point in Maine. The ascent is dependent on weather as the trail can close due to high winds or severe storms. I must register at Baxter State Park near Millinocket, ME to get the ok to ascend. Once I make the ascent, I will begin the journey south through Maine @281 Miles, New Hampshire @ 160 miles, Vermont @ 153 miles, Massachusetts @ 90 miles, Connecticut @51 miles, and New York @ 88 miles. This should take me about 75 days. Only a small percentage of hikers walk south from Maine in July. So the trail should not be as crowded as it was in Pennsylvania and Virginia. However, the toughest part of the AT is in Maine and New Hampshire. The old adage is that Maine and New Hampshire make up only 20% of the trail but this section takes 80% of the effort to complete the AT. In Maine you begin by walking through the ¢100 mile Wilderness¢ from Baxter State Park to Monson. There are no towns or paved roads. Cell phone coverage is nil. You must carry 10 days of food so your pack has added weight. There are some logging roads in the ¢wilderness¢ though a permit is needed to use them. Hikers must also ford many streams and rivers including the Kennebec River which now requires hikers to be ferried across due to the risk of drowning. Then New Hampshire features the Presidential Mountain Range in the White Mountains. I plan to average less than 8 miles per day in New Hampshire due to the severity of the terrain and the number of miles above the tree line. I must also carry gloves, hats, and a cold weather jacket due to the high winds and the chance for rapid drop in temperature. It does snow on Mt Washington, NH in July and August. And most of all there is the added anxiety of having to say goodbye to my wife Linda. I know how much I will miss her. And I will miss my family too. Emotionally, it is difficult to keep entering and leaving the daily routine of my family.And I am still looking for a perfect pair of backpacking boots. I need boots that propel me up and down hills and mountains without pain or blisters. Once I find the perfect boots, then I need clothes that breathe so my sweat simply evaporates! All hikers have this dream - I think. Thanks again to all those who keep encouraging me!