Date: 2004-10-06
From: Horns Pond Lean-tos

To: Logging Road
Miles today: 23.3

I write to you after a day of cold, a day of prayer, and a day of reflection. As of this moment the worst is over. As of this moment I have hiked over 2,000 miles. The last sentence blows my mind. I just finished a bit of night hiking and I¢m tented on the side of the tail. It¢s cold, but not as frigid as last night. Despite the cold I had an awesome day. I awoke this morning around sun-up, but I refused to move due to the icy air. Eventually my mind defeated my body in battle and I unsheathed myself form the warmth of my sleeping bag. I packed up and said goodbye to the kids. It was cold and I knew I had 22 to 27 miles in front of me. As I left to hike the thermometer on the side of the caretaker¢s tend read 23 degrees¢¦yikes. For only about the 7th or 8th time on the trail I was wearing long johns and my fleece while hiking. My first half mile took me up ¢South Horn¢. As I reached the top the trees were covered with a cold white glaze of ice. It was beautiful.The beauty continued as I dropped from South Horn and climbed The West Peak of the Bigelows. The trees were again frosted in white, the rocks jutting up into the air, and the views to each side jaw-dropping. To my left was one of the largest lakes I have seen on the trail reflecting the baby blue of the sky, to the right the slopes of the mountains hovering over a valley, both fully adorned in autumn color. I paused for as long as the cold would allow and marveled at the creation before my eyes. Finally the bitter wind demanded I descend the mountain. At the base of The West Peak I found Bigelow Col Campsite. There, I ran to the privy. As I sat in reflection on the privy I noticed something at my feet: 2 black gloves. In Gorham, a friend sent me Gore-Tex glove shells and I sent home my gloves. What I did not realize is that the shells she sent are only an outer shell. Despite the little basketball design grip on the inside the gloves were a perfect answer to my need. I thanked God and walked out of the privy with gloves on. Next I looked for water, but the spring was frozen.As I began to climb the Avery Peak of the Bigelows I was in a thinking mood. How about calling it ¢Bigelow #2?¢ or better yet ¢Deuce Bigelow?¢ As I climbed I saw another spring but all that was there was protruding crystals of ice. The crystalline structures even emerged straight out of the ground. Suddenly I was in Narnia during the reign of the White Witch; suddenly I had returned to the Smokies in April. I was cold and thirsty, but my hands were warm :-) . On top of the mountain I filled my Nalgene with ice from the trees. With an ice-filled water bottle I soaked in the 3rd gorgeous view in 4 miles. 360 degrees of blue mountains on the horizon, autumn speckled ridges and valleys before me, and a huge perfect lake. Still in awe I dropped 2 strenuous miles to Safford Notch. At the Notch I found running water. With a Nalgene still half full of ice I drank the most brisk water I have had on the trail, WOW! After a snack I took off my cold weather layers and began praising God as a started to hike. It¢s easy to praise God while wandering through an undeniably beautiful creation. The trail teased in its approach to The Little Bigelows, flanking the ridge but not quite reaching a climax. After 2 miles the trail reached the ridge, and I walked a short roller coaster mile still lost in song. Then I stopped on top of the final crest of the Bigelows. There I realized I had walked 1999.9 miles. As I dropped off the mountain I reflected. 2,000 MILES! The achievement is unbelievable. I thanked God for carrying me and drifted to memories of early milestones in my hike. I remember being in Mollies Ridge Shelter in the Smokies and ¢only having 2,000 miles left¢. I thought of my friends, the difficulties, and the triumphs. I smiled all the way down to Little Bigelow Lean-to. I may not be an official ¢through-hiker¢ (I¢m not through), but I am an official 2,000 miler. I was overwhelmed with joy for most of the day¢s remainder. Where the trail had been tough through The Bigelows, the next 4 miles were gradual down to flat. I hiked like the wind with the red and yellow leaves swirling around me. I was blowing through until a reached a sign in white paint on the road: ¢2,000 miles¢. I bubbled in giddiness all over again. If I¢m this excited over 2,000 miles, I cannot even imagine what I will be like after summitting Mount Katahdin (God willing:-)). With 14 miles down I locked in for 3.5 miles to the next shelter. I not only locked in on hiking, but also on prayer. As I passed the walls of autumn leaves surrounding me I cried out to God. Every since I cried out to him leaving Glencliff, NH, he has touched me with his presence and in my hiking itself (check the miles, its not me). I prayed in worship and thanks. I lifted up my family, friends, church, teachers I know, the country, hiking friends, trail angels, and more. Have you ever prayed to a God whom you can sense loves you so much and is so real that you cannot help but crying? I did today. In particular I prayed for my Mom. I love her so much and she is such a wonderful woman. I just hope she knows how much God loves her and has her in his arms. I hope she knows how much I love her too :-). There were tears in my eyes as I reached the shelter. At the shelter I saw ¢Gabby and Poky¢ for the first time in months. I knew I had further to go, but I caught up with them and wished them well. Gabby¢s ankle is hurt, but they¢re pushing slowly but surely. This late in the hike, it¢s awesome to catch people you know. I¢m sure they will make it. After our mini-reunion, I left to cover more miles. The Kennebec River lies 14 miles from the shelter and can only (according to the ATC) be covered by a canoe ferry that runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. I plan on being at the ferry tomorrow. I pushed the next 4 miles into dusk. In addition to the normal autumn wonder, I passed 2 pristine lakes reflecting the colors along with the sunset. I cannot even explain how flat the trail was, while it did have some rocks and roots. Between the day¢s events and an awesome time with God, I was still near giddy as I reached the second lake. There, as I pulled out my flashlight, donated to me yesterday, I saw the glow of a fire in the distance. Over by the fire I found ¢Mad Scientist¢ and ¢Yoda¢. With night¢s cold descending I was more than happy to enjoy the warmth of the licking flames. There we talked about our achievement. All 3 of us started on March 15th and all 3 of us have passed every white blaze. As we talked by the fire I felt a certain camaraderie and feeling of brotherhood I almost can¢t decide. While it would have been tempting to camp there, I decided to push into the night. Six miles to the shelter Dapper Dan is at. The stars were radiant and seemingly countless. As I finished walking the lakeshore I was amazed. Despite being tired and having aches in my joints, I might have walked all 6 miles if it were not for my flashlight. The batteries slowly died and I nearly tripped numerous times. I stole the batteries from my camera and trudged on. After 2 miles, unconfident in my light source, I reached this woods road and tented to the side. Now I¢m bundled up from the cold and ready to sleep. Today was awesome in so many ways. From the frost to leaves, to lakes, to stars¢¦WOW! I¢ll catch Dapper Dan in the morning¢¦ha, ha, my light¢s dying. (Glad I stopped). I still don¢t understand how I can be blessed. Still, I will enjoy it while I can. 9 more days¢¦scary.Goodnight, BEATBOX   ttt