Date: 8/19/04 Starting Location: The Birches Campsite Destination: Mt. Katahdin Miles: 5.2 Total Miles: 2182.9 After a night of restless anticipation, morning came early. I strolled away from The Birches for an early reunion with my Mom and Dad who’d driven all the way from home to meet me, but even before I made it...
Appalachian Trail 2004
The Birches
Date: 8/18/04 Starting Location: Abol Bridge Destination: The Birches Campsite Miles: 9.9 Total Miles: 2177.7 What a day! Very short on miles, but with a mere 10 miles between Abol Bridge and the final campsite tonight in Baxter State Park at the foot of Katahdin, we had plenty of time to enjoy the sights along...
Abol Bridge
Date: 8/17/04 Starting Location: Rainbow Stream Lean-to Destination: Abol Bridge Miles: 15.0 Total Miles: 2167.8 The dwindling miles that now separate me from Katahdin have been matched by a dwindling pace. My energy has slowly waned over the course of the past month, having long since consumed what fat reserves I had, so the leisurely...
Rainbow Stream
Date: 8/16/04 Starting Location: Mahar Tote Road Destination: Rainbow Stream Lean-to Miles: 15.8 Total Miles: 2152.8 After a massive group breakfast that featured all-you-can-eat blueberry pancakes, our merry band of thru-hikers loaded into the boat for a ride back across the lake and back to our default task of hiking north. Not 2 hours into...
Mahar Tote Road
Date: 8/15/04 Starting Location: East Branch Lean-to Destination: Mahar Tote Road Miles: 21.9 Total Miles: 2137.0 When this day began, I had it in the back of my mind that if my luck had truly turned for the better and everything went right, there was an outside chance that I might catch up with Camel,...
East Branch
Date: 8/14/04 Starting Location: West Branch Pleasant River Destination: East Branch Lean-to Miles: 16.3 Total Miles: 2115.1 True story: It is now November of 2017, a mere 13+ years since I wrote the previous post from my AT thru-hike in 2004. I may have broken a record for the longest cliffhanger on how this adventure...
West Branch Pleasant River
Date: 8/13/04 Starting Location: Chairback Gap Lean-to Destination: West Branch Pleasant River Miles: 4.4 Total Miles: 2098.8 Clearly the challenges of the trail are not at an end. After 9 hours of continuous downpour through the night, Gerry, Captain Hook and I awoke in the shelter to the sound of roaring water below the shelter...
Chairback Gap
Date: 8/12/04 Starting Location: Long Pond Stream Lean-to Destination: Chairback Gap Lean-to Miles: 10.9 Total Miles: 2094.4 Today was a carbon copy of yesterday’s weather as Gerry and I set off on the climb up to traverse the Barren-Chairback range. Some solid ups and downs slowed us up quite a bit so we ended the...
Long Pond Stream
Date: 8/11/04 Starting Location: ME 15 Destination: Long Pond Stream Lean-to Miles: 15.1 Total Miles: 2083.5 Well, only the 100-mile wilderness awaits, and my friend Gerry arrived last night while I was with the rest of the gang at Shaw’s. Walked today with Gerry and NY Mule (Brett) along a fog-shrouded trail after leaving behind...
ME 15
Date: 8/10/04 Starting Location: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to Destination: ME 15 Miles: 9.0 Total Miles: 2068.4 One last short day heading into the town of Monson, ME before beginning the 100-mile wilderness tomorrow. Also, my last day alone on the trail since my friend Gerry from home is meeting me tonight to finish the trail with...
