Nate's been driving with cracks in his windshield for months...
dangerous

 

 

 

So here's the story...
Nathan went on this trip to Baxter State Park up in Maine
a few years ago with his family. He wanted to go again and
invited me and his other friends Kate and Alex. Thing is, you
to book the camping space months in advance, but luckily,
Kate is from Maine, so she took care of that. That Thursday
night, i drove up to Newport where Nate currently lives, and
we got some last minute supplies and prepared food to bring
along (hence the need for ice). I was also wondering where
Alex was, but he backed out of the trip. More food for us.
Early Friday morning (after i got no sleep because the
pillow was too firm), we started a trek that would take us
from one end of New England to the other.

 

 

 

As we were driving north out of Rhode Island, i noticed the pine
trees on either side of the highway and mentioned, "wow, those
pine trees smell really nice out there, it's smells almost like if you
had one of those pine air freshener in your car". Then Nathan
pointed behind his shoulder, "You mean like that one?"

 

 

 

As the Nate pulled the car up to Kate's apartment in Boston,
the curb viciously attacked the hubcap.

 

 

 

That's Kate, Nate's friend from college. She has a dog.

 

 

 

What the hell? Just imagine that face appearing at the end of
a dark hallway slowly floating toward you... shivers

 

 

 

Alright, mother.

 

 

 

Po-o-o-land Springs, what it means to be from Maine. The bottles were
$1.50 each; why would it be so much more expensive than at home?
It's not like they have to ship it very far.

 

 

Really... what is anyone gonna do about it?

 

 

 

Some freakish kid was sitting by the side of a road under construction.

 

 

 

After over 7 hours on the road, we arrive at Baxter State Park. Inside
the parking pass is a not-so-subtle speed limit reminder.

 

 

 

Yay, breaking in my new backpack.

 

 

 

It was nice finally getting out of the car. I definitely need to invest in a more compact
sleeping bag, and Nate needs to invest in some bug spray.

 

 

 

ooo... nature

 

 

 

Roaring Brook

 

 

 

 

 

 

ooo... nature... *buzz* *slap!* DAMN MOSQUITOS!
Keep movin'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the many obstacles on the tricky hiking trail. What's funny
was that during the hike to Chimney Pond, we were very cautious
and slow crossing these. I don't think we even noticed these on the
way back, because we became experts balancers (if there is such a
thing) during the climb.

 

 

 

 

Ewww

 

 

 

Taking a short break to take some pictures. We took a lot of breaks
because frankly, walking uphill on large rocks is exhausting for someone
out of shape like me. But hey... that means more pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally arrived at Chimney pond after hiking for 2.5 hours. It's funny
how Nate's estimate was about one hour... right. Chimney pond is where
we will camp for the night before we start a long day of hiking up the
mountain the next day.

 

 

 

The beautiful profile of mount katahdin. Looking at it from this distance we had no idea
that the surface was covered in giant boulders. The guy on the left is the a park ranger.

 

 

happy

 

 

 

Bunk house at Chimney Pond.

 

 

 

Quaint

 

 

 

Yay, we get to sleep on shelves.

 

 

Chimney Pond is not so much a pond
as a freshwater reservoir, so there was no swimming or washing
allowed. But I'm grateful it was there, because I learned quickly
that the bottled water I brought was quite insufficient.

 

ahhh.. nature.

 

 

 

The rangers house, no fair, he gets cable.

 

 

 

Nate firing up the butane stove we bought at Walmart the night before
for only 20 bucks. I want one now.

 

 

 

mmm... delicious burger. Everyone who walked by to the bunk house
were eyeing our food like we were gonna offer them some, hell no.
The funniest memory was of this guy who was making macaroni and
cheese for himself and his girlfriend, but he utterly failed, and it looked
like cheesy macaroni soup (though even that description would make it
sound appetizing). How can anyone fail macaroni and cheese from a box?
Then later that night, in the bunk house shared by 12 people, one guy
was snoring all night, obviously irritating everyone. Guess who it was,
macaroni guy. We decided to feel really bad for the girlfriend.

 

 

 

These two girls were obviously well seasoned hikers.

 

 

 

As i was heading to the outhouse to take care of business, i saw a family
standing there staring into the forest. As i approached, they quietly beckoned
me and saw what they were staring at. Staring back at me was a moose,
just chilling there munching on some plants, only a few feet away.

 

 

 

I wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning.

 

 

 

That's right, stay out.

 

 

 

morning = grumpy

 

 

 

morning = hungry

 

 

 

Weather forecast for the day. According to this, it was supposed to be humid in the
upper 80's. It was nothing like that on the mountain; it was dry, cool, and breezy.

 

 

 

Kate using her water filter pump to fill the water bottles... oh precious
water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey little fellow

 

 

 

Some other guys who slept in the bunk-house, they weren't really friendly.

 

 

 

Mount Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, a
footpath extending south to Spencer Mt. Georgia... a select few, determined,
brave, and insane people tackle the whole trail in one season. Maybe i'll do it
one day. phhphpllphhfftt...

 

 

 

And off we go on day 2 of our journey. We're taking Cathdral Trail to
reach the summit, it's the most steep, direct, and difficult of the trails up.

 

 

 

Cathedral trail. It started as a trail, then suddenly we felt like we were in
giant world from mario brothers.

 

 

 

go on... save... your... selves...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was really quiet and peaceful for about an hour, then we heard other
hikers approaching. It was annoying at first, but then it became
comforting to know there were others who were suffering too.

 

 

 

Another benefit of meeting other hikers... someone to take a group shot.

 

 

 

That group was from a local basketball team, and they do this trip
every year. One guy was saying he was glad he was a senior.

 

 

 

totally posed

 

 

 

Not posed, Nathan actually almost fell to his death. I know I should've
grabbed his arm to help him up, but why would I miss an opportunity
for a shot like this?

 

 

 

A view of Knife Edge

 

 

 

UP and up we go. This huge boulder formation took about 20 minutes to climb up and
over, and as it was crazy how when we were looking at it many hours later when we
reached the other peak, it was merely a little bump in the mountain.

 

 

 

And upper and upper we go.

 

 

 

.5 more miles... yesss... in regular walking time, that'd take 10 minutes.
But oh yeah, we're climbing a rocky trail so it'll be another hour. Nate and I
calculated that we were moving at an average speed of half a mile an hour.
Go sloth go.

 

 

 

Some of the delicate life that call the mountain home.

 

 

 

It would've been fun to explore away from the marked trails, but i guess
part of respecting nature is not disrupting it. That being said, this flower
was delicious.

 

 

 

This picture reminds me of that Price is Right game that had the yodalling music in the
background, and the hiker would violently fall off the edge if you failed.

 

 

 

At last we reach Baxter Peak, the summit of Katahdin. It's a modest 5267 ft. but it's the end
of the Appalachian Trail... that's cool.

 

 

 

Kate must've been the strongest of us all. Nate and I were carrying our daypacks, but
Kate had her big heavy bag. She even had a chair in there.

 

 

 

Oh no!!! What am i doing? This was supposed to be a wushu free trip.

 

 

 

$250 fine or imprisonment for disturbing this mark?
Isn't that a little extreme? The disparity in punishments i mean.
You can either be slapped with a small fine or have your life
disturbed and ruined forever.

 

 

 

Dangerous... no kidding now, this precipice was really dangerous. The rocks jutted out with
nothing below them but a serious drop. And that's where we had lunch, yay.

 

 

 

Okay, obviously these kids did not climb cathedral trail, they probably
came up saddle trail which was a longer distance, but flatter and less
dangerous.

 

 

 

Hey, no fat people, i should go hiking more often.

 

 

 

Kate's thinking "Oh Snap!". Reaching the summit was just the beginning.

 

 

 

The beautiful valley below. And once in a while when I wasn't
carefully analysing what step i would take next, i took a a moment
to enjoy it. Photography simply doesn't do it justice.

 

 

 

That other peek is a mile of fun away.

 

 

 

The mountain top was full of insects, but it was okay because they
only beetles, and they didn't have any interest in human flesh.

 

 

 

ooo... shiney

 

 

 

That's Knife's edge, one of the most dangerous parts of the climb
because it's cravassed boulders only a few feet wide with precipitous
drops on either side... precipitous.

 

 

 

Dangerous... we were traversing knife edge fine when suddenly there was
a steep drop followed by a steep rock climb. It felt like climbing one of
those indoor rockwalls, just without a cushiony floor to catch you if you
fucked up, only hundreds of feet of bone shattering rock.

 

 

 

Gut

 

 

 

Descending the mountain was strange. The rocks here were especially covered in
lichen, so it felt like we were on some unexplored green planet.

 

 

 

I like how the lakes look like little puddles of water from far away.

 

 

 

Lichen. Usually i'd be grossed out touching this stuff, but here I had
no choice.

 

 

 

Hero Nate

 

 

 

Gut

 

 

 

The rocks during the descent were GIANT. It was like a problem solving
exercise trying to figure out how to scale down each one.

 

 

 

At a point, I ran out of water, visions of the horrors
of Mt. Fuji flashed in my mind. My throat was dry, lips
parched, knees cramping, when suddenly, we heard a
faint trickle in the distance... water. Nathan drank from
the stream first and I followed. I had never drank from a
stream before and was hesitant. But as the cool refreshment
re-energized my body, and re-invigorated my spirit, i had to
have more. I drank and drank by the handful. Lapping it up,
spilling it in abundence, for it was so. And then I was not
thirsty.

 

 

 

After 8 hours of hiking, we finally reached Chimney Pond. What a grand feeling it was.
... except that on our way down Dudley trail, the 2 women who were our bunkmates
passed us. Looking at the this sign-in sheet, they must have been the ones who started
at 8:45. A whole hour after we left in the morning. Hardcore.

 

 

 

Thank god for Kate's water pump thing. oh, precious water.

 

 

 

The outhouses were actually clean and inviting.

 

 

 

Oh no, after all the climbing we've done, we still gotta hike the tedious
3.3 miles back to the Roaring Brook campsite, Nate cannot handle it
and is breaking down...

 

 

 

...but thanks to selective memory recollection, voila, we arrive.

 

 

 

The first act of hygiene in 2 days... eww.

 

 

 

It could've been a beautiful moment, the sound of rushing water, the
scenic views, the cool water refreshing my tired feet, but no; damn
mosquitos have to come and bite me 5 times and ruin everything.
Curse you nature.

 

 

 

Make a wish.

 

 

 

Kate pitching the tent.

 

 

 

Slices of chicken breast marinated in caribbean jerk chicken sauce.

 

 

 

Yummy, and as Nate puts it, everything we eat probably turned into
muscle.

 

 

 

And we didn't give Kate one bite. That's right, that vegetarian
can keep those cheese quesadillas... those fire-grilled,
oh-so-cheesy layers of melted goodness all to herself.
cheesy... goodness...

 

 

 

 

What? all 3 of us fit in that little tent? You better believe it. Oddly
enough, it was the best sleep i had in days. I think my body had
no choice but to shut down.

 

 

 

After looking all around Millinocket for a place to have breakfast,
we finally found a restaurant that was open in the next town.

 

 

 

Holy goodness, a feast!

 

 

 

Corn beef hash... don't be a hater.

 

 

 

"Charles, make sure you have a pair of nice hiking boots, and if not,
at least invest in hiking socks", Nathan warns... aww, look who has a
blister.

 

 

 

A much needed, the road is hypnotizing me, break.

 

 

 

I take over

 

 

 

One of Nate's, WTF is wrong with him, expressions. You're a good buddy Nate.

 

 

 

Our last stop before Boston was the New Hampshire State liquor store.
Only the government can sell booze there, so it's a real bargain without
all the markups and taxes. Unfortunately in my haste when i got home,
i through out the receipt that would've netted me a $10 rebate on a bottle
of vodka i bought... DAMN! It would've ended up being a $3 bottle. DAMN!

 

 

 

The End