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Rangley to Katahdin!

      Class of 2013!!!

     Getting dropped off at the trail head.  A woman disappeared around here.  There were a lot of photos of her everywhere.  One was of her right where I'm standing.

Miss Janet had some new paint on her van.  

Poppa Smurf was too cold to get up and going.  To his credit, it was bitter cold.

That's ice.  Between the wind and the temp it was around there.

Going up Sadle back.

Old sign on an older tree.

As nice as it was out my motivation to hike was really low its day.  It ended up be sooo awesome.

The same pond as the last photo.

I'm telling yah it ended up a great day!!!

   That's a me!  

A VERY rare sighting.  Trail magic at a shelter.  I think someone flew this stuff in.  It was a hell of a hike both ways.

Chiquita working her way around a pond.

The Kenebec river.  We needed to ford this.  It was deep and fast.  People raft on the river.

There's a damn up a ways that opens irregularly making it dangerous to ford I guess.

The MATC employs this fella to come a ferry hikers across.  I had to sign a waiver first.

Safe and sound on the otherwise! 

Maine doesn't like footbridges.  There were a lot of fords.

Chiquita struggling yet again!  So funny to watch!!

My boots were already soaked.  Why bother to take them off.

    This one was easy.

Mystical Maine forest.

That's Katahdin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Everything was neon green except the trail.

    Katahdin!  It doesn't look scarey here.  But there was snow up there two days before this was taken.  They closed the trails.

Last 10 miles to base camp!

                    Folk art.

Chiquita watching else someone else struggle for once! 

Sideshow's folks doing trail magic the night before Katahdin.  Lots and lots of food and beer.

   And lots of hikers too.

No one had any food after the 100 mile wilderness.  This buffet was awesome!!

Me and Salimander!  We meet on our first day on the trail.  Nice to see him again on our last day.

This was about 3/4 to the top.  Katahdin was TOUGH!!!  It's the longest continuous climb on the trail. Part hiking part climbing part cursing.  It just kept going!  UP! 

I was dreading going down.  My left boot blew out on me the previous morning and was held together by duck tape for the climb.

The plaque at the top!

Siting on top of Katahdin!!!!!!! There were about thirty other thru hikers up there.  We all took turns taking lots and lots of photos.  I am thru hiking!

Lincoln, NH to Rangely ME

      

These are hard to get on "film". Everything was just right. Including the shity weather and me being there.

I was in a cloud most of this day.   It looks worse than it was.  I had a blast this day.

That's Chet.  Great dude! He lets hikers slack pack out of his house for donations.  

Hikes in the garage/hostel.

My shoes in rough shape!   But surviving!  Freesole is keeping them going.

                  #1!  

It took an hour to get this hitch back to the trail.

Mt Laffayette.  Great day!!!!  Couldn't se a thing!  

Hard to see here but there's nothing to walk on behind me.

Lots of rocks to walk over today.

Stealth camping in the whites.  Not a lot of these spots.  Everywhere else is rocks, trees and moist moist moss.

A break in a cloud.

And on my left...WAVES OF MTS.

This view deserved a good long stare.  Horrible photo.  Does it no justice.

Chiquita was trigger happy with my camera.  I was enjoying a cup of hot chocolate.  Summer ended for me up there.   The cold never left me.

"Harke!!! A mountain!"

Yep.  Lots of mud up here.  This is nothing.  Nothing.

Coming up to Lakes of the Clouds hut, just before Nt. Washington.

One of the lakes of the clouds.

     Oh hell!  Guess ill take my chances!

Looking back at the hut.  That's only 1.6 away!

                   Still #1!

Thru hikers had to wait for 90 people to be done eating before we could. And we still had to work for the chow.  It wasn't hard work. Pretty much the chores of the hut crew.

Outside the hut.  Nice sunset.  I didn't get too many.

                     Leftovers. Mmmmmmm

   And then we got to sleep on the floor inside the hut!   It wassooooooo cold up there!  It was nice to not sleep in wind!

This crazy dude slac packed three people who slac packing!!!!  They payed for it too!!!

More leftovers!  Couldn't get enough.

The kitchen at Lakes.

This crazy ran down Washington!   It was bitter cold and I don't think he packed his thermals.

That's LOL and her new fiancée.  He popped the question on the summit.  She said yes. So cute.

The cog rail.  One can pay a lot of money to get to the top.  Lazy people.

The trail crosses the line.

Descending Washington.  With presidential mountains in the back.

         Awesome cloud!!!!!!

Mt. Madison gave us coffee and sent us on our way-- up a giant mountain during 60 mile winds. Took us four hours to walk 4.3 miles

  On the way carter notch hut!!! 

Only people were thru hikers!  Great people here!  The crew treated us great! They ren out of food so they made more! Just for us!!!

   And then breakfast in the morning.  Pancakes and bacon!!  Oh and coffee!

    Woke up here.   After two huge thunder storms.

              Moose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

       To cold and nasty to stop.  Yeah Maine!!  So cold and wet.  Brrrrrrrrrr

Chiquita riding the struggle bus.

So glad that was there!  

Zeus and Poppins embracing the misery of the Maine cold.

              So cold!!!!!!

Things became better. At a b&b in Bethel.