Maine, 2010

August of 2010, My wife, Alice and grandson Austin and grand daughter Hannah (Shaun and Jamie's, Shaun was part of my Tetons trip in 08) Drove off for Benedicta, Maine to meet up with our friends to share the same cabins we did several years earlier, on Plunket Pond. We drove up to 1000 Islands, NY to camp, then drove into Canada to get to Maine.
While cabining along the pond, Alice and I drove into Millinocket and were picking blueberries off the side of the road, near a grocery store. Later, we drove into Baxter Park region and found raspberries to pick....ohhhhh fresh blueberries and raspberries, just can't be beat!
The objective, of this trip, was that (some of) the same group that climbed up to the tree line of Mt Katahdin were to attempt it again (of that group in 07 I was the only one to summit via the AT. Left-right: Jessica, Hannah, Herb, Marriane, Tom, myself. (This was to be Hannah's shake down test hike, for going into Glacier Nat'l Park, the next month with Mark and I and Ron.) We started at Roaring Brook campsite about 7AM, carrying light backpacks of water and food, for the mile high 4 hour ascent. The good park ranger asked if we had flash lights. We all left ours at the cabin, so he issued one to us... good call Ranger, thanks! Climbing up to Chimney Pond for a short break, then taking off climbing the Saddle Trail up a very steep ascent, to the spine just below summit of Baxter Peak. I was actually going to split at Chimney Pond and go up the Knife Edge, but at the advice of the ranger, we all stuck together... very prophetic call! I was in exceptional shape, riding a month earlier around Lake Erie with Ron. 600 plus miles prior and 747 around the lake, my capacities were the best they have been in ages! Poor Herb was feeling the ascent! Not to mention his hip! Yet all of us made it above the tree line! The girls Jess and Hannah were exceptional! Marianne was staying inside herself to overcome her fear of heights. Tom... outstanding! The hard part was over, now the actual ascent, less than a mile away... over boulders! (Remember, vertical height is different than the trail distance! Katahdin is 1 mile high)
WE MADE SUMMIT!!! What an awesome feeling! To have summited this myself in 07 then with my dear friends again is just a great experience. I was so proud of all them!
"It's a round trip. Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory!" (Ed Viesturs). So goes the saying. The more difficult part of climbing (I do NOT consider this type of "climbing" in any way shape or form, comparable to scaling a mountain using equipment and scaling true vertical seams! My intent is to simply WALK. Poor Herb! by the time we made it back to descending the steepest section, he was "bonking". He had "hit the wall" late in the ascent, and was taken in hard by this time! I was worrying about him when he would put all his weight on the trekking poles as he descended the steepest section. Marriane was pumping him full of power foods. Eventually we all made it back the the ranger station at Roaring Brook... at almost total darkness. Once again, our "rangel" (ranger/angel) protected us..Could this have been the same "rangel" experience Tim, had in the Tetons, at Heart lake, of 08? some people call this "trail magic". Not me.. I only see the hand of the Lord in all this. Awesome Herb made this ascent on shear tenacity! I would never recommend a hike such as this taken so lightly, but Herb made it! As did all of us! I am glad I did not take the Knife Edge and Tom ALMOST was going to go with me. This was a time we needed each other. The Knife Edge is still there....another trip will be had for this ascent! FYI: The Knife Edge depicts a trail up to the summit. As the name implies, the Knife edge is precarious as the path is about 4-6 feet wide for several 100 yards.... and the both sides are shear drops! But the view is spectacular!
This is a view of Plunkett Pond. One of the many awesome golden sunsets.Hannah(Mac) was awesome, first time in a Kayak, she is a natural. Austin, as a 9th grader, I would love to have taken him up the peak, but he just wasn't ready, mindset, for it. The two 17 yr old girls, Hannah and Jesse...power hikers! Hannah IS ready for Glacier, as I knew she would be! Marriane was great. She overcame her Acrophobia! Herb!! Tenacious!



L-R Front; Jesse, Hannah B. Marriane, Alice, Hannah Mac L-R Rear: Austin, Herb, Mike, Me




Great food, great friends, great scenery, the loons, no moose. I LOVE Maine!

Born To Adventure

My parents gave my brothers and I, as young kids, a very long leash as to adventures we could have. All of Fairfield County and neighboring counties were ours; "just be home by this time, or you will have consequences to pay", was my parents edicts. As a result, these adventures instilled in me, and to lesser extents, my brothers, an insatiable thirst today to venture out. I would tell my two boys when they were young "if you had even 1/2 the adventures I had at your age, I would envy you". As they grew up in Hilliard, Ohio.
Back then, my adventures took my brothers and me to places like Buckeye Lake, day hikes to Beck's Knob to cook out, and swing on vines.. or wading in Hunter's Run. As for sports, my forte was distance running. Finishing 18th in the State of Ohio and doing my best two mile high school Cross Country time of 9:08. I have done 3 marathons (1 Athens and 2 Columbus), as one can see, my endurance levels are high.
I have done many Tour Of the Scioto Valley (TOSRV) rides on Mother's Day from early 80's to mid 90's, and had many years hiatus until my kids grew up and out. My first venture as an "Empty Nester" was a Honda Magna 750. A year later, I took my wife and I on a 1000 mile ride round trip to Bruce Peninsula, Ontario and home on this cycle. We rode 35 miles or so in a torrential down pour, only to find out 165 miles later, at our hotel, we had gone through 2 tornadoes! My wife did exceptionally well on this ride!
I talked my co-worker and friend, Ron, into riding the TOSRV back in 2006, only to break my wrist 3 weeks from the ride. The good Dr. would not allow me to ride, so I vowed to ride across Ohio after I healed, and did so, going from Cleveland to Delaware, and from Cincinnati to Columbus (due to a deluge I changed) 30 miles of ground I did not cover. I still want to complete a true cross Ohio ride.
My first true mountain climb was in 07 via Mt Katahdin, in Maine. Aside from this Mountain, the only stone I had climbed as a youth was Mt Pleasant, in Lancaster, I was all over that stone! Ron and I did a canoe trip, 07, of 4 days, 3 nights on the Big Darby and down the Scioto beyond Chillicothe, even being shot over our heads by bullets near a shooting range! Of all the people it was State Troopers taking target practice, and some were idle doing skeet shooting with their guns. Bullets were ricocheting over our heads! My first true backpacking experience was in 07 with 3 of my friends, Mark, Ron, Tim going from above Logan, Ohio to Burr Oak Lake, camping out 2 nights.
MY first real west adventure was in 08 and climbing Cascade Canyon over Paint Brush Divide in the Tetons, in 08 with Ron, Tim, Jason, Mark, Shaun. I nearly lost my life in crossing the Divide. Snow covered, still, in Late July "all we needed were pick axes" said the ranger. I took a great pic of Mark, took several steps and slipped! My pick ax did its' job! it held me! I got back up to my feet and carried on as if nothing happened. I could have slid 500 plus feet to..... Thank You Lord!

Late winter of 09, Mark, Jason and I went to Lake Pymatuning to sleep out in an igloo! January 23 was about 32 degrees We checked into the Ranger station and asked for a site..."you want a cabin, right?" "nope, we want a camp site." "How big is your trailer?" "we don't have a trailer, we are building an igloo"! The other ranger came from back room to listen in on these 3 kooks! We had one bucket, 3 shovels and made our igloo. At 7 degrees we went to bed. Poor Jason got the "sink hole". Mark and I got the sleeping shelves. I had great insulation between me and snow, and all I did was drape the 30 degree bag over me, and slept from 12 AM to 9:15 AM! Jason and Mark ended up in the truck. I picked up cross country skiing about this time also.
Last year was a ride from Pittsburgh to DC on bicycles using the GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) crushed, compacted limestone trail from Pitt to Cumberland Va, and the C&O Towpath trail from Cumberland to DC a paltry, pathetic, shameful country lane of two ruts with grass, if that, in the middle and pot holes all over! I rode it on my LeMond Etape' 8 speed street touring bicycle with Continental Gatorskin tires (bullet proof Kevlar, baby!!) As it was, it was a most eeeeeexcellent ride!
I tried a 150 mile one day ride from above Independence, Ohio to Bolivar,Ohio and back, only making it to Bolivar, and my tires blew...I left my tools and tires/tubes back home... cut short 75 miles! I was taken home by my father in law, vowing to make the 150 some time!
My last big ride of last year was another stab at 150. (I chose 150, because that is what I had done on an individual ride, from Akron area back to Columbus on an old Schwinn LeTour 6 speed, after doing two previous days of 45, and 85, or so.)
My final ride of last year was just that! 150 miles. From London, Ohio to 5 miles below Loveland, Ohio on Rails to Trails, 75 miles down, and 75 back. 11 Hrs and 17 min. I had a "mild" case of food poisoning at start. It was dark when I finished and at 56 degrees, I nearly got hypothermia. I put the car heat on, full blast, and got home, took a hot shower and got into bed and I was still shaking! But I made it! 150 miles in one ride!
I tried my hand at two more nights out during winter, by making "picloos". A "hybrid" igloo, using a picnic table. First was at John Bryan State park, next was Mohican State Park. Both successful attempts.
This year, my first big venture was "around" Lake Erie with Ron. I Googled the routes, and made it as lean as possible, all 4 of us Ron, Mark, Jason and I, at the time, agreed not to go through Detroit. We couldn't ride over the bridge anyway, and, after all, it IS Detroit! Mark and Jason opted out, so it was just Ron and I. Originally we were to start in Toledo, but opted to start near Delaware, Ohio. It was to be give or take 645 miles, and turned out to be 747 miles! A most awesome ride!! Perhaps all of the Ontario side and DOWN to near Waldo (near Delaware) was all head wind!
My future ventures are coming soon, August 16th where the same group in 07 and I will attempt Mt Katahdin again. We will ascend via Roaring Brook to Chimney Pond, and I will split from them, traversing the Knife Edge to summit, hoping to meet up with my group... and I may meet up with my old Cross Country coach and his team! My other adventure will be out west to Glacier National Park/Waterton Natl Park, Canada to back pack! More to follow.