Day 5 – Slackpacking Maine – AT Hike #15
Hike #5 – Katahdin Stream to Abol Bridge – 10.2 miles – 443 ascent – 936 decent
A bit of a poetic take on today’s journey…
Today, I stepped off the world’s stage and wandered where the wild things are.
The summit’s call, a distant echo, as work and worries dissolved like morning mist.
Baxter’s trails beckoned, a tapestry of pine, rock, and river’s song,
A symphony of nature’s hues, a canvas of tranquility stretched ten miles long.
The rapids’ rush, the waterfalls’ dance, a chorus of peace in wild expanse.
In every step, a moment’s grace, in every breath, the forest’s embrace.
For today, the beauty I did seize, in the heart of the park, I found my peace.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the day’s last light painted a memory of a journey through Baxter’s embrace. A day where work and lists faded into the laughter that danced with the pines. The trail, a mosaic of nature’s artistry, led to a simple, sweet finale—ice cream and giggles, the perfect prelude to tomorrow’s quest.
The gear lies ready, a silent testament to the dawn’s promise. Little donuts, a trail of sugared milestones, await to celebrate each mile conquered. The summit of Katahdin looms.
The night whispers of rest, for at 4 am, the adventure begins anew, eyes bright, spirit eager. And in the quiet, a thought lingers—a voice from the mountain’s peak, echoing a truth: ‘It is good to do hard things.’
For in the ascent, in the challenge, we find ourselves.
My awesome friend from the Massachusetts Slackpacking trip, Superbad, just texted me two quotes from the General from our last trip:
‘Believe you can, and you are halfway there,’ a reminder from the past, from the indomitable spirit of Teddy Roosevelt. It’s a call to hold faith, to trust in the strength within, for belief is the wind beneath the wings of endeavor.
‘Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,’ a mantra for the journey. It speaks of a steady pace, of grace in each step, where haste is the enemy of progress. For in the measured rhythm of movement, in the calm cadence of persistence, lies the swiftest path to the summit.
The mountain calls, and we are ready to answer.
