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A Wet Mountain
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October 10, 2005



At the beginning of this next segment was a quick detour. Cricket had made contact with her childhood best friend who now lived down in Gorham, Maine. We then decided to drive a couple of hours to the south for a visit. She invited us to stay the night, so we backed the RV up into the driveway. After a few pizzas, the boys and I were ready for bed. Cricket, however, was up rather late. It had been about 9 years since they last saw each other so they had a lot to catch up on.

The following day after half a days drive, we arrive at the Hidden Springs Campground in Millinocket, Maine. Hidden Springs was just a short drive to the south from Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park. After setting up camp, there were still a couple hours left in the day so we decided to take a drive up to get some hiking information.



Along the way we stopped at a lake to enjoy the views. By this time the leaves were just beginning to change colors. A few moments and a bunch of photos later (along with a quick swim in the lake by Jake) we continued up to the Baxter State Park entrance. After a short discussion with the park ranger, we realized it would be difficult to make the hike to the peak and back within one day. Even the shortest trail was approximately a 5 hour hike. That's almost 10-11 hours round trip. And with the daylight hours much shorter than the dark hours this time a year, we would have to start before dawn. After leaving the ranger station, we headed into town to get some supplies. Lots of Gatorade, water, trail mix and we each got some new hiking boots.



However, the mountain would have to wait another day. Back at the RV, we all go to bed early to prepare for the next days hiking journey. Then about 10pm that night, the sky lets loose and the rain begins to fall. And with the temperature in the low 40 down in the foothills, there would be snow up there at the mountains peak. We knew by watching the weather forecast that there was a good chance for rain early Saturday, but that it was supposed to clear up in the evening and Sunday would be a beautiful day. So we decided to take advantage of the rainy day and due some laundry. We headed into town to the local laundry mat. While there we met a really interesting lady. At 60+ years old, she was on her last few miles of completing the Appalachian Trail. She started out earlier in the year down in Georgia and began walking the entire length of the trail by herself. Due to health reasons, her husband could not make the trip. Because of the weather, the park rangers had closed the mountain to hikers. If the rain doesn't end, she may not be able to complete her journey.



Well, by Saturday evening we're again watching the weather channel to get the forecast. It doesn't look good. Now the rain is forecast for Sunday also, with Monday being the good weather day. But as Sunday comes, there is still more rain in the forecast. And it looks that way for all of New England. So this morning we decided to pack it up and head to Boston where most of the sites are indoors.

On the way south we stop in the states capital of Augusta, Maine. One of the must see stops for each state is the capital buildings. Once here, we park at a local mall that has a half empty parking lot, unhook the Blazer, then drive into downtown. As we drive around, we also find the old Armory Buildings which were being restored. In studying Maine's history, we discovered that back in the late 1800's, Maine's governor declared war on England over the border dispute with New Brunswick. This was the first and only time a state governor has ever issued a declaration of war against another country. The issues was resolved without ever firing a shot.





Tomorrow morning we will be visiting with the mother of Crickets best friend who lives here in Augusta. Afterwards, we will then be driving down to Massachusetts.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mark

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