Heartbeat AT
For those who seek fellowship with the wilderness, . . . "Be still and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10
Appalachian Trail Hike 2010
Crawford Notch - Katahdin
Friday, September 3 Moxie Bald Lean-to, Maine
Days Dry: 18
Days Wet: 3
Total Miles Hiked: 212.6
Miles to Katahdin: 132.4
We asked the Lord for strength and protection as we forded the Kennebec River early Thursday morning. We should have prayed about the remaining 11.2 miles. The ford was the easiest part of our day.
Descending from Pleasant Pond Mountain, which certainly wasn't the most difficult challenge we have had to face these more than 200 miles, I kept wondering what was the matter with me. I had absolutely no energy for even the smallest "bump" of which there were several on this particular monolith. At one juncture, I even had to stop dead in my tracks and lie down right in the middle of the trail for several minutes!
Is my age beginning to catch up with me? After all, I am fifty years old and not getting any younger. But then again, I remember hiking with Sean-O (AT '03) at a pace of three miles per hour, and Sean-O was 74 then! Not only that, whatever rock outcropping I was immobilized on, my hiking partner (eighteen years my junior) was behind me somewhere lying on the trail himself.
When we finally lumbered to the road crossing at "Joe's Hole" (what the locals call Moxie Pond's south end, though no one knows for sure who Joe is), we were met by Sydney "The Pie Lady" Pratt and her close friend Betty. They immediately asked us how we could hike so many miles in such heat. I asked, "How hot is it?" She exclaimed, "92 degrees! This is the fourth day in a row with temperatures above 90 degrees, a record for this late in the summer". She actually said "summah" but I thought I'd clarify it for those not from New England. She went on to tell us that the thermometer hit 97 degrees on Tuesday, the day we traversed the Bigelow Range. No wonder we found ourselves so depleted and exhausted!
Don't get me wrong. I love the heat, and prefer it over the cold or wet weather that can be prevalent this time of year in these mountains. At least when it's hot, you can find a shady, breezy overlook somewhere in the course of a day's sojourn, stop, and rest until your strength begins to return. When it's rainy or cold, you have little choice but to keep moving, regardless of how tired you are.
In any case, thanks to the Pie Lady, and dear friends Daryl and Mary Witmer, Monson was home for the night, and the recharge couldn't have come at a better time. A one pound burger with fries and cole slaw at the Rod n' Reel in Greenville followed by a huge portion of Sydney's homemade blueberry cake was just what the doctor ordered. We hiked 6.9 miles today up and over Moxie Bald Mountain to our campsite in less than three hours. Indeed, what a difference a day makes!
As we sat at Trafton's this morning enjoying coffee with Sydney, who graciously and generously drove us all the way back to "Joe's Hole", more than an hour's drive from Monson, we realized once more that we have been blessed with the choicest of friends. Being with the Pie Lady, seeing Daryl and Mary once once; for that we'd hike the miles we did and more, no matter how exhausting, for the prize that awaits us at the end. You know, it kind of reminds me of this trail called life and what awaits those who know and trust the One who makes it possible to know Him as Friend.
Happy Trails - Circuit Rider
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
Please continue to keep up with the whereabouts of the guys by clicking on to Current "Trail." At the end of each week these entries will be moved to that Page.
Hey SOBO's
Congratulations Restless
... on your new job as Ranger in the magnificent Shenandoah National Park! We couldn't be more excited for you!
Thank You Sue
... for rescuing us once again and sending Sherlock his fleece jacket he left behind in Stratton. Thanks too for an unforgettable weekend with you and Knucklehead.
Thanks Drifter
... for keeping us on the trail with the stuff you sent from our "Office Box". What a support team we have behind the scenes!
Something to Ponder
... Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. (Psalm 51:1)
Paul David Tripp in his book Whiter than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy reflects on the above passage of Scripture and asks the searching question, "When you go to God in prayer, do you go as your own defense lawyer or as the guilty party?"
Thanks for your patience
... these next three weeks while CR and Sherlock are hiking. They will not be able to readily answer email and return phone calls. Voice mail they do receive will be answered whenever possible.
The Photo Gallery will soon be updated with pictures from Sherlock and Circuit Rider's present hike. Simply click on "Photo Gallery" and go to the 2010 collection!
Got a Summit Photo? Send it our way and we'll add it to our Gallery!
Don't forget to sign the Heartbeat Guestbook too!
Friend, Hiker, and Author Eric Kampmann has a Blog we recommend you check out! Let us know what you think!
If you would like a copy of Eric's Book Trail Thoughts we would love to send you one absolutely free. Simply email us with your mailing address and we will get one out to you right away!
"It is this paradox which is so baffling, this combination of the self-centeredness of His teaching and the unself-centeredness of His behavior. In thought He put Himself first; in deed last. He exhibited both the greatest self-esteem and the greatest self-sacrifice. He knew Himself to be the Lord of all, but He became their servant. He said He was going to judge the world, but He washed His apostle's feet." -John Stott (Basic Christianity)
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. -Philippians 2:5-8