Weekly Post: 30-Jul to 5-Aug-2018 - Maine Vacation!

Ah, vacation.  It’s what we live for, right?  A well-deserved respite away from the daily grind of work, not having to dress up, being able to wear shorts and running shirts every day, no schedule to follow, perhaps some down time with family or friends, and maybe going away to a fun place.  For me, the ideal vacation is spending some time in the great outdoors, preferably in a new locale.  We have had two back-to-back awesome summer family vacations (Alaska in ’17 and Iceland in ’16).  This year with so much money going into needed house repairs, the prudent approach was to slash vacation costs and make it a driving/camping vacation. 

Cape Breton Highlands National Park (northern tip of Nova Scotia) was my original thought, but even that takes some money with the ferry crossing from Maine, so that will have to stay on my bucket list for now.

Monday:  5

Let the vacation begin!  Drove up to Camden, Maine. 

After setting up the campsite, Matthew and I went for a run around the campground (Camden Hills State Park).  I was already winded from the hills in the campground, but after our “warmup”, we started the ascent up Mount Battie Auto Road.  1.2 miles and about 700’ of climbing, with two relatively steep sections.  Matthew waited for me at the top, and after a short climb up the tower and taking in the views, back down it was.  Matthew rocketed down the auto road, while I tried hard to back off and run a manageable pace that wouldn’t exacerbate the nerve issue.  Caught up with Matthew at the bottom (only “caught up” because he stopped for 5 minutes or so), and then we took it leisurely for the rest of the run.

Went to dinner at a seafood place in Lincolnville, ME,
and ate outside taking in the salt air.  Fantastic.

Back at the campsite.  First time camping in about three
years.  Just fun and relaxing to be in the outdoors.

Who doesn't love a good campfire?

 Tuesday:  3

So nice to sleep in without any alarm!  Woke up in the tent about 7am and lingered for a bit before going out to run.  Up until now, I’ve been under “orders” from my physical therapist to run no more than every day, but now I can slowly try to ramp it up.  First time I’ve run two days in a row since the injury in early June.  Easy two miles with Jana, and then an easy solo mile.

After a leisurely breakfast and breaking camp, we went into Camden (one of my favorite towns in Maine) and then to Lake Megunticook for a swim.  Spent a week here most summers of my childhood.  Love swimming in the colder waters of Maine lakes.  Headed north to Baxter State Park for the first time in my life.  Route 95 is pretty much deserted and isolated north of Bangor.  Speed limit is 75mph.  After reaching the Togue Pond Gate at Baxter State Park entrance and checking in, it was a long six miles on a dusty washboard dirt road to get up to Abol Campground, where I had booked the only remaining site, a lean-to.  Ranger Dave checked us into the campground, and we cooked dinner on a charcoal grill and propane stove, before sitting around the fire, where I’m now typing my blog on my 5-year old temperamental Surface.   (There’s no cell service for miles, so I’m typing into Word to post later.)

No paved roads, electricity, or plumbing out here in the wilderness.
This cold clear running stream 50' from the campsite would be our source
of water for tonight's stay.

Tonight's sleeping quarters.  Comfy.

Our campsite at Abol.

One of the few things I don't like about my "new" car is the
dearth of space as compared to my old Volvo wagon.
Fortunately I was able to add cross-bars and put my cargo
box on top of the car to carry much of the camping equipment.

Wednesday:  11 mile hike - Mt Katahdin!
There is a time cutoff of 7am for getting to trailhead parking lots in Baxter State Park.  Add in the maximum 20mph on long, winding dirt roads in the park, time for making breakfast and packing up camp, and that meant an early start.  It was a nice 55 degrees when I got up at 5:30am.  Shortly after driving out of the campsite, I thought Matthew was joking when he said he saw a moose in Stump Pond on the side of the road.  No, there she is!

Magnificent moose having her own breakfast

After 16 miles traveling a bumpy dirt road
(from Abol campground to Roaring Brook),
we were ready to exit the car, sign in, and start our hike.

Trail intersections were very well marked.  Our route up would be via
Helon Taylor Trail, and return via Saddle Trail/Chimney Pond.

Matthew had to wait often for his elderly parents
to catch up.  In my defense, you can see at points in the
trail (such as this photo), it was getting really hard
for me to push my walker uphill.

One of many times that I got stuck behind "Jeans Boy".
At this point he looked at the rock incredulously, let out a "WTF",
but somehow figured out how to get up.
At twenty-something, he should be scrambling up these
rocks, but instead the only thing he mastered was non-stop whining and heavy breathing.

Who hikes in jeans?!  Even in northern Maine, the temperature warmed up quickly, and that combined with the sun and climb-inducing sweat made me glad I opted for shorts and a tech shirt.  After one-half mile of easy walking along the Roaring Brook (and it lived up to its name!), we turned off on to the Helon ("Heel-on") Taylor trail, named after a former Baxter State Park supervisor, and the trail got more technical and certainly more steep.

Snack/water break once we got above tree-line

Yes, this is the trail (blue marking), and yes, it's
getting progressively harder.

Jana, just below summit of Pamola Peak,
looking back from where we came

On top of Pamola Peak, now looking at our final ascent,
via Knife Edge (left to right, with Baxter Peak about one o'clock)

This sign is a little weathered, but legible.
1.1 miles to go, but it would be the slowest mile of the whole hike by far, taking
about an hour.

And here's why it will be slow!
(Matthew starting Knife Edge)

So steep that even Matthew is using his hands for
balance here.

Slow going through boulders up the Knife Edge.
It was getting pretty windy up here exposed.

 At a little over 3 hours of moving time and 4,200+' ascent, we made it!  Quite a few people at the top, most having lunch like us (Jana had made sandwiches on grinder rolls the night before), discussing their hike, and taking in the views.  Matthew had arrived earlier than us (of course he had!), and was pointing out a guy about 30 who had just finished up his Appalachian Trail through-hike from Georgia!  His parents were there, and had accompanied him on the last climb.  On the top, there is a plaque recognizing former Maine governor Percival Baxter's donation of the land in 1931 to the State of Maine, with awesome conditions codified into state law, including:

• "shall forever be used for public park and recreational purposes"
• "shall forever be left in the natural wild state"
• "shall forever be kept as a sanctuary for wild beasts and birds"
• [my favorite:] "no roads or ways for motor vehicles shall hereafter ever be constructed therein or thereon"



Katahdin:  had long been on my bucket list, well worth the hike.

In my simplistic boiled down interpretation, if you are standing here at Baxter Peak, you earned your stay here.  No roads, no trains, no chairlifts; you hiked it.  It wasn't easy, but you did it.  No one is here in flip-flops and no one is waiting for a tourist van to drive them back to the base of the mountain.  No deference to the fine state of New Hampshire and our region's highest peak of Mount Washington, but when you stand atop the mighty Katahdin (Abenaki for "the greatest mountain") and you gaze out on the Maine wilderness, with the exception of the weathered wood sign atop Pamola Peak, you see no signs of human civilization in any direction.  No roads are visible, nor buildings, nor other man-made artifacts.  Peaceful and awe-inspiring.

Thursday:  5 run, 4 hike, 1/4 swim
Ran in Lamoine State Park, including run down to Lamoine Beach Park.  Completely winded and beat from yesterday's hike.  Showered and headed into Acadia National Park for the day, where I had more enjoyable activities:

Beehive hike:  Matthew on cliff

Beehive hike:  Sand Beach at Atlantic Ocean in distance
awaits me

55F water temp in Atlantic Ocean did not stop me from running and diving in.
So refreshing!

Hike #2:  Boulder field on the Precipice Trail

View from the top of Precipice Trail on
Champlain Mountain

Friday:  5 run, 2 hike, 1/4 swim
AM:  Hiked Beech Mountain from Echo Lake.  By the time we broke camp, and got breakfast, we had a rather late morning start.  It was already in the mid-80s, so I opted for my thinnest of singlets for the hike.  Quite a few people on this hike.  We got stuck behind a bunch of people on the iron rung ladders, but were able to get past them once on more traditional trails.  Followed up the hike with a dip in Echo Lake, before hitting the road.

Packing up camp for the final time.  I think some of us need to
have sleeping bag rollup class.

Beech Mountain hike:
Matthew waiting at the top of one
of the iron runs

Beech Cliffs:
looking down at Echo Lake beach (to Matthew's left),
where post-hike swimming awaits us

Views from the top of Beech Mountain

PM:  Maudslay Park, Newburyport, MA.  I was getting sleepy on the drive home from Maine, and this was a nice break to wake me up.  Had never even heard of this place before, but Matthew looked it up and found it.  The skies opened up on the way back, and we got drenched.  Back in the parking lot, I just stood in the downpour for a couple of minutes to wash off, before changing into dry clothes for the ride home.

Saturday:  3
We got home very early Saturday morning, somewhere around 12:30am.  Straight to bed and crashed right away.  By the time I got out for a run, I ran into rainstorms again.  Ran in Wahaneeta for the first time in a few months.  Trails in good shape; hopefully the bugs will be gone for the race in 2 weeks.  5 DFKs.

Sunday:  5
Run 4 Kerri.  This was the 17th edition of the race honoring Kerri Bessette, a SK runner who died tragically from meningitis in her college freshman year in 2001.  Pre-race I caught up with Dave Schaad, who told me he had run every single edition of Kerri.  I believe that Mike Crutchley has as well.  I certainly don't have the impressive run that either of the two of them have, but I have run many of the years at Kerri, with my 4-mile PR coming in this race at the age of 51 (23:43).

Just before the start with long time running friends.

Today I would not get close to this pace (5:56), but I had my sights on my first sub-7 run since my injury in early June.  Lined up about 8 rows back and went out at about 6:45 pace.  It was very hot today, but one of the few advantages of recovering is that if you're not going 100% racing, then you're not suffering like the majority of runners out there. 

Other than the sun blinding me, feeling pretty
good on Cards Pond Road at about Mile 2

I ran fairly consistent paces through the first three miles (6:44, 6:43, 6:47).  Starting about 1 mile in, others around me were slowing down and although I just kept the same pace, I started passing a lot of runners and none passed me for the remainder of the race.  That was kind of neat.  So what happened in Mile 4?  Fell apart, right?  No, that was the expectation I had for myself, especially with the uphill run, but I felt pretty good and picked it up a little bit to run a 6:28 mile. 

Steady finish.  Form even looks decent compared to
my usual slumping it in.

Final results:  26:49, 46th out of 456, even grabbed a 3rd place in age group.  Nothing to write home about, but this was my fastest run since the injury two months ago, so I was psyched!  Full results here.

We got to take home some loot today.  Left to right:
Matthew keeping his distance from this questionable crew.
Chris could add a pound or two.
The fat guy on the end could lose a few.  Maybe I can transfer some to Chris?

Later that day:  Finished out the week very happy to save this scared critter
from the blades of the riding mower as he slithered out
just as I cut the engine

Weekly mileage:  
Run 28  Inching up
Hike 17 miles!  Legs are sore
Swim 1/2

Weekly synopsis:  Just a really fun and cool vacation in the state of Maine.  On a national level, Maine is quite small (12th smallest state in the US), but it's obviously the largest state in New England and really offers quite a diverse mix of terrain and features.
The hikes were really fun, and certainly conquering Katahdin was the highlight.  On the run side, both the mileage and pace are slowly improving.  Hoping to see some improved results when I go back to PT next week.  So, no how matter how you slice it, a great week!