It's been way too long since the last update. The guys made it to Monson last Saturday where Dale went to seek medical attention for his cuts. Their plan was to spend two nights in Monson to rest up before the final week of hiking. Thank goodness, since Dale needed the extra day to make sure that the antibiotic didn't play havoc with his system. Both guys needed the time to rest in a "real" bed.
They called before they headed out on Tuesday morning for their final week. Ben said that he was trying to get his mind ready for seven more days. We talked about how difficult it must be for through hikers to keep on track when they hike for six months. They Ben was ready to get moving. Dale was doing much the same. He was more worried about the logistics, hiking the last 100 miles in seven days.
They were able to call me on Tuesday afternoon. It was about 4:30 p.m. They had hiked about 15 miles up a mountain and had about another mile before they were going to call it a day. They had another long day up another mountain on Wednesday . . . it was going to be 17 miles. The maps say that after Wednesday their hiking will be realatively flat.
I will meet them at Baxter State Park on Tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m. to hike the last eight miles. That is four miles up the mountain to 4000 feet above sea level and four miles down. I have had a very busy summer, that has not included getting in shape so I told them they were going to have to slow down and wait for me. We'll have to see how it goes. At any rate, even if they smoke me on the trail, I will get to see the joy of completion. I am very proud of them and can't wait to see them achieve their goal!!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Visit to the Doctor...
I spoke with my mom and she said that she had talked to the guys. Some of Dad's cuts were bothering him and so they decided to go to the doctor. It turns out he got a staf infection, and the doctor gave him some antibiotics to hopefully wipe it out. They stayed overnight in a hotel after they visited with the doctor to make sure everything was starting to feel better.
Even with the minor setbacks they are still keeing their schedule pretty well. 7 days until they summit Katahdin!
Even with the minor setbacks they are still keeing their schedule pretty well. 7 days until they summit Katahdin!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Pictures from Julie
Here are some pictures from Julie. She was able to see they guys when they had one of their overnight stays in the hotels. Here are the guys in front of their room post-shower:
Here is the hotel sign:
The place they ate at. Dad's theory: if there are a lot of cars in the parking lot, chances are it is a good restaurant.
Injury count - Dad's feet:
Dad's legs:
Dad's arm:
Dad's hand:
Dad's upper leg:
Ben's feet:
Ben's legs:
Ben's neck:
Here is the hotel sign:
The place they ate at. Dad's theory: if there are a lot of cars in the parking lot, chances are it is a good restaurant. 
Injury count - Dad's feet:
Dad's legs:
Dad's arm:
Dad's hand:
Dad's upper leg:
Ben's feet:
Ben's legs:
Ben's neck:
Ben's hand/arm:
Ben loves dessert!
See!
Ben loves dessert!
See!
Dad misses it too!
These pictures were taken in the middle of June, so they are a little further along at this point.
These pictures were taken in the middle of June, so they are a little further along at this point. Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Update on the Hikers
Okay, this is my first post to the blog, so I hope this works.
Julie and I spoke with Dad and Ben on the 3rd and they seemed to be in good spirits. They were on the Horn (insert corny joke from Ben here - can you hear us, ha ha). They were five miles into their day, and there were two shelters they could shoot for one was less than five miles and one was more like ten. They said they would just have to see. The wind was blowing pretty hard, so I would guess that would be a factor.
Here is another update from Mom (Terri):
Dad & Ben are doing well. They continue to amaze me with their flexibility. They planned their trip so that they would have two nights off the trail relatively close together. I think thir off days were to be July 2nd & 5th. Both nights they planned to stay at the same hostel. The hostel provides shuttle service.
When they got to the hostel only the box for the 2nd was there. They were concerned because of the holiday. Anyway, yesterday when they arrived only one of the two boxes I sent for the 5th was at the hostel. Naturally they were a bit distressed. They did what they could, washing clothes, looking at maps & whatever else they could come up with a new plan. They decided to take a zero day today. While I was talking with them on the 6th morning box #2 arrived. They will hit the trail again on the 7th.
It looks like they are really working as a team to achieve their goal!
Julie and I spoke with Dad and Ben on the 3rd and they seemed to be in good spirits. They were on the Horn (insert corny joke from Ben here - can you hear us, ha ha). They were five miles into their day, and there were two shelters they could shoot for one was less than five miles and one was more like ten. They said they would just have to see. The wind was blowing pretty hard, so I would guess that would be a factor.
Here is another update from Mom (Terri):
Dad & Ben are doing well. They continue to amaze me with their flexibility. They planned their trip so that they would have two nights off the trail relatively close together. I think thir off days were to be July 2nd & 5th. Both nights they planned to stay at the same hostel. The hostel provides shuttle service.
When they got to the hostel only the box for the 2nd was there. They were concerned because of the holiday. Anyway, yesterday when they arrived only one of the two boxes I sent for the 5th was at the hostel. Naturally they were a bit distressed. They did what they could, washing clothes, looking at maps & whatever else they could come up with a new plan. They decided to take a zero day today. While I was talking with them on the 6th morning box #2 arrived. They will hit the trail again on the 7th.
It looks like they are really working as a team to achieve their goal!
Friday, July 2, 2010
June 2 - No more photos for now :(
Sadly, I have run out of time so I'll have to post the photos later.
Brief Update
Dale and Ben were somewhat disappointed that they could not keep up with the rigors of their planned agenda. The day that they hiked the “hardest mile” of the trial they only hiked 5 miles. I have not heard from them in several days, but they told me that they were trying to decide if they should try to hike longer days to maintain the schedule. My guess is that they have been doing just that.
The weather has been fairly good, some rain, but nothing they cannot handle. They have started to see a few more hikers so that makes the day a little more interesting. I am going to post some photos taken as they hiked. They have truly seen some beautiful stuff along the way . . . to fulfilling their dream.
The weather has been fairly good, some rain, but nothing they cannot handle. They have started to see a few more hikers so that makes the day a little more interesting. I am going to post some photos taken as they hiked. They have truly seen some beautiful stuff along the way . . . to fulfilling their dream.
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