September 30 Mile 2139-
45 miles to go.
The morning brought blue skies and ideal hike temperatures. After lunch we passed a sign that said view of Katahdin. The side trail took us to a beach on a lake. I stepped out onto the washed up timber and sand, looked ahead to the other side of the lake and said, "I don't see a mountain." To be honest there has been so much hype about this mountain that I wasn't sure what to expect. Shadow said, "Look to your left". I scanned over and was blown away. The mountain towered over the horizon. It was, to say the least, colossal. After some photos we continued North. Our mission was White House Landing. A couple purchased an old lumber camp twenty years ago and turned it into a seasonal getaway/hiker hostel. We took a 1.5 mile side trail and ended up at an empty dock with an air horn and a sign the said "one short blast". A few moments later a boat came over to pick us up. The couple had turned the camp into a quaint ponderosa. The only power in the buildings was propane and the washing machine was a bucket by the lake. Shadow and I settled into our cabin and met 4 four other hikers for dinner. Since leaving Monson, we have found ourselves hiking in a miniature bubble. The 6 of us are a wide range, but seem to work well together. On the menu was a 1 pound burger. Everyone ordered the 1 pound challenge but me. I settled for the 1/2 pound. The table was quiet and the burger were devoured. Actually, most of us wanted dessert.
When we arrived at the landing we received some terrible news. A fellow hike had died from a stroke that morning. He was evacuated by sea plane, but passed at the hospital. His name was Buffalo Bob. It of course pained everyone to hear this news. The dinner discussion was that he was having a blast out here and if you had to go, this was the best way. What a reminder that life is short and to live everyday as if it's your last.
Country Mouse and Shadow still NOBO (North Bound)
1 comment:
Hello there,
quite late for a comment but I only discovered your blog through recommendation by Eva, the solo thru-hiker going NoBo this year on the Via Dinarica.
Buffalo Bobby, the hiker you were reporting about above was such a friendly and wonderful person I was very fortunate and am still grateful to have met on the AT in 2007, when I did my first thuhike. He had already one thruhike NoBo under his belt and came back to the trail whenever he could find time to do so because he loved the trail very much. I know we are talking about the same person because another hiker who knew him wrote a very touching essay about him that was published in the ATC's magazine Journeys where I learned from Buffalo Bobby's heart attack and death on the trail.
I don't know whether you met him in person before he died, but you would have loved him. Buffalo Bobby was the nicest person you can think of. So in a way you are right with summarizing the very sad incident that Buffalo Bobby died at a place he loved very very much.
Many greetings from Alpine Strider, GA-ME '07, ME-GA '08
Bavaria, Germany
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