| Summary | None |
| Owner | Matthew Gilbertson |
| Creation Date | 2008-10-06 19:58:32 UTC-0400 |
| Description | "Tailgate" (Eric Jones), Eric and Matthew Gilbertson, Dan Walker, Polly Anikeeva
Oct 3-5, 2008 Eric "Tailgate" Jones hiked 2170.3 miles from Springer Mountain, GA to Baxter State Park, Maine. We wanted to celebrate his completion of the Appalachian Trail by accompanying him on the last five miles from Katahdin Stream Campground to 5,167' Baxter peak. We bought some celebration equipment at KMart on the way up: a pineapple, apple pie, champagne, and an awesome foldable table and tablecloth with four connected foldable chairs. It was going to be an epic celebration on the summit. But not this weekend. A few big storms covered the mountain with snow and ice, forcing the rangers to declare a "Class IV" day: i.e., NO CLIMBING. The same rating was declared again on Sunday. Instead we hiked up to Chimney Pond to get a good sniff of Katahdin and the awesome fall colors. Luckily Tailgate's got a couple days to spare, so we left him in Millinocket to wait with the rest of the thru hikers for the reopening of the mountain. As the mountain remains closed, thru hikers are piling up in Millinocket, waiting for the chance to complete their spectacular journey. We hope the mountain opens soon for Tailgate and his thru hiker friends. Or else one night this week, the rangers might look up to the peak and see thirty headlamps gleaming triumphantly from the summit. |