the big idea
A few months ago I got the idea that I wanted to hike to see Chimney Pond in Baxter State Park with my own eyes and also scout routes to climb Mt. Katahdin. Having grown up on the road to the north entrance of the park, I have a lot of friends who have hiked to the top of Mt. Katahdin and generally spent a lot of time in the park. For some reason I never did. I think I have only actually been in the park a few times in my whole life. I suppose it is that thing where you don’t appreciate what is around you because it is always there. For instance, I used to drive by a scenic outlook of Mt. Katahdin on my way to high school every single day, yet I barely noticed it was there. I could even see the mountain from my childhood home yet I never really paid much attention. Thinking back on this it makes me wonder what could I have done had I just told someone I wanted to try things. I know there was plenty of help around if I had chosen to access it.
I lived in a small community of about 1200 people growing up and being in a wheelchair everyone knew me or at least knew of me. If I had just said to pretty much anyone around me, “Hey we should go to the park sometime”. I guarantee I would have ended up in the park or where ever else I came up with to explore. This is the concept I try to stress to people when I speak to groups. If you want to do something and you aren’t quite sure how to make it happen, Just Ask! Someone will answer, I promise.
the planning
Back to this idea, I got a few months ago. I had the idea in my head that it’s just a trail to Chimney Pond. How hard could it be haha? So I put the idea out on Facebook and guess what someone answered. My friend Aaron Libby was the first to say let’s make it happen. Then more and more of my friends started chiming in and soon we had a group. The tough part is that when planning anything where someone who uses a wheelchair is involved, it instantly becomes more complicated. It isn’t just hiking a trail anymore. It is hiking a trail with someone you may have to carry over obstacles. It is hiking a trail with someone that may not be able to carry all the things they need with them, which means extra stuff in other backpacks. So the team required to pull off something like this needs to be made up of individuals who are all in for more than average punishment. A true sufferfest as we adventurers like to call it. The night before, I stayed with friends Tom Avery and my friend from junior high/high school and daughter of the man that set me on this path, Jodi Avery, formerly known as Jodi Dyer haha. That night we tested out a carry system consisting of a metal backpack frame with a seat built in, that Tom had devised. It appeared it was going to work quite well if needed. In my mind still thinking it was just a trail, we weren’t going to need it, but good to have just in case.
The sufferfest hike
When it comes to doing things like this. I really don’t want any help unless I absolutely need it. I figured I can push the whole way unless its super steep then maybe I will need some help. We did get some beta (climber slang for advice) on what the trail was like from people who had done it recently, as most of the team hadn’t been there in a while. Unfortunately, the beta wasn’t quite thorough enough. The trail starts out at a ranger station where we had to sign in. This is in case they have to come look for us if we don’t show up on time. After signing in, the trail gives a false sense of hope. For a good 500 ft or so it was relatively easy going. Some rocks I had to maneuver over or around but not anything beyond what I have ever attempted. And then came reality, major boulders with tiny spaces in between just big enough for a foot. These rocky sections went on for hundreds of feet with short wheelchair doable sections in between. It wasn’t worth getting out of the backpack rig for these short sections, so at this point, I am basically riding to Chimney Pond on the backs of others. Not my most adrenaline filled moment to say the least. For the people carrying me though it was a major suffer-fest. Climbing over big rocks with 130 pounds on their backs was no easy feat. I was thoroughly impressed and this was the proof in the pudding moment that they were definitely the team I needed. The suffering went on for about 2 hours and the entire time I am noticing that we aren’t moving all that fast. Totally understandable given the situation but not really a pace that was going to get us to our destination. I suggested we reevaluate the plan and maybe think about alternatives. We had only made it .2 miles in 2 hours out of a 3.3-mile one-way hike. After some deliberation with the group, we all agreed that we may have bitten off more than we could chew but had learned a lot about what to do on the next attempt. Yes, I said next attempt. Just because we didn’t make it this time doesn’t mean we can’t. We just need to figure out a better way. After the deliberation, we decided to try a different trail to Sandy Stream Pond. This was a much more doable trail. A couple lifts over some things were needed and a short piggyback ride to the pond from the trail turn off, but for the most part, I could do it myself. I highly recommend it for anyone using a wheelchair. The pond was just as beautiful as Chimney Pond or at least from what I have seen in pictures. So peaceful and actually once you get to the boardwalk, relatively accessible. You can also still see the same views of the mountain just much further away of course.
The Takeaway
In the end, this turned out to be a great day spent with friends. I learned a lot about what I will need to make my quest to Chimney Pond and eventually the summit of Mt. Katahdin happen. Sometimes the summit isn’t the top its the journey of trying and the things we learn from the process. I like to tell people when you try, things happen. It may not be what you want but it may be something amazing and you can always try again. I want to thank all the amazing friends that joined me on this adventure and were willing to go all in to make things happen. I would miss out on a lot of things in life without the “all in” people in my life. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
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