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E-mails prior to our departure became painfully plentiful to the point of ridiculousness. Humor became the order of the day. And yet, consensus was continuously achieved at every step of planning "the trip." Details to be mapped out included: The need to establish two cooking teams (each competing for the coveted, "Hungry Moose Award"), coordinating meals, disseminating memos and reminders about weather conditions, and efforts to limit our party of six from each bringing their own stove, water purifier, curling iron, nail polish (oops, wrong trip…), etc.

Then it happened. Our lives transitioned from "the ordinary," to the ultimate backpacking thrill seekers. We were… "The Katahdin Boys": Steve-the-Knee from Jersey, High-Altitude-Joe, Gotta-See-A-Moose-Larry, Hydraulic-Legs-Warren, Whiskey-Totin'-Roger-the-Rock-Grinder, and Maine's main backwoods gourmet chef, Chef DeBoot Blister (AKA, "g").

At 6:00 A.M. on the 31st my alarm sounded. I was already awake. Having gone to bed fully donned in traveling attire, I was immediately ready to depart for Ridge Rage in Maine. After giving my wife and daughters the secret handshake, I wheeled out of my driveway at 6:40 A.M. Precisely as planned, Larry was curbside with gear in hand at 6:45 A.M. An ice stop at Stewarts proved uneventful at 6:50 A.M. At 6:55 A.M. Roger joined us. At exactly 7:00 A.M. (with absolutely no practice) we arrived at Joe's home as expeditiously planned. We were operating like a finely tuned drill team. I was beyond feeling thrilled! Phase two of our departure was next: Warren, Steve and Joe would follow us in car #2 for breakfast (?) at McDonald's.

When we pulled up in front of Joe's home I experienced what seemed to be the longest and most perplexing moment of the day. There was Joe... Undaunted by the excitement (pressure?) to "hit the road" by 7:00 A.M., he was humming Stair Way to Heaven, surrounded by zip lock bags of food and gear at his feet, and casually packing his pack on the front porch. Trying to play-down my crazed astonishment ("What the Hell are you doing? You're packing now? We're supposed to be on the road!"), I calmly and curiously asked, "Where's Warren and Steve?"

"He's driving Theresa to school," responded Joe, "He'll be here about 7:15."

"What?" I'm thinking.

At this point, Joe is eyeballing his gear. He's wondering where his ice chest is. "I thought we were going to breakfast?" I called back.

Smiling, he said, "I'm driving Zack and Nick to school in a few minutes. Why don't you get breakfast and meet us back here. (7:04 A.M.)

With breakfast in hand, we arrived back at Joe's. Warren and Steve pulled up shortly thereafter. We congregated in Joe's driveway. I introduced Roger to the Katahdin Boys. (7:15 A.M.)

"You know," says Warren, " Last weekend Steve thought my van seemed to be burning a little oil. So, I checked it. You know, I was down 5 quarts!"

Suddenly, the hood of Warren's van is up and he's pawing for the dipstick. Using a plastic Price Chopper bag he begins to wipe the dipstick clean to check the oil level. "Gosh-wiz," he says, "I wonder if I have an oil leak? Hey, Joe! Do you have any oil?"

"GEEZ!" I'm thinking, "A last minute oil-leak-oversight? What's next? An oil change?"

"Hey… Gary," calls Warren, "Do you think we've got time for a stop at Jiffy Lube?" (7:28 A.M.)

Joe adds his gear to Warren and Steve's. We climb into our respective vans. My inner voice is cheering! I can barely prevent myself from shouting out with enthusiasm. We're on our way! We're a mere 30 minutes off track and it doesn't feel too painful! I shift into drive, and as my wheels ever-so-slowly begin to roll… I see Warren… Climbing out of his van! He walks to the back and opens the hatch… And, he starts unloading their gear! "You know," he says, "This hibachi really smells. I sprayed lighter fluid on the charcoal and I don't think we can drive to Maine with these fumes."

Written exclusively for Backslacker Magazine

By "g"

Part 1: Getting Started

Following months of endless planning and a plethora of e-mails, those madmen of Malta, those daring darlings of the Adirondacks, those high altitude junkies… OK… You've got the picture. Mt. Katahdin and Knife Edge: Here we come!

Man oh man... Did we have a plan to beat all plans:

(1) On Day #1 meet at Joe's by 7:00 A.M., drive 10 hours to Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin, and then camp at Roaring Brook Campground for night #1;

(2) On day #2, hike 3.3 miles to our lean-tos at Chimney Pond Campground (base camp) for 2 nights;

(3) On day #3, hike Knife Edge (a 2-3 foot wide, 1.1 mile ridge of talus sandwiched between sheer cliffs at 5000 feet, and strung between Pamola and Baxter peaks);

(4) On day #4 grab a second hike, and then hike-out and drive home on day #5.