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Written exclusively for Backslacker Magazine

By "g"

Mt. Katahdin is a range of peaks in northern Maine. It includes the 1.1-mile, death defying, tight-rope-walking ridge, Knife Edge. At 5240 feet, Knife Edge is strung precipitously between Pamola Peak to the east and Baxter Peak to the west. Baxter is the tallest in the range. At 5267 feet, it's the northern end of the 2000+ mile Appalachian Trail. Due north is South Basin and Chimney Pond Campground (2910 feet). Here, the Katahdin Boys would establish base camp for three nights. Whether looking up to the basin's jutting range of rock ridge or peering down to Chimney Pond from Knife Edge, there is no view more intimidating on the east coast.

The idea of hiking Mt. Katahdin was an awesome thought. Until the climb, the Katahdin Boys tried to imagine their destiny. Unfortunately, the references for their high altitude fantasies were limited to a few DOT-COM/s found on the www (http://mainelyhiking.com).

Back in October, when they were the Yosemite Boys and trying to look ahead to the next hike, Steve-the-Knee from Jersey suggested a future trip to Mt. Katahdin. Via e-mails in the months to follow, one by one, the Katahdin Boys intuitively understood that a rather strange and tangential account of the "Knee's" trip was gradually unfolding before them. By accidental disclosure, they pieced together their respective hunches and came to an unanticipated observation. To the best of their figuring, Steve had confused his "Ks" and contaminated the recollection of his trip to Katahdin (15 years earlier) with an article he read about Kalamazoo. The Katahdin Boys were years from realizing how this quirky realization would play-out in some future outward-bound adventure.

In spite of their limited (and at times, speculative) information about Katahdin…The Katahdin Boys knew… Knife Edge was beyond their modest, backpacking experience. This made planning their trip exciting, seductive and dangerous. (It made some of their wives a little nervous.)

Which brings to mind…"g's" office and that photo from Backpacking Magazine. The image is a bird's eye view (probably shot from the summit at Baxter) of a woman hiking Knife Edge. She is in the foreground, and like a long wispy thread, the seemingly endless knife-edge of a trail curves and disappears out of view from behind her. There is shear cliff to either side. The photo dictates an understanding about the potential for falling. "g" imagined such a fall. It would include hundreds of combinations of bouncing, scraping, sliding, bleeding, bashing, rolling, smashing and free-falling down 2000 feet of green, lichen covered talus. He also imagined a fair amount of screaming and yelling by the poor soul who just prior to his drifting-thought-of-half-a-second... and misguided-step-to-the-left... was experiencing the pinnacle of personal achievement and satisfaction. Oh, well.

"g" tried not to be morbid. But, he was anxious about crossing Knife Edge… Anxious, in a spiritual sort of way. The type of anxious-spirituality that was often calmed by his thinking about the association he had with LaBella Karma. ("Things would be OK.") Like Windows running in the background of his computer, LaBella Karma had remotely shadowed "g" since early childhood and enriched his life in abrupt, infrequent, and charmed ways.

The Yosemite Boys could attest to the fact that LaBella Karma was pivotal in their experience at Yosemite last October. Having come out of the back country a day early (a rather new and startling trend for the Boys) with no camping reservations for the night, Warren and Gary miraculously secured a hotel room at Yosemite Lodge after a threesome in front of them (oddly) turned down the only vacant room (or camp site) for 105 miles. Then, one day later, in the heart of sequoia country, LaBella Karma magically influenced the 1:30 A.M. rescue and van-exchange of their vehicle by Budget, allowing Warren and Gary one final climb (Mt. Dana - 13,000 ft.) and extending the trip for all by one day! In the months to follow, the Yosemite Boys would boast to their friends about the unbelievable good fortune that was bestowed them, and how it pushed an already fantastic trip to exceptional!

Although "g" never relied on LaBella Karma as a personal safety net against tragedy, it had an unexpected tendency to be there when conditions were (unexplainably) just right. However, that photo… The one hanging above his computer… The bird's eye view of that woman crossing Knife Edge. "g's" daily gazing at this image contributed to his pounding sense that he might need something a little more reliable then LaBella Karma to safely traverse Knife Edge. (Having looked beyond their vaguely defined relationship and because he feared the wrath of LaBella Karma, "g" took to silently asking LaBella Karma for forgiveness.) Never-the-less, safety did come first, and "g" did need a more dependable lifeline to hike Knife Edge. "g" assumed that the answer to his anxiety would come when it would decide it was time.

The Katahdin Boys drove to Maine on Wednesday, May 31st. Traveling in Van #1 were: (1) Gotta-See-A-Moose-Larry who was so-o-o fixated on seeing (guess what) a moose that he planned to not climb Knife Edge for fear of missing a random opportunity for a glimpse of the bony legged creature; (2) Whiskey-Totin'-Roger-the-Rock-Grinder was the mild mannered, soft spoken, YMCA trained jogger who personified the Indian in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; and, (3) the driver and finely tuned, backwoods chef, Chef DeBoot Blister (also known as "g") who was daring to cook an Alfredo and crab sauce on a pathetic little burner. (For weeks, "g" had been dropping not-so-subtle hints to his wife about a new, cool, little multi-fuel backpacking stove and a non-stick, lightweight-sautéing pan which would make ideal Father's Day gifts…)