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Following (mostly) close-by in Van #2 was the other half of this story: (1) Steve-the-Knee from Jersey who was anxiously using this climb as a litmus test (following knee surgery) to determine if he was "in" for the proposed trip into Grand Canyon; (2) High-Altitude-Joe who was known for being (more than) moderately phobic about heights, and whom the Katahdin Boys had secretly made bets on the number of nights it would take them to coax him off Knife Edge; and (3), the driver, Hydraulic-Legs-Warren who's steel-like (shaved) legs would be unexpectedly put to the task of super-human endurance at Baxter.

A little later then anticipated the Kathadin Boys were driving south on I-87, then east on I-90, north on I-495 and up I-95 to Millinocket, Maine. The drive was eventful in that Van #2 abruptly pulled off the road after having picked up their toll ticket on the Mass Pike. Being some distance down the road, the Boys in Van #1 could barely make out what appeared to be… a "Chinese fire drill?" What? With arms flapping wildly about them, the Boys of Vehicle #2 were running circles around their van! Boys…

This event was bested by the Massachusetts State Police Officer who had been silently stalking "g" as he cruised along the inside lane. As crisp and as loud as one could imagine, the occupants of Van #1 were deluged with the amplified speaker-voice of Trooper "X": "THE SPEED LIMIT IS 65! DO YOU KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE DRIVING?… Hey… Is that Whiskey-Totin'-Roger-the-Rock-Grinder in there with you?"

Like the sudden experience of sitting on a tack, "g" immediately shifted his attention to the surprise of being tagged by the State Trooper. Quickly pulling over to the middle lane, "g" offered the passing trooper an apologetic nod as if to say, "Oh, gee… Gosh-jingle-bingle… I didn't realize I was doing… 75."

Lunch at Captain Newicks in NH was a real treat. Their table overlooked one of the channels leading to the ocean. Gotta-See-A-Moose-Larry thought he was ordering a large lobster for lunch, when in fact, he ordered "twin lobsters" which means (to all English speaking adults in the northern hemisphere) two, 1-1/4 pound lobsters. So… Larry-the-Moose HAD LOBSTER FOR LUNCH. (He did feel somewhat guilty about his darling wife eating a jelly sandwich at the library, back home; In due time, Larry would try to "cash-in" on this guilt when Kathy deduced that her 100 year old, wooden Shaker spoon had mistakenly" traveled to Chimney Pond Campground and had been secretly returned… Handle-less!)

Upon arrival at Baxter State Park, the boys checked in with the "Ranger Rick." Here they received the necessary precautions, a three-day weather report, and had their backcountry camping permits validated. The Boys learned that Van #2 would be sleeping in an old decrepit lean-to for their night at Roaring Brook Campground (Which made the Boys from Van #1 very happy!), but were assigned a brand new, never-been-used modern lean-to for their next 3 nights at Chimney Pond Campground. (Which immediately chilled the enthusiasm emanating from the Boys in Van #1.)

Roaring Brook Campground (night one) was infested with black flies. The Katahdin Boys were blessed with an early evening arrival and early morning departure, so their time donning head nets, long sleeved shirts and pants was minimal. The black flies were so thick that Larry's photo of the Boys sifting beer through their head nets and poking tuna subs into their mouths from under their netting looked more like five "undistinguishable-somethings" caught in a whirling dust storm of bugs.

Roaring Brook, of Roaring Brook Campground fame, was miss-named. It should have been called: EXTREME-AMPLIFICATION-OF-THE-SOUND-OF-A-RAGING-ROARING-RIVER.

In lean-to #3, 15 feet away from ROARING BROOK, "g" and Roger expected to be jolted throughout the night by Larry's infamous snoring. Unfortunately for "g," his nighttime nemesis was far worse. He would spend the entire night in pain with a pinched shoulder blade muscle (or something) aggravated one week earlier during a workout to 8 Minute Abs. All night long, "g" endeavored to discover new forms of contortion as he twisted his arms about his torso trying in vain to find a painless sleeping position. When he did sleep, he abruptly awoke to the tidal wave of sound from the nearby, raging water.

Thursday morning finally arrived for "g" who barely slept a wink. With only minutes of sleep, the arrival of black flies, and a quick breakfast, "g" and the Katahdin Boys bolted away via Chimney Pond Trail. Surprisingly, the black flies dissipated and the air gradually cooled. With each step towards South Basin and Chimney Pond Campground (for night two), each of the Boys became more Katahdin.

For "g," the hike "in" to Chimney Pond Campground was slow going. When he arrived at their lean-tos three hours later, he was greeted with smiling faces, lunch, and the Boys from Van #2 bragging their brains out about their newly built, log lean-to (with cool shelves and wooden pegs for storing and hanging gear). Their lean-to shined. It had the rich smell of freshly sawed wood. It was immaculate! They were staying at the Ritz-Carlton, while the others were holed up at The Ol' Blarney Stone Motel (Whose motto was: "We rent by the half hour for your pleasure!").