Baxter State Park

My last week in Boston was actually a week in Maine, backpacking through Baxter State Park with my dad. It was a great trip, cut a couple days short by Hurricane Irene (boo).

Day one was a hike up Katahdin, the last leg of the Appalachian Trail. We took Abol's Trail, the shortest and the steepest. Seven hours round trip. Breaking tree line.

I am usually unaware that places like this, places of land and tree, still exist. For a moment on this hike and a couple moments thereafter, I was aware of it. Now I'm not so sure of it. There must be a city there at this point.

Some lives are of law, some finance, sport, learning and business. This is a life of exploration.

Rocks.Top of Katahdin! In the clouds, in the wind, and twenty degrees cooler than at base.

My dad the madman cook!

"Little Niagra Falls" Hiking into Katadhin Wilderness Camp. Here we are! Us and nobody else. Everyone cancelled because of Irene. We didn't even know about Irene...we'd already been four days underway. Pua! Irene. Looks pretty good from here. There were Kayaks! My dad doing some hardcore long-distance swimming, and me keeping watch. Go Dad! Our cabin for one night. It was very nice. We had a propane stove and two propane lights. We made curry! (We just poured boiling water in a bag. The curry was already made. Still good.)

...and canoes!

Picture taken by Holly. Holly flew in on a float plane, landed on that lovely lake, told us they were closing the park down and that we had to leave Saturday morning. Sad story. We left, she flew away. We did get to see a plane take off on the water (cool), and we can say we were the last ones in Katahdin Wilderness Camp before Hurricane Irene (badass).

A wonderful trip. I dropped my camera in a river. Oops! My dad found it, the memory card still worked- incredible,- and my accident warranty means I get my camera fixed. Whew!

I then sat around Boston until Wednesday doing as close to nothing as one can do. It was depriving. But that's okay! As I left Boston and flew to Belgium I had a strong reminder of one of my most important take-away sentences from Germany two years ago: LEBEN IST TÄTIGKEIT; LEBEN IST TÄTIG SEIN.

Life is activity, life is to be active.

Spot on. :)

Now I continue exploring. Tätig sein tätig sein tätig sein. Busy Busy Busy!!

Until Bruges!

-Ben.