We could clearly hear the ghosts from the crowd that Daniel Webster talked to in this clearing. It was kind of eerie until I realized they were not actually after us, but were merely bored with another long winded political speech. The sounds of the crowd emanated from a single point. When I got up to pee, I was able to determine the exact center point of the crowd. As luck would have it, Bear and Sassy had set their tent up right on the spot. How they could sleep through the snoring sounds from the crowd, I’ll never know.
Daniel Webster was a bit pompous and liked to make up words while he was giving speeches. His younger brother, Miriam, was so jealous of his older brother that he decided to write down and define every made up word his brother said trying to disgrace him. Instead, he stumbled upon a money maker of his own—the Miriam Webster Dictionary, complements of his older, pompous, ass of a brother.
There was one other thru-hiker camped in the clearing last night and an RV. The people in the RV loaned us a couple of chairs while we cooked. It’s amazing how a simple chair feels like a luxury after a few days out. The other thru-hiker was up and gone before we were stirring. We didn’t even hear her packing up.
We had the biggest climb we’ve faced since VA. It was a 1700’ climb up the side of Stratton Mountain. It was not bad at all but we were slightly worried since we’ve had it so easy for so long. Soon, (but not soon enough) we will be in the Whites which are considered to be the toughest climbing we will face on the AT (other than southern Maine). Just before the top, we ran into the caretakers, Jean and Hugh, who have had the job since 1968. For 50 years, they have spent their summers on Stratton Mountain offering assistance and sharing knowledge of the area.
Stratton Mountain has played a significant role in the history of the area and the Appalachian Trail itself. I’m sure everyone is well aware of The Devil and Daniel Webster. After the Devil failed to get control of Daniel Webster, he was feeling a bit down. Instead of heading to Georgia to try to steal poor Johnny’s soul with a fiddle of gold, he headed to the top of Stratton Mountain (it was much closer and quicker to get to since this was horse and buggy days). It was here that the Devil met a young James Taylor.
Yes, that James Taylor. Many people are not aware of his true age or the pact he made with the Devil. James Taylor is credited with coming up with the idea for the Long Trail running the length of Vermont from Massachusetts to Canada. The Devil made a 3 pronged pact with Mr Taylor assuring him long life, prosperity, and credit for creation of the Long Trail. The Devil assured him that he would take care of maintenance of the trail for all time. This is a proven fact that every thru-hiker can and will verify.
In addition, the Devil promised him that he would make him famous and beloved to generations of fans around the world. All James had to do was meet the Devil every 2 years on the mountain for his “payment.” The payment turned out to be music and lyrics for a new song each visit. As long as James kept his appointments, he would maintain his youth. It was on this very spot that James Taylor’s hits were passed on to him. Ironically, the first hit passed to him from the Devil was “You’ve got a Friend.” The truth behind the meaning of this song caused me to have shivers down my spine.
Little known, but still significant, the second song presented to James 4 years after the initial meeting was “Steam Roller.” James became enraged demanding to know what in the hell a steam roller was. The Devil assured him that one day, every hiker would wish that the GMC would breakdown and use one on the trail he was credited for creating. James kept his biennial meeting with the Devil until he decided it was time to garner the fame he had been promised and had been waiting for all these years. In 1970, he stopped visiting the Devil and began performing. He has since began to age normally.
Another significant series of events happened on Stratton Mountain, these involving the “creator” of the Appalachian Trail—Benton MacKaye. There’s a myth around Benton MacKaye very similar to Issac Newton and his inspiration for gravity. It involves an apple falling on his head—it never happened. There’s a similar myth that Benton MacKaye climbed to the top of the fire tower and was so inspired by his surroundings that he came up with the idea for the Appalachian Trail. Like the Apple story, it never happened.
I have dug around and discovered the truth. This may be hard for Benton MacKaye fans to hear, but the truth must be told. There is one part of the story that is true. It happened on the fire tower at the summit of Stratton Mountain. That’s the only true point. Here’s the rest of the story because enquiring minds want to know.
Benton was a drunk. He had obtained a 12 pack of local beer and climbed the fire tower to tie one on. While up there, he was looking around and saw a ski area to the north and one to the south. He was inspired…to build “the best ski development of all time” on Stratton Mountain. As he stumbled down the mountain, he gut stuck in the mud, tripped over his own feet, fell, hit his head on a rock, and concussed himself. Fortunately, there was a group of hikers that witnessed his falling and tried to help him.
They asked how he was and all he could get out was “Longer trail.” What he was trying to say was “The Long Trail sucks and needs longer hours of maintenance devoted to it” but he was very lightheaded. He could see they didn’t understand him, so he tried something else. They heard “George” thinking he meant Georgia. The hikers had so far gotten “Longer Trail from Georgia” when Benton was merely asking them to call his brother, George, who usually took care of him when he was too drunk to walk.
Benton gave up hope of being understood. He tried again, this time only getting out “Main” when he was trying to say “Mainly, I just need a way home to sleep this off.” Instead, the hikers pieced the three utterances together to get “Longer trail from Georgia to Maine” and declared him a visionary. Benton had never excelled at much and liked the idea of being called a visionary and let it go at that.
The sad truth is that if Benton MacKaye had gotten his way, the Long Trail would be the preeminent trail in the country, well maintained, and dry. Plus, the biggest ski development in history would be centered on Stratton Mountain. Instead, the AT was created because of a 12 pack of beer, a muddy trail (which hasn’t changed in almost a century), and a concussion from a drunk falling on a rock. It’s funny the way history works.
After having lunch at the base of the Stratton Mountain fire tower and absorbing all the history of the area, we just wanted to take advantage of rare dry trail and nice weather. We still had almost 9 miles to walk to get to the cabin for the night. We walked by Stratton Pond Shelter and Stratton Pond on our way down the mountain. We were motivated to make time while the trail was good. I was mega-motivated to make it to the privy at Stratton Pond Shelter since Daniel Webster gave his speech to 15,000 people without a privy nearby.
We made it to the shelter with enough time to set up tents before dark. The only drawback was level spots were not to be found. We were forced to stay in the cabin. Sassy is deathly afraid of mice running over her body in the night, so we all agreed drugs were needed. We were trying to figure out whether to drop them in her drink or grind them up in her food when she said “there’s no way in hell I’m staying in there without something. I’m taking some Benadryl.” Problem solved. As always, the trail provides.
EFG