Today is the 24th anniversary wedding anniversary of Jimmy and me. So it seems fitting to share how wedding days, Maine and boats seem to have a large crossover for the two of us.
First Trip to Maine, 1999
During our wedding planning we decided to take a honeymoon to a location neither one of us has been to before and thought Maine would be a unique place to explore. We stayed in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island and enjoyed a wonderful week of hiking in Acadia National Park. The park is a main feature of the island and provides lots of views of the surrounding waters. It was such a great trip for us that we wanted to make it a habit to return there every five years.
Three Return Trips to Maine, 2004, 2009 & 2014
So, it became our tradition to return to Maine every fifth anniversary. On our 5th and 10th anniversary trips we spent the majority of our time hiking at Acadia National Park, staying in the Bar Harbor area. As our 15th anniversary approached, we began talking about adding in a trip to Baxter State Park and hike to the northern terminus point of the Appalachian Trail on top of Mount Katahdin. After a little bit of research, it looked like the Abol Trail might have been the easiest or fastest way up.
However, a couple of things have prevented us from being able to reach Mount Katahdin in 2014. Our trip that year started out with a few days in Bar Harbor to hike a few days in Acadia once again. About a day before heading out from Bar Harbor to Millinocket, the Bangor Daily News announced that the Abol Trail was closed for the remainder of the year due to landside activity. So, upon arriving in Millinocket, we stopped by Baxter State Park headquarters to ask about a recommended route to the top. It turns out that even if the Abol Trail was available, it would not have been possible to show up as a day hiker and summit Mt. Katahdin without a lot of preparation ahead of time. The park rangers suggested hiking South Turner Mountain, which was a perfect trip for the day. When we reached the summit and had our lunch, staring across the valley at Mount Katahdin we decided that we would plan adequately and climb it for our 20th anniversary.
Boat Shopping for Anniversary Trip, 2016
In 2016 we had begun shopping for a sailboat and about a month before our 17th anniversary Jimmy had asked if I wanted to make an anniversary trip to Nashville. I knew there was a Sabre 32 for sale near Nashville and suspected there was an ulterior motive for selecting this location. I laughed and agreed since I also wanted to see this particular boat. On May 21 we drove a couple of hours over to Green Turtle Bay, Kentucky and found ourselves looking at a boat I was quite sure we were going to attempt to purchase. By the end of the year, About Time took up residency in Florida.
20th Anniversary Vacation, 2019
By the time our 20th anniversary rolled around About Time had been behind our house for two and a half years and we were wrapping up our plans to summit Mount Katahdin the following month. We set off from Shell Point in our Jeep and spent a few days driving up to Maine, staying at the AT Lodge the night before heading to Baxter State Park to begin our backpacking trip. The first day was a short but steep hike from Roaring Brook to Chimney Pond where we set up our campsite and prepared to climb up Katahdin the following day. Originally, we agreed to use the Saddle Trail to summit the mountain, but when we arrived at Baxter State Park on June 17, we were notified that Saddle Trail was closed due to snow. I reluctantly agreed to use what is known as the hardest way up, the Cathedral Trail, Jimmy’s first choice of routes up the mountain.
The day we climbed up Katahdin was a beautiful day. We left our campsite at 6 a.m., climbed the very steep Cathedral Trail and celebrated reaching Mount Katahdin by having lunch on the summit, looking back at South Turner Mountain. Since the park strongly discourages descending the Cathedral, we came back down along the Hamlin Ridge Trail returning to our campsite at 6 p.m. It was a fantastic trip that was five years in the making.
Boat Shopping for Anniversary Trip, Again, 2021
By this time, we were working on our five-year plan to begin full-time cruising and sold About Time in early 2021 to begin seriously shopping for our cruising boat. We spent a few months looking at boats, but none that we were both eager to purchase until our 22nd wedding anniversary. Once again, we spent our anniversary driving a couple of hours to look at a boat that I was pretty sure we would make an offer on. And this means that today, our 24th wedding anniversary is the second-year anniversary of the first time we saw Utopia, and we are now five months away from moving aboard.
25th Anniversary Plans, 2024
I think that it was during the 20th anniversary trip that I stated that I wanted us to sail to Maine for our 25th anniversary. After learning how much work and time that might take to pull that off, I began to back off on making that our anniversary trip. Also, sometime during the past few years, we started to talk a little more seriously about hiking the Appalachian Trail. As things started to fall into place to make this hike during 2024, I let go of the lofty goal of sailing to Maine in our own boat for our 25th anniversary, and we now plan to walk to Maine from Harpers Ferry, Virginia for that anniversary trip.
Anniversary Plans, 2025 - 2029
I do not foresee any serious boat shopping on any of our anniversaries before the 30th year. And I could not even begin to guess where in the world we would be during that anniversary year. Perhaps though, we will be near an airport and be able to fly to Maine for another fifth-year anniversary trip.
23-20
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