Iceman, Madman, Lobsters, AT

Howdy,
when I was hiking with Rudolf B. and Rudi K. in the Austrian Alps last summer I met Dan (Iceman) and his son Madison (Madman) on a little refuge called Jamtalhütte. We gathered the whole afternoon around a wooden table, had dinner and talked vividly. The two are extraordinary persons.
After our latest little own experience in hiking ca 15 mi of the Appalachian Trail (AT) it seems even more cool and mad to me that both already had hiked the most part of the Via Alpina when we met them. You should know that the Via Alpina is a famous long distance trail across the European Alps (It is more than 2000 km long. If you are interested in more informations or pictures: http://home.maine.rr.com/maineiceman/index2.html
www.via-alpina.com)
Last week we visited Dan and Madison in Maine and had a wonderful stay. I will never forget the lobster dinner and the support of Dan in planing and outfitting our little adventure of hiking a part of the AT.
In autumn the northern part of the AT is exceptional beautiful. The foliage shows colors you won't see in Europe. And also you won't hardly find such a challenge in hiking. Huge boulders, roots, moss, and steep, swampy and narrow passages form natural obstacles to be conquered. Take your time. Sometimes you won't be faster than 1mi/h. And most important of all: Do not ignore the view points. They reward your efforts with spectacular views.