21.1 hiked today, 2168.8 miles N, 5.2 miles left
"The Birches" Campsite
Today I woke at the Rainbow Spring Campsite next to Rainbow Lake. I popped up at the first light of day. Being that I had seen no sunrises that I can remember I decided to go for an early peak at the lake to see if I could see one today. Of course I should have know from last night's stunning sunset that the sun would be at my back. Still the lake was gorgeous. It was very cold out, I think low forties. Comparatively the water balmy at around 60 degrees. As a result a low fog of steam formed above the water and betrayed the gentle currents of air. I saw a raft if ducks crossing the lake as I sat on a rock on the shore enjoying the peace.
Finally the cold drove me back to the warm surroundings of my sleeping bag where I shivered for a a little while while reading my book. I have been reading "Desert Solitaire" by Edward Abby. He is phenomenal writer with a amazing ability to describe things that resist explanation. He also is a very unpleasant person and I find myself torn. I read to see more of what he sees and spend my time mentally arguing with him or just plain disliking him. Finally I could not rest any more so I started to quietly pack up.
I hung around as the air warmed up and the other hikers started stirring. I stayed at the campsite until Dent was packed so we could hike out together. Last night when I pitched my tarp I looked for the softest patch of ground. In the end I was not pleased by any tent site but I did observe a small grassy area right next to the trail where I had set up. I think this saved me a lot of grief because Dent had been bothered by mice all night long. They had not even waited for him to sleep. Instead, as he puts it, a mouse strolled into his tarp and right into the beam of his headlight as if it owned the place. After that some violent actions with a pillow took place which resulted in a dizzy mouse wobbling out of the tarp. That was not the end of it though and I hear they came back again after that.
We hiked out and made easy time to the boundary of the hundred mile wilderness. We first rounded the perimeter of Rainbow Lake, no small task. Being so large the views were many and varied looking like they came from different lakes. Next we got a view of Katahdin from the top of Rainbow ledges. Now is getting so close that literally I know I could get there by sundown if I wished to.
At the end of the hundred mile wilderness there is a road walk that takes one by the Abol Bridge Campstore. There Dent and I both stopped to pick up out last days food as it was the only place to get food in the remaining section of the the AT. It was an amusing spot. The campground did not have electric service or telephone service, instead they had their own generator and a cell phone powered pay-phone ($1/minute). What was amusing is that running by the front of the campground was a massive high tension power-line. Sitting in the shadow of that they were still burning diesel.
We took a long break there chatting with people heading south and eating a lavish lunch of, in my case, two block of ramen. I have been trying for months to get a picture of a dragon fly and finally got my chance. There was one clinging to the side of the camp-store that held still enough for me to get some very good pictures of it.
We left after having our fill of food and rest. We soon realized that we took a much too long break. Not because there wasn't time to make it camp but because what there was a lot to look at. Once we entered Baxter State Park we realized it deserves a generous time allocation. We made the best of it taking short breaks. We passed a meadow with the view of Katahdin, the best thus far. Next we hiked along Katahdin Stream and it's tributaries for a while. Then we saw Little and Bg Niagara Falls. Along the way the sun started to set framing the still lit mountain ahead in darkened trees.
What was the greatest treat was the lakes of Baxter State Park. We passed by several and I hesitate to say I had a favorite. They all were painted in pastel hues that changed as the sun dipped lower. Finally it started to get really dark and we had to haul to make it to the shelter. We didn't make it in time but we still managed to find the shelter after much doubt as to it's location. There are two small shelters here. One was taken by a group we did not see and who is already asleep. However since the other shelter is empty we can set up without disturbing anyone.
I had to believe this is the last night on the trail. Mentally I am perplexed. My feelings have not swelled or my vision changed. Today feels like every other day. There is still the easy hiking and the knowledge that I am progressing towards a great goal. However that goal feels as far as ever. Tomorrow I am interested to see how I feel.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
8/19 What a Sunset!
20.3 hiked today, 2147.7 miles N, 26.3 miles left
Rainbow Spring Campsite
Today started well. I got up early and borrowed a kayak. I was told that I stood a very good chance of seeing a moose feeding on the far side of a point on the other side of the lake. The wind was calm and temps cool as I pushed off from the shallow beach. It had been a long time since I had paddled a kayak but the motion came back to me rather easily. I wish I had a spray skirt though as my legs got fairly wet from the splashing and dripping off the paddle. I glided slowly across the lake enjoying looking at the shoreline, horizon, and birds. Also my upper body has been badly neglected during my hike and I didn't want to tire out my arms to quickly. At the far side of the lake there were numerous submerged rocks and I had to be attentive to where my boat went to avoid beaching myself on one of them. Unfortunately after paddling along a good long stretch of the far shore exploring every nook and cranny I did not see any moose.
Finally the time came to get back for breakfast. I turned around and headed back, now directly to save time. That is when I saw the view of Katahdin in the morning light with it's summit wrapped in clouds just peeking up over the trees on the far shore. I got a couple pictures and kept paddling but the trip back, though shorter, was harder. The wind had picked up and there was some chop in the water so I had to put a lot of energy into keeping the boat straight. In the end I made it back in time for breakfast.
Breakfast was supposed to be a all you can eat but turned out to have some restrictions namely being that that only includes pancakes and everything else was eat what you were given. That was the start of Dent and my realization of just how unpleasant Bill, one of the owners, is. In the end we were both glad to be away from the place by the time he dropped us off. I suspect that is why his wife dealt with us last night. It is a shame because it is very nice place but he was just so unpleasant, impolite, and unreasonable that I can not say that I would ever recommend anyone got there. Also the side trail is a bit of a slog and pizza, bunk, a hand full of candy bars was $55.
Todays hike was the last full day of hiking for the trip as the next two days will be fairly short. Dent I hiked together nearly the whole day and had a great time. The hike was easy going though and we easily made our goal of getting to Rainbow Springs Campsite while still taking the opportunity to take relaxing breaks when they presented themselves. At our first break we stopped on an auto bridge over Namakanta steam. There I meet Steve and Ellen again who were just completing their hike. It was nice to see them again and they very generously offered food, lift, or water if we needed but we were doing fine. We talked for a while before they started their trip home.
The day pretty much consisted of walking near water. Either it was hiking next to a stream from one lake to another or it was hiking near a lake, above or next to it. This gave us many good views including more of Katahdin with a clearer summit though a ceiling of dark clouds still hung around. We stopped and admired the views at the beaches and found a very nice pair of binoculars at one that some lost. I would have picked them up but I really didn't feel like carrying and extra pound up Katahdin in a couple days.
In Maine some prankster has been leaving crutches and band-aids at most road crossings. I always though it was a funny joke and possibly useful for some of us. Today they toped that by leaving a oxygen cylinder at one with the message "In case you need to finish..." written on it's side. Dent and I got lots of good pictures with that and the crutch.
In the end after all our breaks we ended up rolling into camp with only about an hour of day light to spare. The camp was empty and we stared setting up as if we owned the place, spreading out. About a half hour before sun set about half a dozen other hikers rolled in making for a fairly busy site.
The camping is near the water and we were treated to a spectacular sunset over Rainbow Lake. The pictures don't do it justice. Imagine a large, wide lava flow. It rolls across the ground glowing red with irregular black regions where the rock gets cold or carbon and impurities oxidize. Now stand on your head while looking at this so that it looks like the lava is above you. That is roughly what the sky looked like. Every minute the sun descended more and the hues and luminosity would change. FInally it cooled to a red glow along the horizon.
In the privy here there are impressive spiders. I would hate to tussle with one but they sure give the hiker something to look at while answering the call of nature. Some were about the size of my thumb! I am sure they could give a nasty bite.
Dent has a suggestion as to why the mice have been so difficult recently. The recent weather, according to him, has set them off into their "store food for the winter" mode. Hence they have very little fear of humans or death. This sounds plausible to me and he says he has observed it in squirrels too back at home.
FInally the fact the end is near has really started to hit me. For the last 5 months I lived in a world where days of the week don't exist. The only way I know the weekends for the weekdays usually is because I see lots of day hikers and weekend warriors. Now I have realized that I plan on summiting on tuesday and I will go home on thursday. It how people usually think , in terms of days of the week, and for that matter I have lived by that system most my life. That is why is feels so weird to speak of them. I both are unaccustomed to them and know they are a accepted part of life. A stranger I am intimately aware of.
That is enough for now. Monday I plan on hiking to the last shelter before Katahdin.
Rainbow Spring Campsite
Today started well. I got up early and borrowed a kayak. I was told that I stood a very good chance of seeing a moose feeding on the far side of a point on the other side of the lake. The wind was calm and temps cool as I pushed off from the shallow beach. It had been a long time since I had paddled a kayak but the motion came back to me rather easily. I wish I had a spray skirt though as my legs got fairly wet from the splashing and dripping off the paddle. I glided slowly across the lake enjoying looking at the shoreline, horizon, and birds. Also my upper body has been badly neglected during my hike and I didn't want to tire out my arms to quickly. At the far side of the lake there were numerous submerged rocks and I had to be attentive to where my boat went to avoid beaching myself on one of them. Unfortunately after paddling along a good long stretch of the far shore exploring every nook and cranny I did not see any moose.
Finally the time came to get back for breakfast. I turned around and headed back, now directly to save time. That is when I saw the view of Katahdin in the morning light with it's summit wrapped in clouds just peeking up over the trees on the far shore. I got a couple pictures and kept paddling but the trip back, though shorter, was harder. The wind had picked up and there was some chop in the water so I had to put a lot of energy into keeping the boat straight. In the end I made it back in time for breakfast.
Breakfast was supposed to be a all you can eat but turned out to have some restrictions namely being that that only includes pancakes and everything else was eat what you were given. That was the start of Dent and my realization of just how unpleasant Bill, one of the owners, is. In the end we were both glad to be away from the place by the time he dropped us off. I suspect that is why his wife dealt with us last night. It is a shame because it is very nice place but he was just so unpleasant, impolite, and unreasonable that I can not say that I would ever recommend anyone got there. Also the side trail is a bit of a slog and pizza, bunk, a hand full of candy bars was $55.
Todays hike was the last full day of hiking for the trip as the next two days will be fairly short. Dent I hiked together nearly the whole day and had a great time. The hike was easy going though and we easily made our goal of getting to Rainbow Springs Campsite while still taking the opportunity to take relaxing breaks when they presented themselves. At our first break we stopped on an auto bridge over Namakanta steam. There I meet Steve and Ellen again who were just completing their hike. It was nice to see them again and they very generously offered food, lift, or water if we needed but we were doing fine. We talked for a while before they started their trip home.
The day pretty much consisted of walking near water. Either it was hiking next to a stream from one lake to another or it was hiking near a lake, above or next to it. This gave us many good views including more of Katahdin with a clearer summit though a ceiling of dark clouds still hung around. We stopped and admired the views at the beaches and found a very nice pair of binoculars at one that some lost. I would have picked them up but I really didn't feel like carrying and extra pound up Katahdin in a couple days.
In Maine some prankster has been leaving crutches and band-aids at most road crossings. I always though it was a funny joke and possibly useful for some of us. Today they toped that by leaving a oxygen cylinder at one with the message "In case you need to finish..." written on it's side. Dent and I got lots of good pictures with that and the crutch.
In the end after all our breaks we ended up rolling into camp with only about an hour of day light to spare. The camp was empty and we stared setting up as if we owned the place, spreading out. About a half hour before sun set about half a dozen other hikers rolled in making for a fairly busy site.
The camping is near the water and we were treated to a spectacular sunset over Rainbow Lake. The pictures don't do it justice. Imagine a large, wide lava flow. It rolls across the ground glowing red with irregular black regions where the rock gets cold or carbon and impurities oxidize. Now stand on your head while looking at this so that it looks like the lava is above you. That is roughly what the sky looked like. Every minute the sun descended more and the hues and luminosity would change. FInally it cooled to a red glow along the horizon.
In the privy here there are impressive spiders. I would hate to tussle with one but they sure give the hiker something to look at while answering the call of nature. Some were about the size of my thumb! I am sure they could give a nasty bite.
Dent has a suggestion as to why the mice have been so difficult recently. The recent weather, according to him, has set them off into their "store food for the winter" mode. Hence they have very little fear of humans or death. This sounds plausible to me and he says he has observed it in squirrels too back at home.
FInally the fact the end is near has really started to hit me. For the last 5 months I lived in a world where days of the week don't exist. The only way I know the weekends for the weekdays usually is because I see lots of day hikers and weekend warriors. Now I have realized that I plan on summiting on tuesday and I will go home on thursday. It how people usually think , in terms of days of the week, and for that matter I have lived by that system most my life. That is why is feels so weird to speak of them. I both are unaccustomed to them and know they are a accepted part of life. A stranger I am intimately aware of.
That is enough for now. Monday I plan on hiking to the last shelter before Katahdin.
8/18 Take it Easy
17.5 hiked today, 2128.1 miles N, 45.9 miles left
White House Landing
It seems a cold weather front has moved into the area. It has been cooler than the warm summer temps I would normally expect for August. This morning however it was even colder than that being low 40s when I woke up. As a result I had no incentive to get up and out of bed early. I popped out to answer natures call and then spent the next hour buried deep into my sleeping bag reading and waiting for the sun to warm things up a bit.
The mouse hang I made last night turned out to work. The larger bowel kept the mouse out of my food bag though a mouse still ran over my face overnight causing a startled waking. The couple who was in the camp site behind the shelter had left by the time I had packed up and made it out so I had a very quiet morning. The swimming hole in front of the shelter looked very nice and inviting if it weren't for the chilly weather so I passed on taking a dip before I left.
The trail today was flat and easy and I made great time cruising along. The only things that slowed me down was the copious roots and wet (thus slick) bog bridges from last nights rain. Last nights rain seems to have encourage the mushrooms to grow. Normally I see a few around but this morning I saw yellow ones all over. They came in two varieties. One looked a lot like the horn on a trumpet. This, I am told, is a Chanterelle which is edible though I was not so bold as to try one. The other type looked like small featureless stalks or fingers growing straight out of the ground and tight clumps.
After an hour or two of hiking I caught up with the couple in the tent behind the shelter. Their names are Steve and Ellen and I had a great time chatting with them while we hiked. They are very nice people who are out for a long weekend working on hiking all the AT in Maine.
At the outlet of Mud Pond I did some rock hopping to get a better look at the pond. While doing that I spotted some freshwater clams tucked in amongst the rocks.
We passed the Antlers Campsite which was a stunning place to spend the night. The camping is located on a peninsula so that every site had a great lakeside view while still being in the shelter of tall pine trees. The privy was neat too having windows and a name of "Port Relief". That makes stiff competition for last nights privy's name, "Full Moon".
I enjoyed hanging out with Steve and Ellen so much I joined them for a lunch break at Jo-Mary lake. They shared some of their food and we talked about hiking and my plans for the future which they found very interesting.
We hiked together until the next lean-to at which point they stayed for the night and I covered the 4 miles to White House Landing. Along the way I got a great view of Katahdin at Pemadumcook Lake.
The side trail leading to While House Landing is what I would describe as "Trail, mixed media". It went over old road bed, moss covered boulder fields, rocky shoreline, and meadows. It was a sizable detour, .9 miles, and took a while as the surface was not built well. It appeared sections were rerouted as needed giving the trail a feeling of zig zagging through the woods. Finally I got to the dock at the end. White House Landing is on the other side of the lake and you ask for a shuttle by giving a short blast from an air-horn that is kept at the dock for that purpose. I stretched out in the sun on the deck but did not get much of a break as the boat arrived quickly.
At the other side I found Dent who had hiked in for lunch and decided to stay the night. The place was very quiet with only ourselves and a couple who had boated in for the weekend. The food is a little steep but the pizza was homemade and tasty. Dent and I have had a good time hanging out and talking. It is a shame it is near the end of the trip because I am sure we would enjoying hiking together more.
White House Landing
It seems a cold weather front has moved into the area. It has been cooler than the warm summer temps I would normally expect for August. This morning however it was even colder than that being low 40s when I woke up. As a result I had no incentive to get up and out of bed early. I popped out to answer natures call and then spent the next hour buried deep into my sleeping bag reading and waiting for the sun to warm things up a bit.
The mouse hang I made last night turned out to work. The larger bowel kept the mouse out of my food bag though a mouse still ran over my face overnight causing a startled waking. The couple who was in the camp site behind the shelter had left by the time I had packed up and made it out so I had a very quiet morning. The swimming hole in front of the shelter looked very nice and inviting if it weren't for the chilly weather so I passed on taking a dip before I left.
The trail today was flat and easy and I made great time cruising along. The only things that slowed me down was the copious roots and wet (thus slick) bog bridges from last nights rain. Last nights rain seems to have encourage the mushrooms to grow. Normally I see a few around but this morning I saw yellow ones all over. They came in two varieties. One looked a lot like the horn on a trumpet. This, I am told, is a Chanterelle which is edible though I was not so bold as to try one. The other type looked like small featureless stalks or fingers growing straight out of the ground and tight clumps.
After an hour or two of hiking I caught up with the couple in the tent behind the shelter. Their names are Steve and Ellen and I had a great time chatting with them while we hiked. They are very nice people who are out for a long weekend working on hiking all the AT in Maine.
At the outlet of Mud Pond I did some rock hopping to get a better look at the pond. While doing that I spotted some freshwater clams tucked in amongst the rocks.
We passed the Antlers Campsite which was a stunning place to spend the night. The camping is located on a peninsula so that every site had a great lakeside view while still being in the shelter of tall pine trees. The privy was neat too having windows and a name of "Port Relief". That makes stiff competition for last nights privy's name, "Full Moon".
I enjoyed hanging out with Steve and Ellen so much I joined them for a lunch break at Jo-Mary lake. They shared some of their food and we talked about hiking and my plans for the future which they found very interesting.
We hiked together until the next lean-to at which point they stayed for the night and I covered the 4 miles to White House Landing. Along the way I got a great view of Katahdin at Pemadumcook Lake.
The side trail leading to While House Landing is what I would describe as "Trail, mixed media". It went over old road bed, moss covered boulder fields, rocky shoreline, and meadows. It was a sizable detour, .9 miles, and took a while as the surface was not built well. It appeared sections were rerouted as needed giving the trail a feeling of zig zagging through the woods. Finally I got to the dock at the end. White House Landing is on the other side of the lake and you ask for a shuttle by giving a short blast from an air-horn that is kept at the dock for that purpose. I stretched out in the sun on the deck but did not get much of a break as the boat arrived quickly.
At the other side I found Dent who had hiked in for lunch and decided to stay the night. The place was very quiet with only ourselves and a couple who had boated in for the weekend. The food is a little steep but the pizza was homemade and tasty. Dent and I have had a good time hanging out and talking. It is a shame it is near the end of the trip because I am sure we would enjoying hiking together more.
8/17 Very Good Day
18.9 hiked today, 2114.3 miles N, 59.7 miles left
Cooper Brook Falls Shelter
This morning I have been thinking about the last several days. At night when I make my notes I find myself struggling with writer's block. Now I think I know the the cause. With the days till the end countable on one hand my mind has surged ahead of my feet. However today I will write as I hike so the short term memory can do most of the work.
It had rained last night but the comforts of the shelter kept me dry. After I had slid into my sleeping bag I saw a face whom I hadn't seen in a long time, Ninja. It was late and she seemed occupied with her friend Spence and I was asleep so we spoke very little. At 2 AM we spoke much more due to the at least three relentless mice. I am very fortunate in that they completely ignored my food bag. However they found Ninja's and Spence's and they were not detoured by the mouse hangs or the attempts on their lives. One by one they would climb down the hangs to the food bag setting the seemly useless tin can protection rattling. Then one of us would turn on our headlamp, spot them, and then strike a blow hard enough to the rope or bag to send them flying through the air out of the shelter. Sooner than that one had a chance to climb back another would start the journey down the hang. I personally knocked two off the food and the others had at least twice that many hits. Finally one managed to chew a hole into Spence's food bag and climbed in. That was where it met it's end. The food bag was batted around until the motion stopped and the dead mouse was retrieved and tossed into the woods. The mice, I think, mostly got the point as they only woke us up a few more times after that. I feel kind of bad for the mouse but not that bad.
As a result of the mice I slept in later than I had hoped but I slept well enough and I packed quickly hitting the trail by 8. Almost immediately I passed through a small bog.
...
The woods were still covered in drops from last nights rain and the temps cool due to the shade. As a result I was soaked from the wait down and running cool which was OK by me as it made the climbs more comfortable.
The first summit was Hagas Mt.. At the top there was a nice spot to sit and while seated I spotted two hawks. I think they had a nest near the trail as they were watching me closely and think I could hear the squawk of chicks. They were very shy however. Whenever they landed they would perch themselves on one of the bare pine trees behind me. I could hear their claws on the wood but when I turned to look they would get spooked and fly off. They liked to land in the upper branches of bare bleached dead pine trees. They had a wing span of maybe 1-2 feet and they were largely tan with periodic dark feathers on their wings. I watched them for about half an hour catching only glimpses of them through the trees soaring high above. I also spotted what I thought might be a nuthatch but it was on a branch and not the trunk so I think I was mistaken.
...
I am on White Cap and what a day it is! The view from here is awesome. I think it may be the best of the whole trip. It isn't quite 360 degree due to a line of pine trees that run over the peak but there is a short trail that leads to the other side of those so it is 2 180ยบ views. There is a bench of sorts here and I have been spending the last 45 minutes or so enjoying the view, writing a letter to Dana, and having the type of deep thoughts that come when it appears the world is laying before me. There is a cloud of flys buzzing around but they aren't biting so they are not bothering me. There even was a dragon fly a minute ago. I wonder what is doing up here so far away from water? I am eating my lunch which consist of some cheese and fairly crumpled tortillas. The wind is very gentle and it is quiet up here minus the flies, some birds, and the occasional buzzing/snapping sound of a grasshopper going from rock to rock. I can literally se the end from here. Katahdin looms as an imposing ridge-line. It stands alone with only lakes and lowland forest around it.
...
The climb down White Cap was just as scenic as the summit. Constant stunning views as I rounded it's northern face and started my descent. That just reinforces my feelings that that was the best mountain thus far.
I am now Crawford Pond and it is an awesome swimming hole. I took a short skinny dip and the water was perfect. There is a sandy beach that slowly descends into the water and the temperature was that kind of temp where after you take the plunge feels wonderful all over. I splashed around for a couple minutes and now I am enjoying looking out at the waters. By the shore I have noticed bubbles coming up through the sand. They are popping up a every few seconds from several places along the shore. When I stand in the sand it release a short flurry of them to. I wonder what is causing them? Decomposing plat matter below, maybe some geothermal vent which would explain the nice water. The gas doesn't smell like much so I can only guess at it's origins.
I am in the middle of what is called the 100 mile wilderness but I have to say at this point I have been disappointed. I have crossed several maintained roads and yesterday and today I even saw traffic. Today it was a pickup truck with a man and woman hauling a trailer home. I think I have been in more remote places elsewhere on this trail though I have to say the views are better here.
...
The day went fast. I took my time taking almost three hours of breaks including a nap at East Branch Lean-to. What a difference it makes when the terrain is mostly flat and smooth. I stroll along at over 3MPH and hardly break a sweat. I got here about 6:30 to an empty shelter thought here is a couple tenting nearby. I was going to go by and chat after dinner but it has started to rain so I am going to stay in the dry shelter. Given the mice problems as of late I set up a rope hang just outside the shelter where they won't find it. However I also discovered an abandoned metal bowel. This is much larger than the tuna cans people usually use a mouse protection so I have hope that it may work better. I have pounded a small hole in the center using one of my tarp stakes and a rock and have rigged it up just like a normal mouse hang. In addition I found a discarded camping knife that I have treaded into the whole arrangement so that if a mouse disturbs the hang it will rattle hopefully waking me before my food gets trashed. I will hand my food from this tonight and keep the rope hang outside set up as a backup if the mice can get by. All the shelters in the hundred miles have been trashed with garbage strew all over but at least I can recycle these two items.
My food bag is getting light and I can feel the end draw near. I am all alone which surprises me a little but I have a couple good books to read one which I found literally on the trail earlier.
Today has been awesome. The temps were perfect, the views stunning, swim very nice, trail not to tough, and I made it in before the rain!
Cooper Brook Falls Shelter
This morning I have been thinking about the last several days. At night when I make my notes I find myself struggling with writer's block. Now I think I know the the cause. With the days till the end countable on one hand my mind has surged ahead of my feet. However today I will write as I hike so the short term memory can do most of the work.
It had rained last night but the comforts of the shelter kept me dry. After I had slid into my sleeping bag I saw a face whom I hadn't seen in a long time, Ninja. It was late and she seemed occupied with her friend Spence and I was asleep so we spoke very little. At 2 AM we spoke much more due to the at least three relentless mice. I am very fortunate in that they completely ignored my food bag. However they found Ninja's and Spence's and they were not detoured by the mouse hangs or the attempts on their lives. One by one they would climb down the hangs to the food bag setting the seemly useless tin can protection rattling. Then one of us would turn on our headlamp, spot them, and then strike a blow hard enough to the rope or bag to send them flying through the air out of the shelter. Sooner than that one had a chance to climb back another would start the journey down the hang. I personally knocked two off the food and the others had at least twice that many hits. Finally one managed to chew a hole into Spence's food bag and climbed in. That was where it met it's end. The food bag was batted around until the motion stopped and the dead mouse was retrieved and tossed into the woods. The mice, I think, mostly got the point as they only woke us up a few more times after that. I feel kind of bad for the mouse but not that bad.
As a result of the mice I slept in later than I had hoped but I slept well enough and I packed quickly hitting the trail by 8. Almost immediately I passed through a small bog.
...
The woods were still covered in drops from last nights rain and the temps cool due to the shade. As a result I was soaked from the wait down and running cool which was OK by me as it made the climbs more comfortable.
The first summit was Hagas Mt.. At the top there was a nice spot to sit and while seated I spotted two hawks. I think they had a nest near the trail as they were watching me closely and think I could hear the squawk of chicks. They were very shy however. Whenever they landed they would perch themselves on one of the bare pine trees behind me. I could hear their claws on the wood but when I turned to look they would get spooked and fly off. They liked to land in the upper branches of bare bleached dead pine trees. They had a wing span of maybe 1-2 feet and they were largely tan with periodic dark feathers on their wings. I watched them for about half an hour catching only glimpses of them through the trees soaring high above. I also spotted what I thought might be a nuthatch but it was on a branch and not the trunk so I think I was mistaken.
...
I am on White Cap and what a day it is! The view from here is awesome. I think it may be the best of the whole trip. It isn't quite 360 degree due to a line of pine trees that run over the peak but there is a short trail that leads to the other side of those so it is 2 180ยบ views. There is a bench of sorts here and I have been spending the last 45 minutes or so enjoying the view, writing a letter to Dana, and having the type of deep thoughts that come when it appears the world is laying before me. There is a cloud of flys buzzing around but they aren't biting so they are not bothering me. There even was a dragon fly a minute ago. I wonder what is doing up here so far away from water? I am eating my lunch which consist of some cheese and fairly crumpled tortillas. The wind is very gentle and it is quiet up here minus the flies, some birds, and the occasional buzzing/snapping sound of a grasshopper going from rock to rock. I can literally se the end from here. Katahdin looms as an imposing ridge-line. It stands alone with only lakes and lowland forest around it.
...
The climb down White Cap was just as scenic as the summit. Constant stunning views as I rounded it's northern face and started my descent. That just reinforces my feelings that that was the best mountain thus far.
I am now Crawford Pond and it is an awesome swimming hole. I took a short skinny dip and the water was perfect. There is a sandy beach that slowly descends into the water and the temperature was that kind of temp where after you take the plunge feels wonderful all over. I splashed around for a couple minutes and now I am enjoying looking out at the waters. By the shore I have noticed bubbles coming up through the sand. They are popping up a every few seconds from several places along the shore. When I stand in the sand it release a short flurry of them to. I wonder what is causing them? Decomposing plat matter below, maybe some geothermal vent which would explain the nice water. The gas doesn't smell like much so I can only guess at it's origins.
I am in the middle of what is called the 100 mile wilderness but I have to say at this point I have been disappointed. I have crossed several maintained roads and yesterday and today I even saw traffic. Today it was a pickup truck with a man and woman hauling a trailer home. I think I have been in more remote places elsewhere on this trail though I have to say the views are better here.
...
The day went fast. I took my time taking almost three hours of breaks including a nap at East Branch Lean-to. What a difference it makes when the terrain is mostly flat and smooth. I stroll along at over 3MPH and hardly break a sweat. I got here about 6:30 to an empty shelter thought here is a couple tenting nearby. I was going to go by and chat after dinner but it has started to rain so I am going to stay in the dry shelter. Given the mice problems as of late I set up a rope hang just outside the shelter where they won't find it. However I also discovered an abandoned metal bowel. This is much larger than the tuna cans people usually use a mouse protection so I have hope that it may work better. I have pounded a small hole in the center using one of my tarp stakes and a rock and have rigged it up just like a normal mouse hang. In addition I found a discarded camping knife that I have treaded into the whole arrangement so that if a mouse disturbs the hang it will rattle hopefully waking me before my food gets trashed. I will hand my food from this tonight and keep the rope hang outside set up as a backup if the mice can get by. All the shelters in the hundred miles have been trashed with garbage strew all over but at least I can recycle these two items.
My food bag is getting light and I can feel the end draw near. I am all alone which surprises me a little but I have a couple good books to read one which I found literally on the trail earlier.
Today has been awesome. The temps were perfect, the views stunning, swim very nice, trail not to tough, and I made it in before the rain!
8/16 Feeling Slugush
15.3 hiked today, 2095.4 miles N, 78.6 miles left
Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
After the long day yesterday I thought today would be another to get me big miles but alas it wasn't so.
The morning started with a fast and easy climb up Chairback Mountain. I had heard this was a difficult climb but that has been mostly from southbound hikers and section hikers who usually do not have their trail legs. The weather today was lovely and so the view from the the summit of Chairback was very nice.
The big sight of the day was a side trip I made to the Gulf Hagas Trail. This is a 5.2 mile loop trail is is supposedly one of the most scenic spots along the AT so despite the long detour I decided to check it out. The descriptions I have heard had promised 5 waterfalls in a deep canyon. Another called it the grand canyon of the east. I suspect the second description is a bit of an exaggeration but no matter what it was a sight to be seen. The western wall of the canyon was very steep and completely unsuitable for a trail but the eastern side provided plenty of places to get around. A trail weaved up and down and frequently there was a side scenic overlook with perched in view of a water fall or along a rapids.
Of the five falls I saw my favorite was the first, Screw Auger Falls. What made this fall so special was several factors. There were a few excellent views of the falls. The fall was the biggest I saw in Gulf Hagas. Finally the shapes it had eroded into the rock was my favorite characteristic. The fall fell in free fall over an overhang. Behind the fall from the presumably thousands of years it had been flowing there was a large smooth bowl carved into the rock. Below the fall was a patio of sorts, a rocky ledge the was higher than the water level of the stream. The fall had carved a large shallow basin into this rock and down stream from the falls you could see the once white water flowing over the lip of the basin smoothly down stream.
The other falls we all nice and I took photos of several of them. I stopped at "The Jaws" fall which was not particularly spectacular but it had a very nice rocky ledge near that put me a few feet above the water in the sun. There I stretched out for an hour or so reading and munching. By this time my energy had started to plummet, I have no idea why. I felt great in the morning. Even though the fall wasn't much to look at I loved staring into the broad strong dark current of water flowing by, listening to the white noise, and seeing all the tenacious plant life clinging to the near vertical far wall.
After that I was kind of a wandering zombie. I still enjoyed the views but I think I would have liked them more if I had more pep. Fortunately after the Gulf I only had four miles left to cover. As part of those miles I wandered through a spacious pine forest with a soft bed of needles. I was so zonked that I took a nap for about half and hour in the curve next to the trunk of a large tree. After that I only had a mile left to get here which did not take very long.
I saw some wildlife today as well. I have been seeing red squirrels all over so seeing that is not new. However today due to my sluggish nature I spent a bit of time watching them move around. They never seem to walk, they sprint from one place to the other and then stop to eat or look around. Sometimes when they stop it seems mid-sprint. When they do this however they seem to always pick one paw up off the ground so they are standing on three paws only. I have no idea why they do this but it is rather cute. In addition to the squirrel I saw a reddish brown variation on the garter snake amongst the base of some pine trees trying to hide from me. Very cool. I saw a green frog rapidly trying to escape when I hiked through a marshy stretch of trail. With a little work I got some very good photos of him though. Finally there was a tan colored rabbit that wandered through the shelter site tonight.
Given my energy level I am happy enough with the distance I have covered today. I know I would not have been happy if I had made a push. The Gulf Hagas loop really was very nice with the falls framed by high rocky walls. I am glad I took the time to see it. Most hikers are so stricken by Katahdin fever they can not bear the side-trip.
Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
After the long day yesterday I thought today would be another to get me big miles but alas it wasn't so.
The morning started with a fast and easy climb up Chairback Mountain. I had heard this was a difficult climb but that has been mostly from southbound hikers and section hikers who usually do not have their trail legs. The weather today was lovely and so the view from the the summit of Chairback was very nice.
The big sight of the day was a side trip I made to the Gulf Hagas Trail. This is a 5.2 mile loop trail is is supposedly one of the most scenic spots along the AT so despite the long detour I decided to check it out. The descriptions I have heard had promised 5 waterfalls in a deep canyon. Another called it the grand canyon of the east. I suspect the second description is a bit of an exaggeration but no matter what it was a sight to be seen. The western wall of the canyon was very steep and completely unsuitable for a trail but the eastern side provided plenty of places to get around. A trail weaved up and down and frequently there was a side scenic overlook with perched in view of a water fall or along a rapids.
Of the five falls I saw my favorite was the first, Screw Auger Falls. What made this fall so special was several factors. There were a few excellent views of the falls. The fall was the biggest I saw in Gulf Hagas. Finally the shapes it had eroded into the rock was my favorite characteristic. The fall fell in free fall over an overhang. Behind the fall from the presumably thousands of years it had been flowing there was a large smooth bowl carved into the rock. Below the fall was a patio of sorts, a rocky ledge the was higher than the water level of the stream. The fall had carved a large shallow basin into this rock and down stream from the falls you could see the once white water flowing over the lip of the basin smoothly down stream.
The other falls we all nice and I took photos of several of them. I stopped at "The Jaws" fall which was not particularly spectacular but it had a very nice rocky ledge near that put me a few feet above the water in the sun. There I stretched out for an hour or so reading and munching. By this time my energy had started to plummet, I have no idea why. I felt great in the morning. Even though the fall wasn't much to look at I loved staring into the broad strong dark current of water flowing by, listening to the white noise, and seeing all the tenacious plant life clinging to the near vertical far wall.
After that I was kind of a wandering zombie. I still enjoyed the views but I think I would have liked them more if I had more pep. Fortunately after the Gulf I only had four miles left to cover. As part of those miles I wandered through a spacious pine forest with a soft bed of needles. I was so zonked that I took a nap for about half and hour in the curve next to the trunk of a large tree. After that I only had a mile left to get here which did not take very long.
I saw some wildlife today as well. I have been seeing red squirrels all over so seeing that is not new. However today due to my sluggish nature I spent a bit of time watching them move around. They never seem to walk, they sprint from one place to the other and then stop to eat or look around. Sometimes when they stop it seems mid-sprint. When they do this however they seem to always pick one paw up off the ground so they are standing on three paws only. I have no idea why they do this but it is rather cute. In addition to the squirrel I saw a reddish brown variation on the garter snake amongst the base of some pine trees trying to hide from me. Very cool. I saw a green frog rapidly trying to escape when I hiked through a marshy stretch of trail. With a little work I got some very good photos of him though. Finally there was a tan colored rabbit that wandered through the shelter site tonight.
Given my energy level I am happy enough with the distance I have covered today. I know I would not have been happy if I had made a push. The Gulf Hagas loop really was very nice with the falls framed by high rocky walls. I am glad I took the time to see it. Most hikers are so stricken by Katahdin fever they can not bear the side-trip.
8/15 "88 miles to Katahin and were done"
23 hiked today, 2085.5 miles N, 88.5 miles left
Chairback Gap Lean-to
The day started out with rain. I pulled on my jacket and packed everything else away to keep it dry and set out. The rain wasn't so bad though and I stayed mostly dry minus from the waist down where I brushed the bushes and dragged my feet through grasses.
Below the dark wet sky was numerous ponds to keep me entertained. Their water was dark due to the over cast skys with the rough texture from the mist. In one I got a look at my first real live loon.
The weather cleared up quickly and by 9 AM it was partly cloudy. That is when I caught my view of what I believe is the most beautiful fall thus far on this hike, Little Wilson Falls. It is hard to describe but I will try. The falls are in a deep cleft in the earth. The ground was made largely of blocky stone from which a sudden drop and deep gorge had been chiseled. The falls themselves are a staircase with the water tumbling over uneven steps down into the gorge. To either side of the gorge was a nearly flat vertical bank with tree and bushes clinging on to the tiniest of cracks and ledges.
After that I got to Wilson Valley Shelter where a great crime has been perpetrated on me. Being that I have spent the last 5 months without my music collection songs get stuck in my head very easily. Hellbender, whom I had meet back in NC, has been hiking ahead of me for the last few months. Today she journaled a song into the register which is sure to drive me up the wall for the next week. It sung to the tune of a rather famous song that need not be mentioned and here it goes;
104 miles to Katahdin and were done
104 miles to Katahdin
We hike a mile, then we smile
103 miles to Katahdin and were done
The hike was pretty uneventful most of the way to Barren Mountain summit. It rained a bit and that is about it. At Barren summit I came across a rickety fire-tower which had no stairs to climb and a friendly couple who were headed southbound. We chatted for a while and I took a peek from the fire-tower but though the rain had stopped the clouds were still around so I did not see much.
For some reason the last 7 miles of the day really dragged on. There was a few small mountains to climb and I passed through the small but gorgeous Forth Mountain Bog. Normally I would expect to cover this distance in a 3 hours but it took more like 5. Fortunately I hiked pretty fast for the first half of the day so I still made it well before dark. The mountains gave some nice views, when the clouds cleared, of the nearby ponds below.
At the shelter I am spending another night with Green Hornet and Dent. I got in with a hour of sunlight left so I am having a pretty relaxing night of setting up. It has been a long hard day so I think I will sleep well tonight.
One last note, I am finding the 100 mile wilderness rather disappointing. Not that it is not beautiful but so far I crossed at least half a dozen active roads and seen two cars driving through just as I was crossing a road. I just doesn't seem very wilderness like.
Chairback Gap Lean-to
The day started out with rain. I pulled on my jacket and packed everything else away to keep it dry and set out. The rain wasn't so bad though and I stayed mostly dry minus from the waist down where I brushed the bushes and dragged my feet through grasses.
Below the dark wet sky was numerous ponds to keep me entertained. Their water was dark due to the over cast skys with the rough texture from the mist. In one I got a look at my first real live loon.
The weather cleared up quickly and by 9 AM it was partly cloudy. That is when I caught my view of what I believe is the most beautiful fall thus far on this hike, Little Wilson Falls. It is hard to describe but I will try. The falls are in a deep cleft in the earth. The ground was made largely of blocky stone from which a sudden drop and deep gorge had been chiseled. The falls themselves are a staircase with the water tumbling over uneven steps down into the gorge. To either side of the gorge was a nearly flat vertical bank with tree and bushes clinging on to the tiniest of cracks and ledges.
After that I got to Wilson Valley Shelter where a great crime has been perpetrated on me. Being that I have spent the last 5 months without my music collection songs get stuck in my head very easily. Hellbender, whom I had meet back in NC, has been hiking ahead of me for the last few months. Today she journaled a song into the register which is sure to drive me up the wall for the next week. It sung to the tune of a rather famous song that need not be mentioned and here it goes;
104 miles to Katahdin and were done
104 miles to Katahdin
We hike a mile, then we smile
103 miles to Katahdin and were done
The hike was pretty uneventful most of the way to Barren Mountain summit. It rained a bit and that is about it. At Barren summit I came across a rickety fire-tower which had no stairs to climb and a friendly couple who were headed southbound. We chatted for a while and I took a peek from the fire-tower but though the rain had stopped the clouds were still around so I did not see much.
For some reason the last 7 miles of the day really dragged on. There was a few small mountains to climb and I passed through the small but gorgeous Forth Mountain Bog. Normally I would expect to cover this distance in a 3 hours but it took more like 5. Fortunately I hiked pretty fast for the first half of the day so I still made it well before dark. The mountains gave some nice views, when the clouds cleared, of the nearby ponds below.
At the shelter I am spending another night with Green Hornet and Dent. I got in with a hour of sunlight left so I am having a pretty relaxing night of setting up. It has been a long hard day so I think I will sleep well tonight.
One last note, I am finding the 100 mile wilderness rather disappointing. Not that it is not beautiful but so far I crossed at least half a dozen active roads and seen two cars driving through just as I was crossing a road. I just doesn't seem very wilderness like.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
8/14 Last Town Stop
3 hiked today, 2062.5 miles N, 111.5 miles left
Leeman Brook Lean-to
Leeman Brook Lean-to
Shaw's has an all you could eat breakfast and I helped myself to 4 eggs, home fries, and a couple of blueberry pancakes. Yum. The rest of the day was spent doing normal town stuff; journaling, calling the family, eating, eating some more, and resupplying.
While waiting for my lunch I sent some time talking with a girl, maybe 6 years old. She was the definition of "as cute as a button"!
After the town business I got a ride back to the trail at 7:30 and made an easy hike to the shelter in the approaching darkness doing the last mile or so by headlamp. The shelter is filled with boy scouts but they had left a spot open which I am taking. They are very nice asking me also sorts of questions.
I cannot believe I have just finished my last town stop. Katahdin is so close I can taste it.
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8/12 No Sleep for Grasshopper
24.6 hiked today, 2037.5 miles N, 136.5 miles left
Bald Mtn. Lean-to
Bald Mtn. Lean-to
Last night sucked! I spent the night battling the mouse from h#ll. For some reason this mouse would not give it a break and from about 10 to 5 this morning I didn't sleep longer than 20 minutes a pop before it would jump on me or start making noise near my head. I even figured out how to get at my food bag that was suspend on a supposedly mouse proof hang! Arg!!
On the up side I was up in plenty of time to get breakfast at the Harrison Camp even if I was a little groggy. The camp is perched next to the outlet to Pierce Pond and from the dining room you can see the river and a waterfall. Very very nice. For the last 18 years they have been serving the thru-hiker breakfast of 12 blueberry pancakes eggs, tea, and juice. The pancakes were awesome and Tim Harrison was too. We spent a couple hours talking and in the end I left only because I had to make it to the Kennebec River before the ferryman took his lunch break. Tim had lots of ideas of other neat hikes around the area though so I think someday I may comeback.
Since I was talking with Tim for so long I really had to rush to make it to the ferry. Unfortunately it meant that I couldn't look at the waterfalls that are along the trail. I could see them here and there and hear them everywhere. Where the river was not cascading it was wide slow and lazy calmming the soul.
Skipping the falls did work at least. I made it to the ferry just in time. That means I made it 3.2 miles in about 55 minutes, not bad!
The ferry is a small canoe and I helped paddle ensuring I contributed to ever last mile of my hike. The reason for the ferry is that even though the river is flat and wide there is a hydro-electric plant up stream that is prone to un-annouced releases of water causing sudden rises in water height. A hiker died in 85 from trying to get across without the ferry so I decided to do the prudent thing.
After the crossing the trail was relativly easy going with only the heat working up a sweat in me. At Pleasent Pond shelter I came across some trail magic in the form of two tins of home backed cookies. I took a couple which I enjoyed completely and took a break to read some local newspaper clippins. That is when I found out some sad news, Colin Fletcher had died. He is the author of, in hummble opinion, the very best backpacking book there is, "The Complete Walker". His writting has never been matched in its simple elegance that takes the reader not into a dry analysis of backpacking but instead like a good travel novel transports the reader into a simple graceful world where wonders lie everywhere and joy can be reached nearly effortlessly when one knows how to do it. I wrote a heavy and sad register entry. Colin, you are missed and the backpacking world owes you a great debt of gratitude.
Nearby is pleasent pond at the end of a short sidetrail. My guided promises a sandy beach at Pleasent Pond. I hoped to find a warm quiet pond to skinny dip in. Instead I was disappointed to find a pond dotted with houses. The beach was maybe two feet of exposed sand and I could hear the wine if moter boats around the other side of a nearby point. Still I did find it agreeable enough to spend a half hour sitting on pier with my feet in the water. The sun was warm and I took the oppertunity to dry my sweaty shirt and socks which I rinsed in the pond.
Along came one of those queer storms where the rain comes down lighty meanwhile the sun stays bright in the sky. I hurriedly gathered up my clothers for not as the rain was so light and brief that it would have not caused a signifigant amount of harm to the drying process.
Next up was a climb up over Pleasent Mountain, not a difficult climb. However it seemed to go on forever in the heat. Up top I picked a few blueberries and headed down to tonights shelter. The last few miles were miserable when it came to bugs. They ruthless attacked any exposed skin but I dared not stop to apply the DEET for the fear of even more bugs.
Miraculously the shelter was free of them and brought great relief when I stopped. I stopped with pleanty of sunlight but last nights mouse issues has prematurly drained me of energy and so I am taking it easy. Green Hornet is here too as well as the psyco mice. Tonight we have learned from last nights experiance and have taken to throwing rocks at them. After a couple hours of this I think they have gotten the idea as they seem to be leaving us alone now.
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8/13 One More Stop
22 hiked today, 2059.5 miles N, 114.5 miles left
Shaw's Hostel in Monson, ME
Shaw's Hostel in Monson, ME
The mice from last night were mercfully less annoying and I got a restorative nights sleep. It rained most of the night and a little drizzel this morning. I had breakfast and packed up but in no hurry due to the rain. This time I got lucky and the rain disapated before I hit the trail and throughout the day the weather kept getting better and better. The first thing to do today was climb Moxie Bald, a pretty sizeable climb but also a rather well graded one. The trail was not brushy so I stayed mostly dry on the way up. Going up I ran into a very cool rock formation. It was a series of long cracks in the rock that had a vertical cracks that had spread enough to permit a person to squeeze
e through. On top of these a large flat boulder had fallen making the whole thing look man-made with a roof. The tunnels formed were dim but teh other ends had open ceilings permiting the sun to light the far end. In one was a collection of boulders which formed a neat stack where someone had put a Virgin Mary ceramic figurine that seemed to glow in the sun light at the end of the dark tunnel.
The final part of the climb was easy but unfortunately there was not much to see due to the fog hanging around from the earlier rain. That was a shame because I read much of the view of Katahdin from here.
The downhill was wetter due to all the wet leaves hanging over the trail. I did my best pushing through it and a short distance from the top I caught sight of Moxie Pond. It was poking out from the mist with a glassy smooth surface that showed every puff of air crossing it. After that there was the best blueberry picking on the trail with large numbers of heavy bushes of them. I must have eatten a pint of them as I walked along. Green Hornet caught up with me and we hiked together most of the day. He was worried about the upcomming river fordings so we stuck together to ensure we both made it safely across. The first fording was across the West Branch of Piscataquis which turned out no to be a big deal. The river was wide, flat, and water lazy. It got up to about knee height as we crossed. The water was also very comfortably warm and I was tempted to go for a swim.
We saw a couple of hawks that tuanted us from the tops of trees with a whistle like call.
After that it was a short hike to Horseshoe Cannon Lean-to where we took a break. The temps were warm and the break gave us a chace to let the sweat dry off. Then off to the last big water crossing of the day, the West Branch of Piscataquis. That went as uneventfully as the first. I was planning on taking a swim there but the water was cooler than the first crossing so I just rinsed off. It still was a nice spot and I spent about half hour soaking my feet enjoying the warmth of the sun, refreshment of the breeze, and sound of the water.
Then I was off to make it to the road crossing before it was too late for a hitch. The trail worked it way though spacious and boggy pine forests and along rough roads. Unexspectedly a large lake came into view on my right. It was goregous with 1000s of small water beatles floating on it's surface as far as the eye could see. Whenever one moved a small quickly dampened ripple would form allowing me to see their effects even farther then the bugs themselves. They glided across the water in sudden spurts launching from a spot and gliding to a halt a few inches later. The shore had short plant stalks poking above water level with sigle leaves hanging from their side.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a visitor. I only saw it breifly but I think it may have been a weasel or marren. It was about a foot long with short smooth dark brown hair. It escaped my further examination under the roots that keep the shore from washing away.
My data does not have this lake labled but I was not upset enjoying it's beauty as long as I could before covering the last 6 or so to the road.
The data spoke of a summit, gap, and another rise for the end of the day but it turned out to be totally wrong! The summit was 200' higher than listed and there was no gap, just a long gentle descent to the road. Again I was surprised but generally pleased to arrive at the road cool and dry. I made it a hair after 7 and got an easy ride from a fly fisherman guide/professor of law.
Shaws looks like a nice place to spend the night. It will be my last town stop and I plan on savoring it by leaving no earlier than 7 tomorrow night. The next shelter is an easy 3 miles from the road and tommorow I plan on eating dinner in town and then strolling to selter to sleep.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
8/11 Big on Miles and Sights
24.6 hiked today, 2018.8 miles N, 155.2 miles left
Pierce Pond Lean-to
Today started very nice. Before I even got out of my sleeping bag I spotted wildlife. I heard a sound just above my head and when I peeked out from under the tarp I could see two White-breasted Nuthatch pecking at the pine tree I had tied off to last night. They were maybe 3 feet away. They didn't notice me at first but about a minute later they saw me and flew off silently.
As I was still in the rough mountains I took it real slow in the morning savoring the views. The first summit, and easy climb, just north of the tentsite was Avery Mt.. The views it gave were awesome with the morning sun casting a warm glow. There I met "Mike on the Hike", a very pleasant British gentleman who I spent a couple hours with. It was great swapping stories of long hikes and talking about our personal philosophies.
We split up when I reached the Old Man's Head Scenic Overlook. There I took a short break to lay out my dew soaked tarp to dry and take in the overlook. Again it was a another awesome view. I simply have run out of words to describe the views around here. I personally prefer them to the Whites, an offence that is punishable by death, but they simply emote me more.
Then I got the joy of descending into the lowlands of ME! It is nice to know that for the next 200 miles almost all my hiking will be with gentle elevations change minus a mountain here or there. At the Little Bigelow Lean-to I took a short lunch break. It has the nick name of the "The Tubs" from the wide pools that form in the stream the runs by it. The water however is too cold for a soak so I just looked at them. There was a few other hikers taking a break too. I had a nice talk with a Swedish family out for a weeks hike.
At this point my hike kicked into high gear. For the first time in a long while I could do long periods of 3 MPH and took full advantage of it and it felt great! From 2:10 PM to 8:10 PM I covered 17 miles. I even saw stuff along the way. First I passed the famous 2000 mile mark, now a couple miles off due to trail construction projects, that is painted in the center of a blacktop road. The tradition is to get a picture of ones self laying on their back next to the mark but since I was alone I did the best I could and got a picture of me crouching by it. Then there was the abundant blueberries that I stopped to pick. It seems like Maine is in prime blue berry season and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I think I must have picked a pint of them. The trail passed through a patch of nice ceders. I am told that farmers used to plant these to provided year round shade for their cows. I wonder if that is the case with the ones I saw. Also, why do they always grow with a bend at the base of their trunks? At West Carry Pond Lean-to I stopped in for a short break and there I meet Troll better know as the founder and owner of Whiteblaze. He is a real awesome guy and I really enjoyed talking with him about new features to come on whiteblaze.net. Also a message, please if you use whiteblaze contribute. From what I hear bandwith costs are a real killer. At Arnold Swamp I did a 50 yard crossing over open water. They had build a long linked floating bog bridge that cross that section perfectly minus a 6 foot submerged section where I had to leap. A tricky thing to when over water! I hate to think what happens to people who slip and fall off the bridge. I could hear, I think, a moose crashing through the brush nearby but I never caught sight of him. East Carry Pond was really cool. First off it is simply beautiful. To add there is a great swimming beach. Then while following the shore on the AT I saw first two White-breasted Nuthatchs and some ducks. I think I got some good pictures of both. I saw the ducks do something neat too. Momma was paddling along with about half a dozen chicks trailing about 2 feet behind. Suddenly for no reason I could figure all the chicks simultaneously started sprinting across the water seemingly racing for the shore and then just as suddenly they stopped about 3 feet short of the shore. Last one across is a rotten duck? I flushed a couple grouse later. These didn't have eggs so they just flew off. Also I spotted a small garter snake slithering away from the trail as I came up on it. As I was hiking very fast towards the end I surprised quite a few chipmunks and toads (thumb nail sized to fist sized) hiking right up to them before they realized. They were running right below my feet this way and that. Finally I heard several loons from nearby lakes.
At last after seeing all that in 6 hours I made it the shelter just after sunset. The sunlight still colored the horizon painting Peirce pond in pretty colors before fading into black. Green Hornet is spending the night here too and it is nice to catch back up with him. I am going to get breakfast at the Harrison camp that is .3 miles away which means I got to eat some cereal at my break at the Carry Pond Shelter. I don't know why but I find myself constantly craving breakfast cereal.
To add to that I find myself taking great joy in having Raman for dinner tonight. I think I have become really sick! My hike will be done soon though when I can learn once more of "real food". :)
Pierce Pond Lean-to
Today started very nice. Before I even got out of my sleeping bag I spotted wildlife. I heard a sound just above my head and when I peeked out from under the tarp I could see two White-breasted Nuthatch pecking at the pine tree I had tied off to last night. They were maybe 3 feet away. They didn't notice me at first but about a minute later they saw me and flew off silently.
As I was still in the rough mountains I took it real slow in the morning savoring the views. The first summit, and easy climb, just north of the tentsite was Avery Mt.. The views it gave were awesome with the morning sun casting a warm glow. There I met "Mike on the Hike", a very pleasant British gentleman who I spent a couple hours with. It was great swapping stories of long hikes and talking about our personal philosophies.
We split up when I reached the Old Man's Head Scenic Overlook. There I took a short break to lay out my dew soaked tarp to dry and take in the overlook. Again it was a another awesome view. I simply have run out of words to describe the views around here. I personally prefer them to the Whites, an offence that is punishable by death, but they simply emote me more.
Then I got the joy of descending into the lowlands of ME! It is nice to know that for the next 200 miles almost all my hiking will be with gentle elevations change minus a mountain here or there. At the Little Bigelow Lean-to I took a short lunch break. It has the nick name of the "The Tubs" from the wide pools that form in the stream the runs by it. The water however is too cold for a soak so I just looked at them. There was a few other hikers taking a break too. I had a nice talk with a Swedish family out for a weeks hike.
At this point my hike kicked into high gear. For the first time in a long while I could do long periods of 3 MPH and took full advantage of it and it felt great! From 2:10 PM to 8:10 PM I covered 17 miles. I even saw stuff along the way. First I passed the famous 2000 mile mark, now a couple miles off due to trail construction projects, that is painted in the center of a blacktop road. The tradition is to get a picture of ones self laying on their back next to the mark but since I was alone I did the best I could and got a picture of me crouching by it. Then there was the abundant blueberries that I stopped to pick. It seems like Maine is in prime blue berry season and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I think I must have picked a pint of them. The trail passed through a patch of nice ceders. I am told that farmers used to plant these to provided year round shade for their cows. I wonder if that is the case with the ones I saw. Also, why do they always grow with a bend at the base of their trunks? At West Carry Pond Lean-to I stopped in for a short break and there I meet Troll better know as the founder and owner of Whiteblaze. He is a real awesome guy and I really enjoyed talking with him about new features to come on whiteblaze.net. Also a message, please if you use whiteblaze contribute. From what I hear bandwith costs are a real killer. At Arnold Swamp I did a 50 yard crossing over open water. They had build a long linked floating bog bridge that cross that section perfectly minus a 6 foot submerged section where I had to leap. A tricky thing to when over water! I hate to think what happens to people who slip and fall off the bridge. I could hear, I think, a moose crashing through the brush nearby but I never caught sight of him. East Carry Pond was really cool. First off it is simply beautiful. To add there is a great swimming beach. Then while following the shore on the AT I saw first two White-breasted Nuthatchs and some ducks. I think I got some good pictures of both. I saw the ducks do something neat too. Momma was paddling along with about half a dozen chicks trailing about 2 feet behind. Suddenly for no reason I could figure all the chicks simultaneously started sprinting across the water seemingly racing for the shore and then just as suddenly they stopped about 3 feet short of the shore. Last one across is a rotten duck? I flushed a couple grouse later. These didn't have eggs so they just flew off. Also I spotted a small garter snake slithering away from the trail as I came up on it. As I was hiking very fast towards the end I surprised quite a few chipmunks and toads (thumb nail sized to fist sized) hiking right up to them before they realized. They were running right below my feet this way and that. Finally I heard several loons from nearby lakes.
At last after seeing all that in 6 hours I made it the shelter just after sunset. The sunlight still colored the horizon painting Peirce pond in pretty colors before fading into black. Green Hornet is spending the night here too and it is nice to catch back up with him. I am going to get breakfast at the Harrison camp that is .3 miles away which means I got to eat some cereal at my break at the Carry Pond Shelter. I don't know why but I find myself constantly craving breakfast cereal.
To add to that I find myself taking great joy in having Raman for dinner tonight. I think I have become really sick! My hike will be done soon though when I can learn once more of "real food". :)
8/10 Last Hard Stretch
8 hiked today, 1994.2 miles N, 198.8 miles left
Avery Memorial Campsite
Today started as your average town day with chores to do such as laundry, resupply, and email. My pants are starting to wear out so I had to do some sewing too. I made it to the trail by 3 which was later than I wanted but no big deal as the things I did in town were things needing doing.
Today is a great day in that I am told the Bigelow Mountains are the end of the hard trail. Everything from this point on will be a cruise minus, of course, the climb up the Big K. I took my time on the climb taking breaks at every oppertunity. The views were great with large lakes filling in the basins between mountains surrounded by trees and rocky bluffs. The ponds and lakes are so numerous that my guide book has started to omit mentioning them.
The ridgeine was beautiful and as I walked on it the sun started getting low on the horizon turning the clouds ruby. When I looked north I can actually see the end of major ridgelines with only occasional peaks poping up in the largely flat area north.
I came across some odd blueberries. Usually they are uniform in color while they ripen but I found ones that have splashes of two colors. I am not sure thoose are safe to eat so I am avoiding them.
At Horns Pond I saw the largest caretakers tent yet, about 10'X30', and not 1 but two massive shelters each able to hold about 12. I assume this place is very popular on the weekends!
The trail has been covered in moose droppings. I can't go a quarter mile without see some it seems. There must be an astonishing amount of moose here that I can not see.
I have been lucky with bird though seeing what looks like Woodpeckers in that they walk on the trunks of trees but are called Nuthatchs. The are blue with white belliesand move just woodpeckers but are less shy so I am able to get a good look.
I made it a short day heading into this tentsite rather than making a push so that I would have pleanty of light to put my tarp up in. The tenting platforms are fairly widely spaced so I am pretty much on my own and having a very quiet night.
I just realized I have less than 200 to go. I will be home really soon now.
Avery Memorial Campsite
Today started as your average town day with chores to do such as laundry, resupply, and email. My pants are starting to wear out so I had to do some sewing too. I made it to the trail by 3 which was later than I wanted but no big deal as the things I did in town were things needing doing.
Today is a great day in that I am told the Bigelow Mountains are the end of the hard trail. Everything from this point on will be a cruise minus, of course, the climb up the Big K. I took my time on the climb taking breaks at every oppertunity. The views were great with large lakes filling in the basins between mountains surrounded by trees and rocky bluffs. The ponds and lakes are so numerous that my guide book has started to omit mentioning them.
The ridgeine was beautiful and as I walked on it the sun started getting low on the horizon turning the clouds ruby. When I looked north I can actually see the end of major ridgelines with only occasional peaks poping up in the largely flat area north.
I came across some odd blueberries. Usually they are uniform in color while they ripen but I found ones that have splashes of two colors. I am not sure thoose are safe to eat so I am avoiding them.
At Horns Pond I saw the largest caretakers tent yet, about 10'X30', and not 1 but two massive shelters each able to hold about 12. I assume this place is very popular on the weekends!
The trail has been covered in moose droppings. I can't go a quarter mile without see some it seems. There must be an astonishing amount of moose here that I can not see.
I have been lucky with bird though seeing what looks like Woodpeckers in that they walk on the trunks of trees but are called Nuthatchs. The are blue with white belliesand move just woodpeckers but are less shy so I am able to get a good look.
I made it a short day heading into this tentsite rather than making a push so that I would have pleanty of light to put my tarp up in. The tenting platforms are fairly widely spaced so I am pretty much on my own and having a very quiet night.
I just realized I have less than 200 to go. I will be home really soon now.
8/9 Back on track
19.8 hiked today, 1986.2 miles N, 187.8 miles left
Straton Motel Hostel in Straton, ME
After yesterday's ordeal this morning the river had calmed down considerably. Still it was no cake-walk being mid thigh. I was great to get across.
That was a good start to was would be good day getting me back on track. I hiked with Trail Dog and Woodstock for 5 miles until I ducked into the first shelter to check the register and they moved on. Along the way we spotted a bull moose running away from us. I couldn't get any pictures but I did get a good look at it's bum. I enjoyed talking with them as I hiked and the first 5 miles went quickly.
At the shelter I meet a couple of SOBOers and another summer camp group. One of them, Runway, had just graduated with a fashion degree and her kit showed it. She definitely was fit and the clothes she had made for herself were very flattering making her the best dressed thru-hiker I had seen thus far on this trip. She even had decorative trim on my backpack which she also sewed herself. The only problem was it all seemed totally impractical. Right now everything is working find but on a cold wet day the buttons on her rain jacket, the lack of a rain flap, and the decorative stitching on her rain jacket are all going to leak like crazy and soak her. Also the flattering and trim cut of the jacket pants left no space to layer. Finally her pack was at capacity and since she started so late on her hike she is likely going to need to add layers but has nowhere to store them. I hope she doesn't get into too much trouble during the fall storms!
Anyhow after the eye candy I was back heading north. Since I had lost so much time in the last few days I decided to skip the 3.4 mile round trip to Mt. Abraham which is supposed to be very nice but I did do the 1 mile loop to take in the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. On the way up I came across of dense patch of birds which seemed less fearful than most so I think I got some good pictures of them. They just bounced from tree to tree about 6 feet away taunting me with their chirps.
On top of Abraham it is pretty ugly with a tiered looking ski lodge and communication towers but the view afforded was great. I enjoyed looking back at Saddleback which looked much more peaceful than yesterday. The ski lodge is left open for hikers to use and I took advantage of it. On it's deck I dried out my wet clothes and gear in the howling and bone chilling wind. Inside there was electricity and I took advantage of the hot plate up there to cook my last dinner. After relaxing for a couple hours enjoying the view I had to move on if I was going to make it into town before dark.
I descended to the Crabasset River before going back up to run along the Crockers Mountain Range. During this I was surround mostly in White Birch and Spruce with only a rare other tree interloping. From what I hear the Carabasset River was dangerous to cross yesterday. That means even if I had gotten my long day in yesterday or the day before I will still have gotten pinned down by a river. Today the crossing was easy as there was a plank to walk on to cross a narrow gap though it though it looks like without the plank it would be a bit rough.
Then I climbed up the Crocker Mountains. This climb reminded me of how fast one can hike if the trail is graded well and I zoomed up the 2000' in less than an hour. On the way down the other side I saw saw a lot of wildlife. I ended my day seeing another moose, mostly from the rear. It was a sizable cow that got away before I could get a picture. Also in about 10 feet I managed to flush not 1, not 2, but three grouse. One did the whine and broken wing thing they often do and the other exploded out from the brush to fly off leaving a very twice startles thru-hiker.
Down at the road I got a very easy and friendly hitch in. One in town I checked into the hostel which is really nice. It is a two story apartment with full kitchen, a laptop with high speed Internet, telephone with free long distance down stairs, and several nice beds upstairs. What was even better I have the whole place to myself making for a very nice and relaxing evening with lots of space to spread out.
Straton Motel Hostel in Straton, ME
After yesterday's ordeal this morning the river had calmed down considerably. Still it was no cake-walk being mid thigh. I was great to get across.
That was a good start to was would be good day getting me back on track. I hiked with Trail Dog and Woodstock for 5 miles until I ducked into the first shelter to check the register and they moved on. Along the way we spotted a bull moose running away from us. I couldn't get any pictures but I did get a good look at it's bum. I enjoyed talking with them as I hiked and the first 5 miles went quickly.
At the shelter I meet a couple of SOBOers and another summer camp group. One of them, Runway, had just graduated with a fashion degree and her kit showed it. She definitely was fit and the clothes she had made for herself were very flattering making her the best dressed thru-hiker I had seen thus far on this trip. She even had decorative trim on my backpack which she also sewed herself. The only problem was it all seemed totally impractical. Right now everything is working find but on a cold wet day the buttons on her rain jacket, the lack of a rain flap, and the decorative stitching on her rain jacket are all going to leak like crazy and soak her. Also the flattering and trim cut of the jacket pants left no space to layer. Finally her pack was at capacity and since she started so late on her hike she is likely going to need to add layers but has nowhere to store them. I hope she doesn't get into too much trouble during the fall storms!
Anyhow after the eye candy I was back heading north. Since I had lost so much time in the last few days I decided to skip the 3.4 mile round trip to Mt. Abraham which is supposed to be very nice but I did do the 1 mile loop to take in the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. On the way up I came across of dense patch of birds which seemed less fearful than most so I think I got some good pictures of them. They just bounced from tree to tree about 6 feet away taunting me with their chirps.
On top of Abraham it is pretty ugly with a tiered looking ski lodge and communication towers but the view afforded was great. I enjoyed looking back at Saddleback which looked much more peaceful than yesterday. The ski lodge is left open for hikers to use and I took advantage of it. On it's deck I dried out my wet clothes and gear in the howling and bone chilling wind. Inside there was electricity and I took advantage of the hot plate up there to cook my last dinner. After relaxing for a couple hours enjoying the view I had to move on if I was going to make it into town before dark.
I descended to the Crabasset River before going back up to run along the Crockers Mountain Range. During this I was surround mostly in White Birch and Spruce with only a rare other tree interloping. From what I hear the Carabasset River was dangerous to cross yesterday. That means even if I had gotten my long day in yesterday or the day before I will still have gotten pinned down by a river. Today the crossing was easy as there was a plank to walk on to cross a narrow gap though it though it looks like without the plank it would be a bit rough.
Then I climbed up the Crocker Mountains. This climb reminded me of how fast one can hike if the trail is graded well and I zoomed up the 2000' in less than an hour. On the way down the other side I saw saw a lot of wildlife. I ended my day seeing another moose, mostly from the rear. It was a sizable cow that got away before I could get a picture. Also in about 10 feet I managed to flush not 1, not 2, but three grouse. One did the whine and broken wing thing they often do and the other exploded out from the brush to fly off leaving a very twice startles thru-hiker.
Down at the road I got a very easy and friendly hitch in. One in town I checked into the hostel which is really nice. It is a two story apartment with full kitchen, a laptop with high speed Internet, telephone with free long distance down stairs, and several nice beds upstairs. What was even better I have the whole place to myself making for a very nice and relaxing evening with lots of space to spread out.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
More photos
well, here is another batch; covering from 6/27 to 7/7, which has a video on it.
Another weeks of photos should magically appear at some point; most likely in the next few days.
Also; since there is no entry for July 3ed and 4th, so I'll dump those photos here.
Also; I should note there are no pictures for 7/10; it was an off day
Another weeks of photos should magically appear at some point; most likely in the next few days.
Also; since there is no entry for July 3ed and 4th, so I'll dump those photos here.
Also; I should note there are no pictures for 7/10; it was an off day
Friday, August 10, 2007
8/8 Starting To See a Pattern
11.6 hiked today, 1967.4 miles N, 206.6 miles left
South Bank of the Orbeton Stream
Since I have gotten sick I have needed to take a pill every 8 hours. At night, since I am asleep during my next dosage time, I set the alarm in my camera to wake me up and put the pill next to the camera. This has worked just fine until last night. When I woke up the pill was missing. A mouse had eaten it! Arg! I hope being a pill short won't hurt anything. I pulled down my food bag and got another pill out and went back to bed.
Since the last two days have been shorter than I would like I decided to try to make this a long day. Again I was thwarted.
First when I woke up at 6AM it was raining. I packed up slowly but finally at 7:20 AM I couldn't delay any longer so I trudged out into the rain. I wore only shorts, shoes, socks, and rain jacket to keep as much of my kit dry as possible. The hike went well with an easy section dotted with ponds. Then I started the famous steep stead climb over Saddleback Mountain. Just as I peeked my head over tree-line I heard a roll of thunder and so I turned back around and sat down. Lucky for me it seemed the thunder was headed away so I waited until I heard nothing for 10 minutes and then started my finally assent up the last 500 feet or so above tree-line. I was still a little worried about the thunder and so I listened carefully and hiked quickly not that those made any difference. The terrain was rugged slow glowing, the rain horizontal, and wind a deafening roar that forced me to hike hunched over or else risk getting blow over. I made slow progress to the summit which holds the first promise of seeing Katahdin. I saw a bird literally being tossed by the wind. I hope it was trying to head west. On the way up the wind got stronger and at the top I didn't even linger to read the sign. I saw two separate women while on Saddleback and we were all happy to see each other as a conformation that we weren't nuts for being out in such extreme conditions. On the other side of Saddleback there is a 600' downhill to a pass before going back up The Horn. Again slow and very hazardous progress on the rocky terrain. The trail had literally turned into a river complete with waterfalls, my feet often having to feel for unseen bottoms. I took it very easy paying close attention to my footing and thus escaped with only one bruise. The down hill was through miles of cascading waterfalls and mucky creeks that the AT had turned in to. Often I would get a feeling I had lost the trail but realized that I must still be on it as no-one bothers to clear blow-downs from creeks. Under tree-line I was happy to stand upright again as my back was very sore from spending two hours hunched over.
At Poplar Ridge Lean-to I took a break. The climbs along with the cold and weather had exhausted me. I ate a heavy snack and took and hour to get my energy back up before moving on.
The rain let up at 2PM so I took off my jacket and put on my tee shirt. The trail was very wet with water pouring over everywhere but the elevation changes were not long and sustained so I made good time. That was until I got to the Orbeton Stream. I could hear it running from a mile away as I descended into it. When I did the final 10 foot drop and saw the water my first thought was "Like hell I am going to cross that!" . It was pure whitewater. A kayaker would have a blast. I put in a trekking pole to see how deep it was and it nearly disappeared and that was by the shore, not in a deep channel. Down stream there were numerous boulders churning the water and through the trees I could see and hear a massive waterfall that joined the river downstream. I could see about 10 ways to die in this water.
The rule of thumb I have heard is that a river above one's knees should be considered dangerous and anything at the waist is a definite no-go. If that sounds wimpy just think of it this way, water weighs 8lbs per pound and if a 100 gallons of water a second is passing you that is 800 lbs of force to push against. If that force can get over your center of gravity it becomes even harder to fight because you lose all your leverage. I am sure the Orbeton was flowing much harder than this and I would have been swept down stream in a heartbeat.
I turned around and looked for the first dry patch of ground where I could set up. It appeared to be an old campsite but was piled with debris. I cleared it out and pitched my tarp and settled in.
I was shocked to see someone come from the north along the AT. His name was Kevin and he and his wife had gotten delayed by the hazardous stream crossing along with walking past the water fall(crazy people) and had come back up the trail looking for someone with a cell phone. They had missed their ride and needed to arrange another pickup. His telling of it the stream was crazy rapid and he was tossed about on the crossing. Myself, with a pack, would fare much worse. I didn't have a phone so he kept going north until he met up with Woodstock and Trail Dog. He crossed back again while we watched. The two new arrivals made the same decision as I and took other spots near mine. They have turned out to be not only be great company but impressive people in their own right. I had read about Trail Dog before as he holds the record for hiking the AT in 47 days and 10 hours. Both of them are competitive ultra-marathoners.
I am enjoying hanging and chatting with them this night though I am very frustrated by continued short days. If this keeps up I will never make it to Katahdin!
At least this is a nice spot. It is a rise surrounded by boreal pine forest with boggy sphagnum moss ground. Right by me there is a grove of majestic ceder trees.
I hope the water level goes down by the morning.
South Bank of the Orbeton Stream
Since I have gotten sick I have needed to take a pill every 8 hours. At night, since I am asleep during my next dosage time, I set the alarm in my camera to wake me up and put the pill next to the camera. This has worked just fine until last night. When I woke up the pill was missing. A mouse had eaten it! Arg! I hope being a pill short won't hurt anything. I pulled down my food bag and got another pill out and went back to bed.
Since the last two days have been shorter than I would like I decided to try to make this a long day. Again I was thwarted.
First when I woke up at 6AM it was raining. I packed up slowly but finally at 7:20 AM I couldn't delay any longer so I trudged out into the rain. I wore only shorts, shoes, socks, and rain jacket to keep as much of my kit dry as possible. The hike went well with an easy section dotted with ponds. Then I started the famous steep stead climb over Saddleback Mountain. Just as I peeked my head over tree-line I heard a roll of thunder and so I turned back around and sat down. Lucky for me it seemed the thunder was headed away so I waited until I heard nothing for 10 minutes and then started my finally assent up the last 500 feet or so above tree-line. I was still a little worried about the thunder and so I listened carefully and hiked quickly not that those made any difference. The terrain was rugged slow glowing, the rain horizontal, and wind a deafening roar that forced me to hike hunched over or else risk getting blow over. I made slow progress to the summit which holds the first promise of seeing Katahdin. I saw a bird literally being tossed by the wind. I hope it was trying to head west. On the way up the wind got stronger and at the top I didn't even linger to read the sign. I saw two separate women while on Saddleback and we were all happy to see each other as a conformation that we weren't nuts for being out in such extreme conditions. On the other side of Saddleback there is a 600' downhill to a pass before going back up The Horn. Again slow and very hazardous progress on the rocky terrain. The trail had literally turned into a river complete with waterfalls, my feet often having to feel for unseen bottoms. I took it very easy paying close attention to my footing and thus escaped with only one bruise. The down hill was through miles of cascading waterfalls and mucky creeks that the AT had turned in to. Often I would get a feeling I had lost the trail but realized that I must still be on it as no-one bothers to clear blow-downs from creeks. Under tree-line I was happy to stand upright again as my back was very sore from spending two hours hunched over.
At Poplar Ridge Lean-to I took a break. The climbs along with the cold and weather had exhausted me. I ate a heavy snack and took and hour to get my energy back up before moving on.
The rain let up at 2PM so I took off my jacket and put on my tee shirt. The trail was very wet with water pouring over everywhere but the elevation changes were not long and sustained so I made good time. That was until I got to the Orbeton Stream. I could hear it running from a mile away as I descended into it. When I did the final 10 foot drop and saw the water my first thought was "Like hell I am going to cross that!" . It was pure whitewater. A kayaker would have a blast. I put in a trekking pole to see how deep it was and it nearly disappeared and that was by the shore, not in a deep channel. Down stream there were numerous boulders churning the water and through the trees I could see and hear a massive waterfall that joined the river downstream. I could see about 10 ways to die in this water.
The rule of thumb I have heard is that a river above one's knees should be considered dangerous and anything at the waist is a definite no-go. If that sounds wimpy just think of it this way, water weighs 8lbs per pound and if a 100 gallons of water a second is passing you that is 800 lbs of force to push against. If that force can get over your center of gravity it becomes even harder to fight because you lose all your leverage. I am sure the Orbeton was flowing much harder than this and I would have been swept down stream in a heartbeat.
I turned around and looked for the first dry patch of ground where I could set up. It appeared to be an old campsite but was piled with debris. I cleared it out and pitched my tarp and settled in.
I was shocked to see someone come from the north along the AT. His name was Kevin and he and his wife had gotten delayed by the hazardous stream crossing along with walking past the water fall(crazy people) and had come back up the trail looking for someone with a cell phone. They had missed their ride and needed to arrange another pickup. His telling of it the stream was crazy rapid and he was tossed about on the crossing. Myself, with a pack, would fare much worse. I didn't have a phone so he kept going north until he met up with Woodstock and Trail Dog. He crossed back again while we watched. The two new arrivals made the same decision as I and took other spots near mine. They have turned out to be not only be great company but impressive people in their own right. I had read about Trail Dog before as he holds the record for hiking the AT in 47 days and 10 hours. Both of them are competitive ultra-marathoners.
I am enjoying hanging and chatting with them this night though I am very frustrated by continued short days. If this keeps up I will never make it to Katahdin!
At least this is a nice spot. It is a rise surrounded by boreal pine forest with boggy sphagnum moss ground. Right by me there is a grove of majestic ceder trees.
I hope the water level goes down by the morning.
8/7 Make That Two Short Days
11.2 hiked today, 1955.8 miles N, 218.2 miles left
Piazza Rock Lean-to
Today I got started at about 7 AM. The thought was the long day would allow me to make up any lost ground from yesterday though as you can see that didn't really happen. I managed to get up and pack and be out in 45 minutes including breakfast, bathroom, and getting water. I am pretty happy with that.
The trail was easy though very very mucky from yesterday. It rolled up and down but rarely very far. The morning went really well. The weather was good and I made good time.
My only complaint is that yesterday's rain has left the trail mucky.
At Little Swift River Pond I ran into a summer camp group of maybe 15 kids and two consolers. The campers crowded around when they realized I was a thru-hiker and peppered me with questions. Some even had dreams of doing the AT some day themselves. What I have been noticing is that there are a large numbers of
such groups out here, I am told 8 from this camp alone, and that they are almost exclusively Canadians. I ate a snack while I talked and took care of getting water from the spring there before I moved on.
I took a snack break on the shore of beautifully serene South Pond. Along the trail I spotted fresh moose tracks everywhere but saw no moose. Around 11 I made it to the road crossing where I got a hitch with the very first car that passed. I got dropped off the grocery store which is actually pretty far from the main strip and took care of my food and cash before a hitch on into downtown Rangley. At the grocer I noticed that almost everyone there, including the staff, was Canadian. The check-out clerk didn't speak English. Perhaps I am farther north than I realized!?
The hitch out what just as easy as the first and even friendlier as I got picked up by a very nice man Bill Eddy.
Bill helped me around town and treated me to lunch. He used to be the captain of a submarine and I wish I had talked to him more about. After he retired he hiked the AT in 91 as "Spring Chicken". We talked and he treated me to lunch. Then he helped me around town before getting me back to the trail where I had left off. He also gave me his contact information in case I should need help out of a jam. That was very nice of him.
I started hiking up the trail and 1/4 mile later stopped to take care of business. I had gotten cash out at the grocery and didn't want to call attention to myself when I stashed in my pack so I tucked in my pocket. Now I went to pull that cash out and put it in a safe spot except when I did I found $120 of it missing. I had dropped it somewhere in town! I couldn't leave that much behind so I turned around and hitched another ride back into town. There I retraced my steps but no-one had seen it. Finally when I ran out of places to check I realized that it may have fallen out of my pocket while in Bill's car. I gave him a call and sure enough that where it was. He came back around and gave me another lift to the trail where I thanked him profusely. Thank you Bill!
Since I had lost two hours dealing with that crisis I had ruined my chance to make it over the next mountain to the shelter so I wasn't rushed and we talked for a while in his car. It was a great pleasure to meet and spend time with such a nice person but I still had 2 more miles till I got to the shelter.
The 2 miles were easy and I got there with plenty of daylight so I spent my time relaxing, reading, and looking at the impressive Piazza Rock nearby. Piazza rock is a massive cantilevered rock balanced on top of several large boulders. I climbed on top of it and was treated to a wild blueberry bush growing up there.
For only the second time this trip it looks like I will have a shelter site to myself.
Piazza Rock Lean-to
Today I got started at about 7 AM. The thought was the long day would allow me to make up any lost ground from yesterday though as you can see that didn't really happen. I managed to get up and pack and be out in 45 minutes including breakfast, bathroom, and getting water. I am pretty happy with that.The trail was easy though very very mucky from yesterday. It rolled up and down but rarely very far. The morning went really well. The weather was good and I made good time.
My only complaint is that yesterday's rain has left the trail mucky.At Little Swift River Pond I ran into a summer camp group of maybe 15 kids and two consolers. The campers crowded around when they realized I was a thru-hiker and peppered me with questions. Some even had dreams of doing the AT some day themselves. What I have been noticing is that there are a large numbers of
such groups out here, I am told 8 from this camp alone, and that they are almost exclusively Canadians. I ate a snack while I talked and took care of getting water from the spring there before I moved on.I took a snack break on the shore of beautifully serene South Pond. Along the trail I spotted fresh moose tracks everywhere but saw no moose. Around 11 I made it to the road crossing where I got a hitch with the very first car that passed. I got dropped off the grocery store which is actually pretty far from the main strip and took care of my food and cash before a hitch on into downtown Rangley. At the grocer I noticed that almost everyone there, including the staff, was Canadian. The check-out clerk didn't speak English. Perhaps I am farther north than I realized!?
The hitch out what just as easy as the first and even friendlier as I got picked up by a very nice man Bill Eddy.
Bill helped me around town and treated me to lunch. He used to be the captain of a submarine and I wish I had talked to him more about. After he retired he hiked the AT in 91 as "Spring Chicken". We talked and he treated me to lunch. Then he helped me around town before getting me back to the trail where I had left off. He also gave me his contact information in case I should need help out of a jam. That was very nice of him.
I started hiking up the trail and 1/4 mile later stopped to take care of business. I had gotten cash out at the grocery and didn't want to call attention to myself when I stashed in my pack so I tucked in my pocket. Now I went to pull that cash out and put it in a safe spot except when I did I found $120 of it missing. I had dropped it somewhere in town! I couldn't leave that much behind so I turned around and hitched another ride back into town. There I retraced my steps but no-one had seen it. Finally when I ran out of places to check I realized that it may have fallen out of my pocket while in Bill's car. I gave him a call and sure enough that where it was. He came back around and gave me another lift to the trail where I thanked him profusely. Thank you Bill!
Since I had lost two hours dealing with that crisis I had ruined my chance to make it over the next mountain to the shelter so I wasn't rushed and we talked for a while in his car. It was a great pleasure to meet and spend time with such a nice person but I still had 2 more miles till I got to the shelter.
The 2 miles were easy and I got there with plenty of daylight so I spent my time relaxing, reading, and looking at the impressive Piazza Rock nearby. Piazza rock is a massive cantilevered rock balanced on top of several large boulders. I climbed on top of it and was treated to a wild blueberry bush growing up there.
For only the second time this trip it looks like I will have a shelter site to myself.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
8/6 Over Too Soon
8.3 hiked today, 1944.4 miles N, 229.4 miles left
Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Today was short but sweet. The day started with finishing off the Bemis mountains I started yesterday. There were two more summits to go over and each was a treat in itself. The all had short hardy plants and huge views. I think the Bemis Mountain Range are some of the most soildly stunning mountains thus far on the AT. Each has a goregeous view and the plant life in itself is worth taking pictures of.
Also there are the blueberrirs which are just ripening now. I spent a good long while collecting and enjoying wild blueberries.
The weather cooperated with me on the summits, proably a large source of why I like them so. The air was clear, tempatures not too hot, and each had refreshing breeze.
The breeze however would soon grow stronger as the clouds above grew darker. Timed perfectly with my dropping below tree-line the wind whipped up making the tall pines sway like drunk patrons of bar walking out at 2AM, looking like they are about to fall over but somehow staying upright.
At Bemis stream there were a large number of dry rocky riverbeds paralleling. At one my trekking pole lost it grip sending me down into the rocks suddenly. I hit my hand very hard into some rocks and banged my knees hard. When I got back up to my surprise my fingers weren't broken and everything still worked. Well that is not entierly true, my left pointer finger tip was numb for about and hour and my left knee was bleeding from what turned out to be shallow abrasions.
After that bit of excitment the day went rather quickly. I was planing on heading into Rangley today to resupply my food but it started to rain lightly and cool off. At this shelter I ran into a couple of guys from last night, Green hornet and Ragoon, who were hideing from the rain and I joined them. We all had the same resupply plan but with the rain we decided that getting a hitch into town would be impossible so we waited the rain out. Unfortunatly the rain had staying power and pretty much went from 11AM to 5PM making it impossible to cover the distance we needed to before dark. As a result I hiked from 8-noon roughly.
With nothing to do I settled down, did some reading, watched the wildlife, and when the cold got to me I pulled out my sleeping bag and slept through the afternoon. It was a good though unnecessary nap.
The wildlife here was great with some of it comming right up to the shelter. There seems to be a oolony of jack rabbits nearby becuase there are maybe a half dozen roaming the campsite getting within a foot or two of us at times. They have short tan hair and seemed to harbor no fear of humans. I also saw a black eyed junco, a small bird I have been seeing a lot of recently. It has a black back with white belly. I have heard them also called camp robbers too. On the floor of the shelter I watched several yellow slugs roam around looking for tasty morsels. What do slugs eat anyhow? None of us knew. Of course there was also the red squirrels which are cute but perstering.
After dark the loons came out and though we couldn't see them I could hear their calls. I went down to the pond watch the mist rolling off the near bath tempature water. In the water life was everywhere. I saw many small fish, some with 1 set of dorsel fins and some wth two. A frog hopped up on a rock near me. Earlier I had thought that warm water might be nice for a swim but now I saw numerous leeches making their way through the water and along the rocks. It appeared they may have been attracted by my headlamp beam. As they moved I was surprised to see how long they can strech out as they move along. Some would go from about 3/4 of inch long to about 4 inches. I am glad I skipped the swim!
I hear the weather will be better tomorrow so hopefully I can make a long day of it.
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Tuesday, August 7, 2007
8/5 Nice Hard Day
18.8 hiked today, 1936.3 miles N, 237.7 miles left
Bemis Mtn Lean-to
Bemis Mtn Lean-to
The title says it all. I woke up at 6 AM and didn't stop moving til 10:30. The day started with getting breakfast and buying food for the next segment. After fiddeling with the kit for a while and Dave of the Pine Ellis drove me back to the trail. I started at 10AM with a manageable climb up to Surplus Pond. Surplus Pond was a nice spot with a good campsite and what looked to be a good swimming hole. The trail crossed over it's outlet where there was lots hapening in the water. I saw a bull frog tadpole. Also in the water fighting the current were a dozen small fish no bigger than my finger. Finally in a nook formed by collected washed up wood there was a small pool of still water. In that I noticed a collection of likely frog eggs floating on the surface. I dipped my trekking pole in and they stuck to it in stands of clear but dotted slime that slowly dripped off. Very cool.
After that a few more easy miles to Hall Mtn. Lean-to where I took my lunch break with a couple of SOBOers. Sonic, Mr. Panda, Earl Grey, and Jersey Fresh arrived in what I can only call more stylish dress that the rest of us. Jersey was wearing a union suit, Mr. Panda a long blue skirt, Sonic a long skirt, and Earl Grey floral shorts and a strawberry shortcake themed robe. They were staying at The Barn Hostel near Andover and there was a clothes box they decided to borrow from for the day. We hiked together off and on till Arm Road where they got a ride back to The Barn. The hike from the shelter to the road involed climbing up and over Moody Mtn. and just like all the other major climbs the MATC oversees this one goes up the mountain so steeply that I actually felt nauseus from the effort. Finally at the top I did get a good view. It air is very clear which helps a lot. Rounding the top I was exposed to a great view of the northen mountains with a surprisingly large number !
of large lakes filling in the lowspots. It was a suck out my breath scenic view. Then it went back down so quickly that it required several ladders, a touch the AMC would never thought of.
After the road another climb this time over Old Blue and the Bemis mountains. Before climbing though I had to fill up on water as my guide book said there was no water betweenthe road and shelter and that the shelters watersource was seasonal. Lucky for me before I started the climb a couple SOBO hikers came through and though they said the water was bad at the shelter they also said there was many water sources between Old Blue and the Beamis Mountains saving me having to haul a gallon of water for 13 miles up and down. I dumped half my water and made uncomfortable progess up Old Blue where I was treated to yet another stunning and hard earned view. This included the cliff of a slope of Moody behind. Then onward through the high gap between Old Blue and West Bemis. This turned out to be a winding trail weaving it way through impossably thick groves of fir. The trees were often growing so densely that a sensable unit of measure would be "fir tree per square foot". Sure enoug!
h there was water galore all over in the saddle and I tanked up. I wonder why my guidebook omits all of these?
The climb up the Bemis Mountains, at least the three I did today, was generally nice with only short steep segments. There view from the top of each was awesome. I can see why may people recommend slowing down in Maine. As I climbed them the sun dropped closer to the horizon casting a very warm light on the ranges and lakes surrounding me.
I made quick progess which was important as I was running out of daylight.
A note about the trails arround here, they are covered in moose droppings. It is hard to cover a 1/4 mile without seeing evidence of recent moose activity. I am always exspecting to walk right into one on the trail but it hasn't happened yet.
Back to the story though. About ten minutes shy of the shelter I saw my first porcupine ever. They are not very impressive looking animals with a squat cubby body, awkward looking tail, and woobly walk but I guess you don't need to be sleek if you are covered in quills. It slowly ran down the trail ahead of me and finally went into the woods. Unfortunatly it never presented itself well enough for a picture.
I made it the shelter with just the smallest margin of light to spare.
Now that I am well I am really feeling greatful for each day I do well on the trail.
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8/4 I'm Back!
10.3 hiked today, 1917.5 miles N, 256.5 miles left
Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover, ME
Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover, ME
I'm back! This morning I took a 2 mile walk to breakfast and my tummy stayed well behaved enough to allow me to hike. One advantage of my recent sickness is I got to eat at Moonbeamz twice. This time I got eggs florentine which was perfect.
Bruce gave me a lift back to Graffton Notch where I had left the trail and northward I started. The inital climb was not bad and I made good time to the first shelter where I took a short break. I was feeling good and energentic though my feet protested a bit having gotten used to the easy life.
That was were the good trail design ended though. I have broken down my analysis of my hiking pace to a science. If the trail has good footing I usually hike at about 2.5 miles and hour. Add to this I usually climb mountains at about 2,400' an hour. What this means is that I find rises of about 1000' per mile to fit my pace rather well. If the rate of assent is shallower than that I cruise right up the mountains. If the rate of assent is steeper than that horizontal distance no longer matters as the limiting factor is my abilty to assend. Usually I find trail designers have kept to around this range which means I find many climbs tough but uncomfortable. Well around here it seems they didn't get that memo as the uphills are absurd. It was so rough climbing the West Peak of Baldplate Mt. that I actually got lightheaded and dizzy. It did not let up there with almost every up and down being sudden and crazy steep.
The top of bladplate was very nice though. The top, being rather flat, had a wonderfully diverse range of plants and mosses. One thing that has become prevelant on summits around he that isn't so much so down south is clover. This, drawf pine trees, and hardy scrubs round out the picture of what is up top.
The views were good and I got many shots of the mountains rolling off to the horizon.
In the saddle between the three Baldplate Mountains was goregous medow with a line of bog bridges across.
Finally I headed down hill to East B Hill Road that leads to Andover. Along the way I passed trail junctions for blue blazes that led to some nice waterfalls. I went up one a few feet caught a glimpst of one. The small pour over, the rock formations, and sound promissed a lot more to come. However I had heard the road crossing was a tough hitch and elected to make more time for the that. Just before the road I crossed a small stream that had a small waterfall pouring into glassy calm pool. I got a good picture of that I think.
I am glad I didn't side trip and made it to the road with over an hours day light but cause in about 90 minutes I saw 15 cars. Finally one picked me up just as I was losing hope to the nigthfall.
In town I grabbed dinner and then headed over the Pine Ellis of which I have heard good things about. Unfortunatly they were packed. There was a big town festival and the relatives were in to enjoy it. All the bed space inside was taken. Finally they found me a spot in a old camper in the back yard. It was a small one so my upper bunk is only about 18' from the ceiling but I am manageing.
I'm thrilled to be back on the trail again. I am feeling much better and can not wait till Katahdin.
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Saturday, August 4, 2007
8/3 Saving a Litle Cash
9.7 hiked today, 1907.2 miles N, 266.8 miles left
White Birches Camp Ground Loft in Gorham, NH
White Birches Camp Ground Loft in Gorham, NH
Today I was again treated to a delightful breakfast at the Chapman Inn. Fred made a sautéd mushroom and baby spinich omlete with a side of home fries. With that I got a fresh wild blueberry muffin and a collection of sliced melons. I really hate to leave this great breakfast a beautiful location behind but I am burning though cash very uickly standing still. In fact it cost as much per day to sit in town here as it cost to hike for a week. As a result to save money I caught a ride back to Gorham where housing is only $11 a night. Before I left though I bought and baked a pizza to eat and did my laundry so that I would spend even less today.
Bruce arrived a little before noon to take me back to The Loft where I spent most of today.
The Loft is packed so they are using one of their very very nice cabins as overflow space.
I spent most of today napping proably sleeping 6 or so hours of the day I think more to escape the heat than anything else.
I am feeling much better today though not perfect and I still get a little queasy walking around too much. If my progress continues I think I may be able to hike tomorrow! That has me a bit worried because that is sooner than I exspected.
The other thing that happened today is that I got the test results back from the Dr.; it is gardia as he had guessed so I should be better soon.
All of this standing still has me frustrated to all heck. I have been getting homesick to a degree I suppose and it seems that the closer I get to the end the slower I hike. I have gone from an average of 15 miles a day last month to 10 a day for the two weeks of the Whites to now 20 miles in 7 days. Much slower and I will be hiking backwards (in fact I did go back a town today). I really hope I am doing good tomorrow because I really need to get moving again or I may go nuts!
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Friday, August 3, 2007
8/2 The Big G
9.7 hiked today, 1907.2 miles N, 266.8 miles left
The Chapman Inn in Bethel, ME
The Chapman Inn in Bethel, ME
Today I took the day off of hiking to see a Dr. There is a medical clinic only about 1/2 mile from the hostel and I went there and got in after only about a 5 minute wait. The Dr. was very nice and told me likely it was the hikers most feared fore, gardia. The treatment is fairly easy but first I had to collect samples for him, not a fun process that took most of the day. Walking still hurts my belly a lot and doing the walks to and from the clinic and pharmacy required breaks.
On the up side I just finished a good book, Blow the House Down, which is spy novel that really was a thriller. In part I think it was great as it was written by an ex-spook who's name I can't remember at present but I am sure to look to for more of his books in the future.
Tomorrow I am going to go back to Gorham to recover as the hostel there is much cheaper.
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8/1 They Call This Trail!?
9.7 hiked today, 1907.2 miles N, 266.8 miles left
The Chapman Inn in Bethel, ME
The Chapman Inn in Bethel, ME
Today I went through the famed Mahoosuc Notch. What makes this notch so famous you ask. It is terran it goes through. It appears it lies in an area where two mountains pulled apart. The void between them is filled with a massive bolder feild. Rocks the side cars and houses lie in jumbled piles. The AT whinds above, around, and sometimes even under these rocks as it makes it way through. The notch is only a mile long but the recommendation is that day tripers allow about 6-8 hours to make it through. I had been hearing stories from SOBO hikers of getting stuck in it's many twist and turns and having have someone give a helpful shove.
First we had to get to the notch which was a rugged mile and half up 400' and down 1000'. Flyaway spoted a grouce in the woods which seemed to care not a bit at our watching it.
Once in the notch we almost immedatly came across it's current most famous feature, a dead moose. Apparently it had wandered into the notch about a month ago and slipped breaking three of it legs. From what I hear the Forest Service decided to let nature take it's course and let the animal be. Fortunatly, I hear, a more humane individual took on the task of putting it out of it's pain. As promised by other hikers we could smell it just we saw it. It appeared to be a adolesent cow or bull. The body lay directly in the trail and I was forced to pass with-in a couple feet of it. The smell, though not the worse I had ever smelled, set my still delicate stomach roiling. I did not take any pictures of it but the animal was impressively intact with no evidence of scavenger activity. It also, with it's broken legs below it, apeared much smaller that I knew it once was. It was very sad sight and I am glad, unlike some others, that the only moose I saw thus far was not this dead one.
The notch was a lot of fun after that. I don't agree with the assessment it is the toughest mile but it certainly is the slowest taking about 2 hours for all of us to make it through. It was a blast looking at the trail and racking my brain on how to get through it. It's difficulty doesn't lie with how hard it is physically. Most hiking is fairly mindless putting feet in front of each other. In this case however it required real thinking and stratagy. I think it is one of the most enjoyable parts of the trail. The rocks were filled with nooks and cranies that shaded the ground so well that ice and snow can be found year round in some parts of the notch. Depending on where I stood the ice and shade could cool the tempature by as much as 20 degrees. Below the rocks I could hear the sound of a river burbbeling through the bolders but it wasn't until later that I could finally see it near tread level. It wasn't all rock though. Trees, litchen, and moss covered anything where hik!
ers hadn't crushed them underfoot.
After the notch there was a climb up Speck Mt. where there was very nice views. My stomach however has gotten much worse and I am had to stop every 1/4 mile to catch my breath and wait til the cramping subsided. I took a long break at Speck Pond Campsite which was beautiful but as you can imagine I was a bit distracted. It lacked a shelter register which meant I could do my good deed of the day and leave the blank one I was carrying.
I got some medications from Flyaway and hiked on. The hiking was fairly easy lucky for me with only one climb. On the downhill to the road there was creek which was gorgeous. It had a small flow but it generally ran a lush green stream bed. At one point there was a severl ledges one above the other where it gracefully dripped down over the dangeling mosses. The dirt has been senic too. With all the mica in the rocks when it breaks down it leaves a sparkely appearance like the the trail is filled with diamond dust.
I made it to the road to Bethel and my luck held. I found a hiker, Charlie, leaving who was heading by Bethel who gave me a lift. He is a law professor and with my last job being at the UofC Law School we had lots to talk about. Thank you Charlie, your lift was a real help on a day I was not feeling so well.
Bethel has the Chapman Inn which is the nicest hostel I have been in. True it is $36 a day but Fred makes a great breakfast, there is a sauna, there is lots of space to spread out, there is a full kitchen, washer, dryer, internet, phone, pool table, and ping pong table.
I am feeling better now, I think the hiking is upsetting my stomach so staying put here feels much better though when I went out walking with Flyaway and Mr. Fred to get dinner the 1/2 mile upset my tummy a lot. I hope the Dr. can help me tomorrow as I can't hike like this.
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7/31 Setting up for the Notch
9.6 hiked today, 1897.5 miles N, 276.5 miles left
Full Goose Shelter
Full Goose Shelter
Today I woke up feeling much better. It seems my sluggishness yesterday was likely a byproduct of my time in town. To much food and not enough exercise. Another thing that had me very worried was my feet. They were very tender so that walking or even standing was painful. In talking with Flyaway though I found out he got the exact same symptoms whenever he spent too much time in town. His usually went away after a couple days. Mine feet felt much better this morning so I suspect that Flyaway is right.
The morning went well. I stuck with Flyaway and Mr. Fred as I wanted to make sure I had company for a section coming up, Mahoosuc Notch, which is rumored to be the toughest mile on the AT.
Along the way I saw numerous toads as I have been seeing for most of the last week. What I had failed to mention was that in the last few days these, though they look similar to the American Toads I had been seeing all over, let out little croaks when I picked them up.
The first mountain of the day was Mt. Sucess. It was a rather easy climb as the shelter from last night was much of the way up. Up on top I was treated to a 360 degree view of the the mountains and forest all around. I could see the next saddle and was pleased to see it had an alpine medow.
This would be repeated all day, great summit views with soft grassy medows between. The air was clear and though the sun was hot the mountain summits had nice breezes. For me it was bliss.
The only thing that distracted from this was the portion of the trails that went up and down. The construction was perplexing at best with steep hazardous rocky stretchs. A few of them had ladders or other aids to climb up and down them however where improvments were made sometimes were challenging sections and just as often were easier that many we were forced to climb. At one point I distincly remember a 5-6' drop off without even a foothold chipped in the rock or another 3' overhang to clamber down. I have no idea how AMC decideds where to put their trail improvments but for me it makes no sense.
Today I crossed into Maine, the last state I will hike. It feels great to be in state 14 finally afer months of effort. New Hampshire was home to roughest and most poorly built trail on the AT but also home to the most stunning mountain tops. I am not sure how I will remember the state. I suspect the photos will bring me back.
The ups and downs of that day, though challenging, were not exhausting so that when I got to camp I still had some pep left in me. However not wanting to do the Notch alone I waited for Flyaway and Mr. Fred who were, lets say, not pleased with the conditions of the rise and falls. As a result we will do the Notch in the morning.
The nausea I have had the last few days that I thought had passed came back this afternoon to my disappointment. It is getting much worse too. I hope it gets better tomorrow or else I think I will have to see a Dr. in Andover.
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Thursday, August 2, 2007
7/30 Lots of Wildlife
11.8 hiked today, 1887.9 miles N, 286.1 miles left
Gentian Pond Shelter
Gentian Pond Shelter
Today I felt generally crummy though towards the end I had improved somewhat. Being as that is not much fun to talk about this will focus all the wonderful wildlife.
The day started with breakfast at Moonbeamz with Bruce/Golden Waldo. He thru-hiked in '98 and now spends summers at White Birches doing shuttles. The food at Moonbeamz was great. It wasn't as if they made anything exotic. It was more that it was evident they used very good ingredients. I highly recommend it if anyone is in Gorham!
After that Bruce gave me a lift to the trail.
The first wildlife I saw were skeeters which swarmed me instantly when I stoped to get something from my pack. I worried this might be the beginning of an epic story of survival but once up in the moutains they all but disappeared.
The I slipped in a muddy patch of trail. When I pitched forward and caught my fall my palm landed in the middle of the shaft of my trekking pole snapping it. I had failed to mention that the night I headed into Gorham I fell off a slippery rock and my pole, being firmly planted about 3 feet above where I ended up snapped probably serving to remove some the energy of the fall. That leaves me with no poles and 12 oz of dead weight in my pack. :(
I took frequent breaks the first being at Trident Col Campsite to relax and get some water. There I saw and mostly heard a huge number of birds. The most prominent call was a raven whose call sounds like a person screaming. In addition there was a flock of ducks making a ruckus along with a flock of something else I couldn't identify from its underbelly. They were white, a little smaller than a duck with mid size wings that have serrated tail edges.
After that I came to Page Pond which explains the large flocks of birds. When I was there though there were no flocks. Instead on the far side of the pond I saw a couple animals splashing around. At first I thought they were birds. With out my glasses it is hard to see 100 yards, but after studing their movements for a few minutes I realized I was seeing two moose splashing around the far side of the pond. In addition dragon flies were busy skimming the water and I listened to the calls of bull frogs. I marveled for a while before pushing on.
The trail was literally littered with rocky outcroppings giving great views and took many breaks to enjoy each one of them.
The trail also had numerous baby toads no bigger than my thumbnail. The ones I saw rapidly jumped about making photos impossible. I forget the breeds name, Banded Toads I think. Their distinguishing characteristic is a black eye shaped patch over each eye.
Finally it was to the shelter which has a very nice view through a notch in the trees. The sky was painted in hues of pastels all night like a Monet painting. Nearby is Gentian Pond, a quiet place with tanic water and toads who splash into the water as I walk by. I am glad I am spending the night here.
With me is Fred, Flyway, a SOBOer named Nolan, Bert and Ernie(their real names), and an all girls summer camp group who have been remarkably quiet.
I hope tonight's sleep mends my many ills
7/29 Another Day in Gorham
0 hiked today, 1876.1 miles N, 297.9 miles left
White Birches Camp Ground Loft in Gorham, NH
White Birches Camp Ground Loft in Gorham, NH
This morning James left on the 7 AM bus. Last night he mentioned that he had eaten at Moonbeamz for breakfast and highly recommend it. I tried to get in this morning but there was a line out the door so I will try again tomorrow.
I exchanged the pack-cover for a smaller one that will fit my pack better.
The rest of the day consisted of napping, eating from my food bag to save some cash, and building stoves for other thru-hikers while watching "Forest Gump".
I am feeling somewhat better so I think I will head out tomorrow
7/28 Resting in Gorham
0 hiked today, 1876.1 miles N, 297.9 miles left
White Birches Camp Ground Loft in Gorham, NH
White Birches Camp Ground Loft in Gorham, NH
Today was a town day so this entry will be brief. I spent the day taking care of the usual things; mail, resupply, and calls home.
In addition I am hoping my body can recover from the rigors of the Whites. My knees really took a beating on those rocks. They currently hurt more than ever before in my life with some motions causing audible winces. In addition to that my nausea still hasn't abated so I am hoping that gets better too.
Since these did not get much better today I have decided to spend another day in town healing. The people here are very nice with Bobby and Ashley of White Birches being very welcoming hosts. In addition one of their summer residents, Bruce/Golden Waldo who thru-hiked in '98, provides rides to help us hikers get around.
I spent the day wandering around, buying a pack-cover, and hung out with Big Muddy at the Barn.
Also staying at the barn was Tea Bags, a wonderful British hiker who was loads of fun to talk with.
For dinner James and I went to Mr. Pizza where we had a wonderful theological discussion.
I am enjoying my stay and hope I feel better after tomorrow.
Monday, July 30, 2007
7/26 A Nice Spot to Camp
14.8 hiked today, 1857.7 miles N, 316.3 miles left
Wildcat Mountain Ski Lift
Wildcat Mountain Ski Lift
This morning was better as I hoped. Sitting in the shelter was a bit like a nature program on tv with a bold red squirrel dashing within inches of me all morning. I made loud noises and banged things to try to scare him off but he persisted. I even threw a pebble towards him as a
threatning gesture and though I aimed to miss but he reacted by accidentally running right into the path of the rock. I felt bad but he seemed unhurt and even persisted bugging me for some time yet. Finally he went away and I think I know why as I got a look at a beatiful Pine Marren. He looked a lot like a weasel with dark brown fur and a cute face. Pine marrens eat red squirrel and I am sure he decided to avoid this.
The climb out of the shelter and back to the trail was much easier than I recall the descent being, I'm sure due to the good nights rest. However the trail was just as tricky with it really was sucking a lot out of me. Just 3.3 miles into my day I was at Madison Srings Hut where I took a long break. The Hut us unquie in the there is literally a spring right under it with water bubbling up through it's foundation on the downhill side. I spent about an hour relaxing getting my energy up for a side hike up Mt. Adams. This time I left the pack at the hut. I took the Star Lake Trail which is rockier and steeper than the usually Airline Trail to the top but I am glad I did. Without the pack on I was light on my feet and the trail passed around the edge of Star Lake. It was surronded in soft grasses with occasional boulders. The climb up went well but at the summit I did not linger as there were swams of all sorts of bugs. Not any that seemed to be biteing but still rather unplease!
nt. The descent was uneventful and I had a snack before pushing on.
The trail upcomming was another abusive segment like last night going up and over Mt. Madison before starting a long rocky descent. Finally I made it to treeline and the trail softened greatly to my delight. The views may not be as good but I have developed a great apprecation for dirt in the trail. The descent was long to Pinkham Notch. On the way through I passed the Osgood Tentsite provided by the USFS, not AMC. That seemed the place to be because I proceded to pass about 10 sobo hikers all headed into there for the night.
At the Notch I checked in the with AMC lodge there to see if there was a place to spend the night. The clerk was exceptionally helpful but unfourtunatly there was not much he could do for me. On the up side he let me use one of the office computers to check my email. Thank you Charles.
After that I made my way north which ment climbing out of the notch. It looked like an easy climb on paper but when I did it turned out to be very bad. The trail spent the first mile putzing around by a pond making the last 1.7 very steep hand over hand type terran.
On the way up I heared a party of women ahead of me. After a while I caught up with them, a trio of maybe 18-19 year old women who worked in the AMC lodge. They were planning on hiking through to the next next notch to spend the night before they got back up to go to work at 7 AM. I passed them easily and made it to the top of Wildcat Mountain E. On the top was a ski lift for the Wildcat Ski Mountain. It was just as I hoped providing me with a grassy place to throw down and the lift itself provided good coverage if it should rain.
I fired up the stove and started dinner enjoying the dimming sky and outline of the mountains in brillant hues. The three I had run into before finally caught up and were rather rambuncious. First they climbed over a barricade to get to the closed roof top observation deck on the lodge up top of the mountain. Then two of three looked around for a sign to steal and finally one literally ripped on off a doorframe before noiseiy heading north and leaveing me in peace.
Tonight is quiet and the ski slopes give a great vantage to see the towns below and cars moving on unseen roads. The outlines of the mountains are visable in the glow of moonlight and then temp is very nice.
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