August 21^st Friday

         

Today was a town day.  I was up at 6:30 and ate the last half of my grinder for breakfast. Son Ray, Wood Butcher, Two Showers Enlightened Rogue, Ringbearer and myself traveled together for most of the day. The miles passed by easily.  We stopped at a café, just after crossing the White River.  Lunch was chocolate cake & pop with Ringbearer.  After, we road-walked for a couple of miles, before heading off into the woods again. Just before we reached the next highway, we came across the Red Beast. It was a cooler that Enlightened Rogues wife and daughter filled up with goodies and put on the side of the trail. We stopped and had pop, chips and bars and met a pair of south bounders, Bonnie & Clyde. Another fellow, who was barefoot and strange, passed us also going southbound.

 

Entering Hanover, N.H.

 

After a rest, we walked to the road that took us into Norwich Vermont and then into Hanover, New Hampshire. There was lots of traffic. Folks waved and stared at our group. We crossed a bridge that was under construction, over the Connecticut River. We hiked to what I supposed was the center of town and then turned left towards Dartmouth College.

 

We passed a young man playing guitar and singing and then journeyed on to a building called the Tabbard house. The guidebook said that we could find lodging at the Tabbard house and also at some of the other fraternity houses. When I went in and checked out the Tabbard, I saw Joliet Joe and Fletch. The place wasn’t exactly tidy and there was talk of a big party that night, so we went over to the Alpha Theta frat house. It seemed a little nicer there, so we left our packs in the living area, and checked out the rest of the place. There was a pool table room in the back and a nice shower upstairs. I utilized the shower, rested on the sofa for a while and then walked downtown with Sunburn, to Murphy’s bar. After a bowl of clam chowder, we went to a movie. We saw the Avengers. What a stupid show! It wasn’t even comical. When we got back to the frat house, we saw Japhy, Crawl Dog and, Mitch, who wasn’t feeling well. I had hiked thirteen miles this day and was snuggled on the sofa bed by 11:00.

 

 

August 22^nd Saturday

 

          I was up at 7:00 and went to breakfast with Son Ray, Wood Butcher and Sunburn. We walked downtown to a restaurant where I had a 3-egg omelet with pan fries and a coffee. It was a great breakfast with great company to enjoy it with.  Afterwards I went to the post office, mailed some letters home and met Japhy and Crawl Dog. They had just received some winter gear and some home-baked cookies.

 

Crawl Dog and Japhy in Hanover, New Hampshire

 

I went back to the frat house, played some pool with Joliet Joe, wrote a letter to Sheldon Gavel and Annie Varney, and then rested in the afternoon. Later on I got up and found Joliet with a big grinder, and discovered that there was a Ben & Jerry’s sale on at a garage downtown. I proceeded downtown and stopped at the outfitters to look for some small packets of boot wax. The clerk said that they didn’t have small portions, but she went and found some samples and gave them to me. There was a huge wall map of the AT in the store that documented the progress Baltimore Jack was making. I guess he had worked there at times and had just passed through town recently. It was his third trip thru hiking. I left the outfitters and made my way to the garage that had a deli inside. There was a huge open topped freezer in the middle of the garage, full of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I ordered two grinders, a beef and a turkey sandwich, a quart of milk and one of the cheapest Ben & Jerry’s yet. I met Ringbearer and his sister when I came out. He said that they had driven back to the Inn at the Long Trail and had seen Caterpillar and Caretaker. They would be about three days behind us now.

L to R; Wood Butcher, Two Showers, Son Ray, Enlightened Rogue, Joliet Joe

At the Alpha Theta frat house, Dartmouth Collage, Hanover, New Hampshire

 

I took my food back to the frat house and proceeded to pig out. I sat outside on the steps with Joliet Joe, Rogue, Son Ray, Wood Butcher and Two Showers, so we could have our picture taken. After supper Son Ray, Wood Butcher and I went to check out one of the college study halls. It was very plush!  Wood moldings and carvings decorated the library. It was easy to understand the $30,000 tuition fee for each student. I returned to the frat house and found a new bed on the floor. Today was hot and sunny and it was hard to get to sleep with all the noise and humidity. It was another late night but I was in bed by 11:00.

 

 

August 23^rd Sunday

 

          I was up at 7:00 and went to shower. Son Ray, Wood Butcher and I walked downtown for breakfast. On the way back we found that Too Obtuse had just arrived in town. He was from New Hampshire and his dad and little sister were with him. We asked about the people, who were just behind him, and he filled me in on everything as best he could. We moved on to the library again.  Son Ray checked out his journal and emails at one of the computer stations. From there we went back to the frat house and proceeded to pack up. I was all the way downtown before I realized I forgot my 2-liter pop bottle for water. I had to turnaround and go back to get it!  It wasn’t fancy, but it had lasted the whole trip thus far, and it would be nice to see if it could make it all the way. Once back up town again, I headed down the street that the trail followed. It went by a Ben & Jerry’s store.  Mitch and Ringbearer were sitting outside. I couldn’t help but stop to buy a white blaze, which is white Russian ice cream with chocolate syrup and milk, and it tastes really great!  I sat outside with Mitch and Ringbearer to drink it.

 

431 miles to go

 

Mitch and I took off down the trail and passed some churches that had just finished their services. We got off the road and started climbing a bit on the trail. We met Fletch and Birch and stopped for a half of an hour before carrying on up Moose Mt. The sky became overcast and it started to rain just before we reached the Moose Mt Shelter. Rogue, Son Ray, Wood Butcher, and Fix-it, a friend who had hiked with them in Georgia and N.C, were at the shelter and all set up. There was not a lot of room for tents but I set up close to the shelter and then it began to rain hard. I cooked spaghetti under the overhang at the front of the shelter. Inside the shelter, Wood Butcher upset his noodle supper on his sleeping bag. He was not a happy camper! Fix-it and Son Ray played their flutes. We had a nice evening even though it was cool. It was dark before 8:00 and I was in bed by 8:15. Eleven miles had been traversed in the rain.

  

August 24^th Monday

         

It rained all night, and although the ground was soaked, my tent fared well. I got up at 6:30 and had a breakfast of cold cereal under the shelter eaves again. The rain broke a bit so I packed up the wet tent and the rest of the gear and set off at 8:15. I hiked six miles to the Trapper John Shelter, named after the M.A.S.H. character, who was a fictional Dartmouth College graduate. I hiked on and off with Sunburn, Fletch, Birch and Joliet Joe and stopped to meet the Rogues’ brother and his brother’s wife, who had brought some apples from their tree back home. The sun broke through for the afternoon and the hiking was fairly easy. I made it to the fire warden’s cabin, which was to be used for the shelter tonight, by 5:00. Sunburn, Fletch, Heimy and Birch decided to go on to the next shelter but I stayed behind. I cooked spaghetti for supper and set up my bedroll inside the cabin. There were eight of us there and we fit comfortably on the floor. Later in the evening, Frank’nPops showed up, had supper and squeezed in too. It soon began to rain with some thunder and lightening and then it turned into a terrible storm with hail.  Around 8:00 Mitch arrived, soaking wet and scared. She said Japhy and Crawl Dog were behind her and that Japhy probably couldn’t see that well in the rain. Crawl Dog arrived soon after and requested someone to look for Japhy. I crawled out of my bag and got dressed to go looking. I wasn’t that anxious because the lightening was very sharp and almost steady. It brought back memories of Virginia! Once outside, I walked the entrance trail back to the AT. Just as I got to the main trail, I saw a light coming my way and it was Japhy. When we got to the cabin, we were soaked and cold. The floor was completely covered with people. I hoped that no one else would show up in the night.  There were thirteen of us in a 12 by 20-foot cabin. I got to sleep around 10:00, after a thirteen-mile day.

  

August 25^th Tuesday

 

          Considering how full the cabin was, I slept fitfully. I got up at 6:00 and went outside to eat a bagel sandwich and then packed up quickly. I got on the trail by 7:05 and headed for the next shelter. At the next shelter, the Hexacuba Shelter, I found two new hikers, Pox Holiday and Two Step. They had stayed there last night with Birch, Fletch and Sunburn. The wind had blown the rain deep into the shelter and it had been a wet night for everyone. Joliet Joe and Son Ray showed up while I was eating lunch. I left at 10:00 and met Lyme Robbie just coming into the shelter. We talked for a bit before I headed up to the top of Mt Cube and then descended and crossed a couple of roads. The miles went by easy, but the weather was hazy and it felt like another storm was coming on. I picked up speed to get over Mt. Mist. The rain and lightening started and I got nervous. As I hiked, I looked for a place to set up my tent and get out of the storm. The rain came down hard but I felt better as the trail headed downhill and the lightening slowed down a little. I crossed the highway into Glencliffe and walked the last mile to Jeffers Brook Shelter. I had journeyed twenty-one miles and was at the shelter by 5:00. I expected people to be there, but there was no one around. I went to the stream to wash and then back to the shelter to set up my tent. Ringbearer, Fletch, Birch and Lyme Robbie came along too. They had been in Glencliffe getting a mail drop and some food. Sunburn had been there with them but kept on hiking. I made a big pot of spaghetti for supper and was in bed by 8:00. It started to rain just as I got into bed.

  

August 26^th Wednesday

 

          I was up at 6:00 and had a tuna sandwich with a muffin, coffee and cold cereal. Ringbearer and I took off by 7:30 and started the big climb up Mt. Moosalauke. It was very steep and 4800 feet above sea level. Small scrub brush was growing near the top and the plateau at the top was bare-rocked and wind-swept. We crossed the ridge and stopped for lunch, sheltering ourselves from the wind behind some large rocks. There were direction signs to the top and other signs that were dedicated to people who had helped build the trail. There was no one there but us chickens.

 

Mount Moosalauke, New Hampshire

 

We started off down the other side. The trail was very steep and dangerous. When I stopped at the Beaver Brook Shelter for another snack, the sky started to clear. I read the register and saw that Stormy had been here a couple of days back. We carried on the steep descent down to Kinsman Notch. We saw a few day hikers, young and old, that really shouldn’t have been trying the climb. We had gone almost 1800 miles. This had to be one of the toughest and most dangerous descents yet. After hitting the Kinsman Notch Road, the trail headed straight up again. The sun blazed down and the trail was rocky and full of roots. So far this was one of the toughest sections and it took four hours and some, to do the next seven miles to the Eliza Brook Shelter. We finally made it to the shelter and proceeded to wash in the stream. There was one other hiker there, a lady teacher from Dartmouth College. She asked us lots of questions while we set up our tents and made supper. I had rice and broccoli and was in the tent by 8:00. I had done my toughest nineteen miles ever; nothing but hot and sweaty climbs and rough trails. Tomorrow was to be a “resupply day” as my food was running low.

  

August 27^th Thursday

         

I was up at 4:30 and wrote a letter to Charles and Betty Veysey. I had some Lipton’s rice for breakfast, packed up the tent and was on the trail by 7:00. Ringbearer was still in bed and not willing to get up, so I embraced another real tough climb, over Kinsman Mt., some of it hand over hand. I was happy to be out of food, because the pack was light. I arrived at the Kinsman Pond campsite after about two hours and stopped for snack and a 40-minute rest. I talked to a section hiker there and then sloshed off down the Cascade Brook trail. It was nothing more than a stream. My boots were soaked in five minutes.   It was very hard going over the slippery roots and rocks. There was nothing but water most of the way down. I really questioned my being on this trail.

 

Just before I got to the highway I could hear traffic. The trail was more distinguishable now, an actual footpath. The temperature was rising as I made it to the highway and I pondered which road to take to North Woodstock, as there were two to choose from. I hitch hiked for twenty minutes before someone stopped to pick me up. This gentleman was an inspector for the dept. of highways and drove me right into North Woodstock. I walked straight to the nearest grocery store and started buying food. The items were a little pricey compared to some of the larger stores, but there was a great deli.  I bought two huge grinders and a Ben & Jerry’s Super fudge chunk. I left the grocery store and crossed the street to a vacant lot that had some shade. A hiker called Thane of Gilead, who was hiking back to the trail, told me that Sunburn and a few others hikers were at the hostel down the street.

 

I packed up and walked down to the hostel and then sat outside to talk to Sunburn, Roy G. Biv, Shoulda Known, Flow Easy and Hawkeye. I ate one of my grinders and the ice cream, dried my boots in the sun and then packed up my groceries. Sunburn told me that POD worked in the microbrewery across the street. I hadn’t seen him since Damascus, when he got off the trail. Sunburn phoned a taxi and we split the cost to get back to the trail. We started hiking up Liberty Mountain at 3:00. The trail was made of rock steps.  We met lots of day hikers coming down. Not far from the top there was a campsite, Liberty Springs and I decided to stop there for the night. They had tent platforms so I went to work setting up. I washed off a bit in the spring and had the remaining grinder for supper. I met Mother Nature and Father Time, who were set up on another platform and there were also a few college kids set up nearby. I crawled into the tent by 7:00 after a hard 11-mile day. I hoped to do twenty miles the next day and planned to get up early.

  

August 28^th Friday

 

          I was up at 4:30, but it was too dark to leave so I wrote a letter to Doug and Darlene Keppler and then got up just after 5:00 to have some cereal. I tried to be quiet so as to not wake anyone and got a good early start, hoping to catch the sunrise coming up over the Franconia Range. I got some beautiful views looking back and down either side of the Franconia ridge. There was a nice open alpine area and I stopped at the top of Mt. Garfield for lunch.

 

Franconia Ridge

 

Thane was there. The trail was very hard to walk up, so it took a long time to get to the Galehead Hut.  I sat outside in the shade and ate a bagel sandwich and some cookies for lunch. I packed up and set off for Zealand Falls Hut. I made it there by 5:00. There were lots of tourists around, and they quizzed me about the hike. I rested for a half of an hour before deciding to move on. The Ethan Pond campsite was three miles away, but I stopped before I got there. There was a spot just off the trail in the woods, to set up the tent. I had carried water from the Zealand hut, so I cooked some rice for supper and was in my tent by 7:45. I had done nineteen miles over extremely hard terrain. I wanted to catch up to Sunburn and Old Fhart soon, hopefully the next day.

 

August 29^th Saturday

 

           It was a very cool, dewy night. I woke up once, but went back to sleep before getting up around 6:00. I had cold cereal for breakfast and started down the trail by 7:00. The trail to Ethan pond was an old railway grade, so it was flat, but rocky. Near Ethan Pond the trail was marshy with boardwalks. I strolled into the campsite and found Sunburn. I rested and read the register while he packed up. We took off and walked down to Crawford Notch, where we found an apple tree and helped ourselves to the fresh fruit. We then crossed the highway and started the climb up Mt. Webster. It was another hand over hand climb.  We passed by a couple of family groups on the way up. Near the top, we caught up with the Old Fhart. We had a few good laughs and took a couple pictures before finishing the 2500’ climb.

 

From the top, the trail descended to the Mizpah Hut. The weather turned on us and it got cold and started to drizzle. We stayed at the hut for lunch and then decided to carry on to the Lake of the Clouds hut. We made it to the Lake of the Clouds by 5:00, in a cold rainy wind. We checked out the dungeon and found Model T, and his son, Baltimore Jack and Steamtown sharing the dark, dank accommodations under the hut. Old Fhart, Sunburn and I went back inside the hut, and Fhart bargained “a work for a lodging,” so we could stay for the night. They gave us a bunk and fed us supper in return for our cleaning up after breakfast the next day. I didn’t really want to go back outside in the cold and rain to look for a place to set up my tent, on an area that was nothing but rocks. We grabbed a bunk and set out our sleeping bags. This place reminded us of the small room at Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts, because of its size and smell.  We got the leftover food after the paying customers were fed. It was lasagna and corn chowder with fresh baked bread. I hadn’t tasted anything so good for a long time, at least since the last time I had eaten. The food was very filling and after supper we headed straight to our bunkroom and crawled into bed. Whew! The room was cold!  I was asleep by 9:30, and very happy to be in a warm sleeping bag and to be sheltered from the elements. I must be getting weak. Seventeen miles was completed today.  For some reason, I am thinking a lot about home now.

 

August 30^th Sunday

 

          I rousted out at 6:30 in the morning to the smell of coffee being prepared by someone else other than myself. I partially packed before going to the kitchen. Sunburn, Old Fhart and I waited around until the paying customers had breakfast and then we dug into pancakes and grits with lots of coffee. After breakfast we swept all the rooms and straightened up the bed pillows and blankets. We moved into the dining hall where the Crew was beginning to scrub the floor. They gave us scouring pads that we placed under our feet and then the music was cranked up. There were about eight of us grooving to the music and cleaning the floor at the same time. When the dining room was done, Sunburn, Fhart and I moved to the basement and swept and scrubbed the floor. Once our chores were completed, we went back to our room and packed up.

 

We left the Lake of the Clouds hut by 11:00 and ascended the trail to Mt. Washington. From the hut we could see towards Washington, but the clouds blocked our view of the top. There appeared to be about fifty people on their way up the rocks and more day-hikers coming down to the Lake of the Clouds. We hiked the mile and a half up to the top quickly, passing all the tourists.  Birch, Fletch and Lyme Robbie were slacking. The wind was strong at the top, and there was close to two hundred people milling in or around the visitor center. We went inside and bee-lined to the cafeteria. I ordered a chilidog and chowder, with ice cream for dessert. We sat around the tables and swapped stories. One of the tourists, an Italian guy that I passed coming up the hill, asked if he could take my picture. He couldn’t believe that we had walked all the way from Georgia, but when I flew by him on the hill, he clued in. Fletch, Birch and Robbie had been staying at a hostel in Gorham, and planned on slacking for a few days. After we started down the mountain, we crossed the Cog railway and one of its cars clattered by. Baltimore Jack and Steamtown had been waiting for their chance to moon the train.  They did!

 

The Cog Railway on top of Mt. Washington

Compliments of D&D Rose

 

We pounded our feet down to the Madison Hut, where the rest had moved on. I went in to buy some soup for a couple bucks. Model T was there with his son, who had twisted his knee. They wouldn’t be going any further today. Eventually the son was taken down the hill and Model T moved on. After lunch I started up Mt. Madison.  At the top, it looked like another very rocky descent into Pinkham Notch. I met Wayah near the top, and talked with him for a few minutes. When he took off, I followed slowly. He was in a rush to keep an appointment, to speak about the Red Wolf. After a couple hours, I walked to the Osgood campsite and picked out a platform to set up my tent. There was a good spring nearby, so I filled up with water and set about cooking supper. I cooked a Lipton rice dish and had some salami. Steamtown, Baltimore Jack, Thane and Old Fhart showed up later and we talked it up, for a while. I was in my tent by 8:00, so I could be up early, to stop at Pinkham Notch and meet Thirsty Boots’ daughter. It had been a 10.6-mile day, sacrificing my knees and feet on the rocks.   How much more could they take?

  

August 31^st Monday

 

          I woke up at 6:00 and had cold cereal for breakfast. I was packed up and away by 6:45. There were no more rocks to pound on, just dirt trail for a change. I made Pinkham Notch by 8:30 but missed Sunburn, Fletch, Birch and breakfast. They arrived earlier according to Kate. I had walked into the center and asked the clerk if she knew Kate.  It was she that I was talking to. Kate was very pretty and liked her job at the Center very much. I’m sure it was a treat for all the young men at Pinkham to have her around and perform for her.

 

I left shortly and stopped outside to have a pop and a snack. Afterwards, I crossed the road and started up Wildcat Mountain. It certainly was a Wildcat! There were four peaks, A, B, C and D and it could be a tough “drag me up” climb in spots. On one of the peaks, a ski lift carried tourists to the top. I passed a few of the folks and made my way down to the Carter Notch and hut. The sun was shining and it was breezy so it made for a good hiking day. Just before I reached the hut, I met Huffer and Puffer leaving. We talked for a couple minutes and he mentioned that Sunburn, Birch and Fletch were at the hut. When I walked in, I met them leaving. They were all staying in Gorham, at the hostel and getting a shuttle to the trail daily. Sunburn wasn’t slacking and he made sure I knew it. They took off and I went to the hut, but didn’t go inside. I stopped at a small lake nearby and opened up my pack for lunch. I didn’t have a lot of food left.  I ate my snack and left in forty-five minutes. I then started climbing again, to the top of Mt Carter, which had two peaks, east and west. Somewhere between the two, on a descent, I met Peaches. She quizzed me to find out if I had met Baltimore Jack. She had hiked last year and was out to meet him again. I told her that he was behind me somewhere, and took off for the next campsite. I made the Imp campsite by 5:45 and was dog-tired. I had completed eighteen miles over very hard mountainous terrain. I set up my tent and cooked some broccoli, cheese and rice for supper. I looked forward to tomorrow, for it would be a town day with restaurants, food and a bath. I always seemed to get very hungry when my pack emptied of food. There were no snacks left, just some cereal for tomorrows’ breakfast. The wind came up as I entered the tent to go to bed. This camping spot had a high elevation with very short trees… ergo… no windbreak.

 

September 1^st Tuesday

 

          The wind howled all night but I slept through most of it. I got up at 6:15 and had my cereal for breakfast. There was only eight miles left to get to the highway into Gorham, and it would most likely be a downhill journey. I packed up and headed out by 7:00, passing Huffer and Puffer along the way.   He gave me a message to phone to his girlfriend, as he planned to skip town. I made the highway by 10:30 and hitched a ride into town with an older gentleman from Bethel, Maine. He drove me right into town and dropped me off at the post office. Storm Cloud and Sunburn were there. Stormy was going to head out at noon, but Sunburn would stay another night at the hostel. I went inside to get my package and brought it outside to open. There were cookies from Gram! I ripped into them right away and offered some to Stormy and the bloke. Stargazer and his dad, South Pa, showed up in a car. They offered me a ride anywhere, but I saw a laundry, a 1- hour photo and a convenience store handy, so I declined. I took my film to the 1-hour photo shop, bought two quarts of homogenized milk at the store and then went to do my laundry. I wanted to wash everything, so I asked the caretaker if I could change in her back room. She Ok’ed it and so I donned my garbage bag in her storeroom. One nice thing about being on the trail was that one had no shame. What a Life!

 

Laundry day in Gorham

 

Fletch, Birch and Heimy came along with bikes. They rented them from the hostel that they were staying at. We chatted for a while and then they took off for lunch. I finished the laundry and packed up my gear to go look for a motel. I found one close by, and went in for a good hot bath. I must have soaked for an hour before I got out. I could get the CBC station so that was a good sign that I was close to Canada. After a bit, I walked to the Outfitters and bought a poncho and a toque for the cool weather that was approaching. I picked up my photos and went over to the hostel to meet all the folks. I found Old Fhart and Flow Easy and a few others that I had never met. These places seemed to grab you and refused to let you go. We each showed off our pictures and then I took off to the big grocery store, a mile and a half away, in Berlin. Old Fhart had gone to high school in Berlin. I bought lots of good food for the next six days. I hoped to make Stratton, 109 miles away, for the next grocery stop. The store had so much great food; my eyes must have been like saucers. It was hard to make up my mind. I took about two hours before I finished shopping and when I went outside, it was dark. I couldn’t hitch a ride back to the hotel, so I had to walk all that way with three grocery bags that stretched my arms to the ground.

 

Once back at my room, I put my Ben & Jerrys in the fridge, then walked to a Pizza Hut that was close by. I ordered a large Hawaiian pizza along with a large order of Buffalo wings. They were ready in about thirty minutes.  I took them and a large Pepsi back to my hotel. It was an orgy of food and I didn’t stop until it was almost all gone. I had to leave a little room for ice cream. Sometimes thru hikers are like snakes. When food is available, it doesn’t matter the size or the amount, they will find a way to devour it. When I finished the gorging, my stomach was pushed out and it hurt to lie on my side. I phoned home and talked to Mom, Dad and Gram and then phoned Adam & Tara. Everybody seemed to be doing well. I probably had only three weeks left on the trail and they told me to take it easy. I had noticed that I had been pushing it a bit the last while. I wanted to get the pain over with, I guess. I watched a weird CBC movie until about 1:00 and then crashed and burned.

  

September 2^nd Wednesday

 

          I slept well, but my stomach was distended and it was hard to roll over. I got up around 7:00, showered, stuffed the food into my pack and then went to mail my pictures home. I met South Pa and Stargazer at the post office.  South Pa offered me a ride to the trailhead. I accepted and we stopped at the Outfitters for some fuel. I got to the trailhead and started down the road to cross the dam, outside of Gorham. Just as I found the trail again, I spied some trail magic… Snicker bars…so I stuffed a couple in my pack and started climbing up Cascade Mountain. The sun was shining and hiking was comfortable, even with a full pack. I hiked about seven miles and met Fletch, Birch and Lyme Robbie again. They were spending at least one more night at the hostel in Gorham. We talked for about a half of an hour, then each of us pressed on, me northward, and they, southward towards Gorham.

 

Clouds rolled in early in the afternoon, and it began to rain. By the time I reached the Gentian Pond Shelter, the fog was so thick I couldn’t see the lake, which was about a hundred feet from the shelter. There were lots of folks there. (Model T, Heimy, Stargazer, Steamtown, Droopy Drawers and Sunburn) Everybody had selected their spot in the shelter and half of them were already in their sleeping bags, out of the cold. I sat in the front of the shelter, chatting with everybody, and then thought about getting supper. I walked down to the lake to get water and started making my staple pot of spaghetti. Out of the fog, covered in a poncho, came Florida Guy. I hadn’t seen him since leaving Damascus, way back in Virginia. He had flip-flopped to Katahdin and was hiking south to somewhere in Pennsylvania. When he removed the poncho, he was nothing but a rack of bones. He was in good spirits though and told us that the trail to Katahdin was beautiful and wouldn’t take us that long to finish.

L to R: Steamtown, Florida Guy, Stargazer, Heimy, Model T and Droopy Drawers

 

After supper I took advantage of a break in the rain, to search out a campsite for my tent. Several college students had set up in the area so I settled on a bit of an incline, under some trees for cover. The tent was up in a flash and my gear spread out inside. When it was dark, I climbed in and read my Financial Post for a bit.  The lights were out at 8:30 and the rain beat down hard as I tried to sleep.

           

September 3^rd Thursday

         

          The rain fell hard most of the night, but let up in the morning. I crawled out of the tent by 6:00 and had some cold cereal for breakfast. I packed up my wet tent and the rest of my gear and was ready to leave by 7:15. Sunburn and I took off and climbed, climbed, and climbed Mt. Success. Shortly after, we reached the New Hampshire Maine border. “Maine, the way life should be” was what the sign read. I took some pictures and then stopped at the Full Goose shelter for a big lunch. 

 

 

I scarfed down two onion buns with salami and cheese, topped it off with chips and cookies, rested for a while and then took off towards the Mahoosic Notch. We met Heimy just before we started down into the Notch. The Notch was the toughest mile on the AT. It was a narrow valley between two steep cliffs, strewn with room-sized boulders from one end to the other. We climbed over, under and around, until we reached the other end. It took an hour and fifteen minutes to come out the other side. We met two small groups going the other way and stopped to chat just for a few minutes.  At the other end, we stopped, rested a bit and got water. Heimy decided to stay there for the night, but Sunburn and I pressed on, to climb the Mahoosic Arm. The climb, about 1500 feet in elevation, was hand over hand, as we grabbed roots and branches to pull ourselves up. There was an OK view at the top but we didn’t stay long, as it was getting late. We reached Speck Pond Shelter near dusk.  Mango and Tupac Samore had set up in the shelter alongside eight others. Most of the hikers were in their sleeping bags already. We picked a platform to set up our tents and went to fetch water for supper. I broke a pole setting up my tent and had to improvise with a branch to prop up the tent. Spaghetti was cooked in the dark and I climbed into bed at 9:30. I checked the handbook to see if there were more Outfitters in Maine, but didn’t find any in the next few towns. I was dog-tired and soon asleep after doing seventeen miles on a memorable piece of trail.

 

September 4^th Friday

 

          It rained during the night and the platform allowed the water to roll right under my tent. Most of my gear was damp. I crawled out around 6:00 to have some cereal for breakfast. We were packed up and away by 7:30 and headed for Grafton Notch. We hiked up East Bald Pate Peak. Here, I emptied my pack, to dry everything out. The sun and a little breeze made short work of it. We had a big lunch and then moved on to the Frye Notch Lean-to. We met a 72-year old gentleman by the name of Slow Joe there, who was finishing the last part of his section hike. He was from Detroit and told me about the celebration that the city had for the Redwings this spring. He wanted to talk a lot more but Sunburn and I pressed on and climbed up to the East B Hill Road. Sunburn decided to hitch into Andover to stay at the hostel, but I wanted to go on. We had run into a large group of Harvard students, camped near the trail off the road. One of the boys was from Vancouver. Just when I got out of sight of the road, I heard a car stop to pick up Sunburn. I hiked another two miles and reached Surplus Pond. There were a couple of dirt roads nearby so I camped out of sight.  I had a powerful hunger on, so I made a large pot of spaghetti for supper. I read some more of the Post before bedtime and then tried to get to sleep at 8:00, after a long 17-mile day. The wind was picking up just before I got to sleep. 

 

September 5^th Saturday

 

          I was up at 5:45, scrounged up some cereal for breakfast and packed quickly. I started on the trail by 6:30 and made good miles early.  I climbed Mt. Wyman and reached Hall Mt. Lean-to, six miles away, by 8:00. After a small snack and some water I took off and met two section hikers from Massachusetts, who were originally from New Brunswick. Their trail names were Marmot and Wounded Knee. We talked for a half an hour and then went our separate ways. I crossed Sawyer Brook, which wasn’t much of a ford. The weather threatened to be nasty.  The wind increased while I climbed Mt. Moody, but the rain held off. I stopped at Old Blue Mt., seven miles away, for a big snack and stayed forty minutes before resuming my trek towards Bemis Mountain. I met three more guys from Massachusetts, one of them had a very busted up knee. While one friend carried his pack, the other helped Busted Knee along.

 

The elevation was high and the views spectacular over the short scrub brush. I felt sorry for the hurt hiker, but couldn’t really do much to help. They hobbled off south as I started my descent down to Bemis Mt. Lean-to. I met Good Sign slacking south and also Signfield and his girlfriend. I arrived at the shelter at 5:00 and met Lonesome Dove. I had a feeling that I had met this fellow before, but just couldn’t recall where. As it turned out, he hiked from Harpers Ferry to Springer Mt. and was now hiking Katahdin to Harpers. He was a strange sort!  He never shut up, and had done everything and been everywhere in this world. I left for a bit and set up my tent about 100 feet away, just in case this guy talked in his sleep. I moved back to the shelter to cook supper, while I allowed my other ear to become sore. Lonesome, from Michigan, was an apt name for this guy. He had met Storm Cloud and a few others that I knew. I believed these folks would remember this guy well. After my spaghetti supper it was back to the tent to read a little more of the Post and then to bed. I did seventeen miles today and after taking stock of my groceries. It occurred to me that I might have to stop in Rangely tomorrow, for some badly needed snacks, breakfasts and lunches.

 

September 6^th Sunday

 

          I was up early again, quietly had breakfast and pulled the tent down.  I didn’t want to disturb my shelter guest, lest my ears should fall off. I left by 6:15 and made tracks to the Sabbath Day Pond, nine miles away. I arrived at 11:30, took a well, deserved dip in the lake and had a long lunch. I enjoyed this traveling alone, quite a bit. It was much different than hiking with the hordes that moved north through Virginia. Maine had been a great hiking spot so far and I planned to come back to hike it again, someday. I took off from the Sabbath Pond and met the two guys, Marmot and Wounded Knee from Massachusetts again. They had stayed in the hostel at Andover and were slacking south with Hopalong, Heimy, Sly Dog and four others. They told me Sunburn was behind by a day, as he had stayed at the hostel on Friday night. I made the five miles from Sabbath to Little Swift River campsite by 2:30 and replenished with some badly needed water.

 

There was only another five miles to the road into Rangely, a chance to get some more food, and maybe even a treat of ice cream. The incentives were too great, so I took off after a short break and reached the highway quickly. The trail cooperated, being smooth, with a fairly gentle descent.  At the road, there was a hiker sitting on the other side. His name was Gnat Catcher and he was just getting back on the trail after an injury He was waiting in a car for some- one to bring him his pack. We talked for a bit and then I decided to get out and hitch into the town, nine miles away.  An older gentleman pulled into the parking lot and waved me over to his car. He was just out driving and offered me a ride into Rangely. On the way he showed me a few sights and told me a little history of the town and area.  He mentioned the rich folks from New York and Boston, who, in the times before air conditioning existed, made summer homes in the hills near-by, because of the cool breezes and beautiful views. I got dropped off in front of an IGA and dropped my pack off just inside the door. Sunday was an active day in Rangely and the store was busy. There was lots of great food to choose from and so I grabbed some fruit and a tub of Ben & Jerrys for a treat. After paying, I noticed many stares, and then went outside to pack the groceries away.

 

I found a nice spot in the shade by the store and began to lovingly dine on my ice cream. After the thrill was gone, I walked to a small outfitter, in search for a tent pole.  There was none to be had. Only clothes and trinkets were sold there. I started my walk to the edge of town to hitchhike back to the trail. Only a few cars went by, most of them were hauling boats and campers. I found myself beside a hero shop and couldn’t resist the desire to go in. I ordered a chicken hero (submarine) and Pepsi, while I watched a football game in progress. The only other patron there started talking to me.  He was on vacation, very interesting to talk to and eventually offered me a ride back to the trailhead. I took him up on it and we talked steady for the short time we were together.  At the trailhead, we said our good byes and I started climbing the short two miles to the Piazza Rock Lean-to. At camp I set up my tent and went to the shelter to talk to Gnat Catcher. He looked and sounded like the actor, Tommy Lee Jones, partly because he was from Georgia. He had worked in the publishing and printing business for years and one day found him self out of work, it being partly his own fault for not wanting to move. He came into a small inheritance and decided to hike the AT.  I was a little tired after my 19-mile day, so at 9:30, I headed back to my tent for bed. It started to rain just as I climbed in the tent.

  

September 7^th Monday

 

          It rained hard during the night and because I was set up on a platform, the water rolled right under the tent. Everything got damp or soaked. I fell back to sleep and woke up around 7:00. I crawled out of my tent and proceeded to eat a full pot of cheerios and milk. I packed up and got on the trail by 8:30. I started my climb up Saddleback Mountain, but didn’t get much of a view, because of the clouds. I moved down a bit from the summit and then over to the Horn. The sun came out but the wind was brisk, so I stopped and huddled behind a few rocks for a snack.

Saddleback Mountain 4116 ft. elevation

Compliments of Shutterbug

I spied two hikers below me and reached them shortly after my lunch. Their names were Summit and Soul. They had spent the night there, parked on slabs of granite surrounded by short trees. After talking to them for a bit, I moved on to Poplar Ridge Shelter, seven miles away. When I reached the Lean-to, the sun was out and I emptied my pack and hung my clothes and tent out to dry. I had a good long lunch break before starting off to Spaulding Mountain. I met a section hiker, Dare Devil, who would be finishing the trail this year, after beginning in “94”. At 2:30, I started up Lone Mountain and walked across the ridge to the Spaulding Mt. Lean-to.

 

Moose on the trail in Maine

 

 

I saw my first moose, a young bull trudging through the brush, just off the trail. When I reached the lean-to, there were six people there already. It was not a bountiful area to set up tents, but I selected a site and proceeded to do so. I got out my cooking gear and prepared some Lipton broccoli rice with cheese and a piece of steak that had been picked up in Rangely. It was one of my best suppers on the trail yet. I helped a women start her MSR stove. The elevation here was over 3000 feet and so when the sun went down it was very cool. I hung my food bag and got in the tent by 7:45. It had been a 17-mile day and it felt good to be wrapped up in my down bag. I was looking forward to going to Stratton in the morning to get groceries and have a chance to stay in a town. Perhaps I would run across Storm Cloud sometime and I also half-expected Sunburn to catch up soon as well.

 

September 8^th Tuesday

 

          It rained hard on and off all night.  I remembered only one sharp flash of lightening. I crawled out of the tent around 7:00 to very cold air. The 3000’ elevation had something to do with that. I had cereal for breakfast, packed up and was away by 8:00. I climbed the rest of Spaulding Mt. and trudged down to the south branch of the Carrabassett River. Two planks kept the crossing a dry one. The water was very high and fast and the planks didn’t look like they would last too long. There was a family waiting on the other side and I chatted with them while getting ready to take a break. It started to rain, so I dug out my poncho to finish my snack. It was very, very cold!  The wind was blowing and I shivered uncontrollably.

 

After I started to climb up South Crocker Mountain with my poncho on, I warmed up quickly. I stripped off the poncho and carried on. I finished climbing over to North Crocker Mt. and started down to the highway. After reaching the highway, I hitchhiked for at least thirty minutes. A truck stopped and let off a hiker.  The hiker was going southbound and a little disoriented, perhaps a little hung over. Lots of trucks carrying wood chips passed me by and finally a lady in a Crown Victoria stopped to pick me up. She was originally from Stratton and was back visiting her Mom and relatives.  Her home residence was on the Virgin Islands. She dropped me off at the Stratton Hotel and I went to the office, to get a room. There was no vacancy, but Charlie the owner, said I could stay in his hostel room. There were three other hikers at the hotel, but I got a room to myself.

 

When I described Storm Cloud to Charlie, he told me Stormy had a room and was staying another night. I went to visit him. He was surprised to see me and we made a date for supper, at the restaurant across the street. I went back to the hostel, had a hot bath and rinsed out my clothes. There was no Laundromat in town! I spread my clothes around the room to dry and turned on a fan to circulate the air. I phoned Walrus Tents in Seattle to order a tent pole that would arrive in Monson, four or five days down the trail. I went to get Stormy and shuffled over to the restaurant. There were some French folks there. I ordered a hot chicken sandwich with blueberry pie for dessert. After supper, I went to the store, picked up a tub of Ben & Jerrys and walked back to the hostel.

 

Charlie, who was looking after the hotel, introduced me to his family. He was quite a character!  He dug out his guitar and played and sang for almost two hours. I was thoroughly impressed with his repertoire of old songs, from the 60’s and early 70’s. He used to have a band and had played a lot in clubs. When he got tired of that lifestyle, he bought the hotel. He played exceptionally well and I enjoyed it immensely. I met a girl from Ontario, who was hiking the trail. Veto, was a teacher, fresh out of college. I remembered reading some of her shelter register entries. The other two hikers were young pups headed southbound, looking for a party. I didn’t hold out much hope for either of them as they had been at Charlie’s for three or four days already. They mentioned a hiker who had been there earlier in the day. I remembered the hiker taking off when I was hitchhiking. Charlie had had to remove him from the hostel. I’m sure that I had seen the same guy. I had done fourteen miles and bed was a welcome sight. The bed was a little too soft for my liking though.  I missed the support of the old terra firma.

  

September 9^th Wednesday

 

          I was up at 5:30 and put my pack together. Stormy and I rambled over to the restaurant for breakfast. Bagman was there with Veto. I hadn’t seen him since Waynesboro, Virginia. He had stopped off in Washington for a while, as he was from Arlington. I remembered that he had done 20-mile days as if they were nothing, but he informed us that he had slowed down considerably. He’d lost a lot of weight but who hadn’t! I had a 3-egg omelet with fixings and after that went to the store next door to resupply. They had a great assortment of food, which made it difficult to choose what I wanted for the next week. There was supposedly only one more town stop in Monson, before reaching the Katahdin.  There was only 187 miles to go.  I took my grub to the hostel and packed it away.  Charlie gave Storm Cloud, Hootie, Sharon and I a ride to the trailhead.  It began to rain just as we got out of the truck and we joked about going back to spend another day at the hostel.  We started hiking at about 9:00, in the rain, and climbed five miles to the Horn’s Lean-to.

 

By the time we made it to the shelter, it was pouring and very, very, cold, even though I had my poncho on and socks on my hands to keep me warm.  There were two newly constructed lean-tos and Stormy and I got in under cover. I crawled under my tent and inside my sleeping bag.  It gave me great satisfaction to watch the rain from inside the shelter, warm in my sleeping bag with the tent over top of me.  I slept for a couple of hours and then woke up to the sound of Stormy and Bagman talking.  We made some supper and decided to spend the night, regardless of the short 5-mile day.  My trusted spaghetti fit the bill for supper and then we talked the evening away.  A south bounder by the name of Jason came into the shelter late, so we helped him to get warm.  I was in bed and asleep shortly after 7:00.  The rain was steady and hard and it was still very cold.  I was truly happy that we had decided not to go on.

 

Sept. 10^th Thursday

 

          We were up at 6:15 and I made cereal for breakfast. The rain had stopped but it was still very cold. We packed up and were on the trail by 7:30.  We started our climb up over the Horn and then over Big Bigelow. We stopped for a short lunch there, our last 4000-footer before Katahdin. We couldn’t imagine how bad it would have been, to climb over it the day before, in the rain. The wind was bad enough now, that it almost blew you off the trail, where there were no trees to shield us. I had all my clothes on, with poncho, cap and socks and it was still just bearable.  

Storm Cloud on Avery Peak

 

                                                                                              Canuckelhead on Avery Peak

Finally made it over Little Bigelow and moved down 2000 feet to the shelter. The sun came out and it warmed a little, while we were having lunch. I had English muffins with salami and cheese with cookies for dessert. From Little Bigelow Lean-to to the trail was rocky and rooty, but a gentle grade just the same. I look forward to some trail that didn’t go up and down all the time. We met 2 south bounders with dogs, Michele and Toby. Storm Cloud had met them in Georgia and they had got off the trail since then. We talked for over an hour before splitting up. I made the West Carry Pond Lean-to by 5:30 and set up my tent immediately, so it would dry in the breeze.  I had my supper of rice and steak cooking by the time Stormy and Bagman made it there. I loved that steak, fat and all! Crawled into the tent by 7:15, as the sun disappeared much earlier now, and the temperature drops off quickly. We had completed17.5 miles today, with no rain for a change.

  

September 11^th Friday

 

          It rained a little in the night and I woke up for an hour around 1:00. Got back to sleep and crawled out around 6:30. I felt good after a long sleep and had cereal for breakfast, getting on the trail by 7:30. We made excellent time doing the 13 miles to the Kennebec River and sat on the bank of the river, soaking up the sun, until it was time for the canoe ride to the other side. A dam upstream lent to the recommendation, not to ford the river. Just in the short while that we were there, water must have been released, as the river widened to the spot that we were sitting at earlier. Storm Cloud paddled with the young lad running the boat and we cruised upstream, before heading across. The current took us down to the landing on the other side and we bailed out. There was a road nearby and we crossed and followed it into Caratunk, Maine. At the small general store, I bought some snacks and a tub of Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk. I also mailed letters to Jeff Trodd and Marion Featherstone.

Caratunk General Store

Compliments of Fletch

 

Bagman caught up and we met another gentleman, a Trail Angel, Sunny Daze. We told him that we were headed to the first shelter at Pleasant Pond, 6 miles away. He volunteered to visit and make supper for us. I thought that was a great deal! Stormy, Bagman and I left the store and tramped together until Bagman detoured to a hiker hostel, just off the trail. He surely had slowed down from the speed he had in Georgia and Virginia! We made the lean-to in a couple hours and I set up my tent close by. Sunny Daze, true to his word, arrived with wieners, burgers, corn on the cob and a couple beers, each. He built a fire and proceeded to cook everything up. What a treat! There was one other hiker, a young lad, doing a section hike and smoking pot like crazy. Sunny had thru hiked in 86 and fit our stereotype of past thru hikers, chubby, with jeans that didn’t always cover the top of the butt crack! We suspected hikers learned to devour copious amounts of food on the trail but forgot to stop when the trek was finished!  We had completed twenty miles today and retired to bed shortly after dark.

  

September 12^th Saturday

 

          I woke up in the night again, but still had a great rest, after I got back to sleep. We rousted out of the tent around 6:30 to overcast skies and had my cereal for breakfast. Stormy and I left at 7:30 and walked 3 ½-hours to Bald Mt. Brook Lean-to, eight miles away. It rained at least over half the way there. At the shelter we stayed 2 hours, having a long lunch and rest. We hiked another two hours to Moxie Bald Lean-to but decided it was too early to stop for the night. We decided the more miles we hiked today the less time it would take us to get into Monson, on the morrow. We reached the West branch of the Piscataquis River and searched out a tenting sight. I made rice and steak for supper and was in the tent by 7:00. The no-see-ums were terrible here. We looked forward to making Monson, for a real bed and bath and to resupply my near empty food bag.  With any luck at all, my tent pole would be at the post office on Monday morning.

 

September 13^th Sunday

 

          I had a great sleep again and didn’t want to get up but crawled out at 6:15 and made Lipton noodles for breakfast. I had no breakfast food or snacks left. We headed out shortly after 7:30, and hiked hard, over fairly smooth terrain. After four miles we stopped at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to and, watered up, for a short break. We then hiked the remaining ten miles, and reached Maine 15 highway by 2:00. Once at the road, we met an older couple waiting for a ride into town, Pufferbelly and Granny. A car pulled up into the parking area across the road and we went over to talk. This guy by the name of Shaw who ran a hostel in Monson for hikers, made regular trips to the parking area to bring them into town. We piled into his car and once we arrived, he proceeded to show us around. He had two houses, one a hostel type and the other had rooms for rent like a hotel. When we went into the house with rooms, there big as life on the couch watching football was our friend Bump. We hadn’t talked to him since the Inn at the Long Trail in Vermont, where he was going to run support for Mainiac, the endurance hiker. Bump said it was a near disaster, with Mainiac getting mad at just about everybody in the group, and quitting after four days. Bump was a character and we laughed most of the time we were together.

 

Stormy and I shared a room for $17.50 each, which included supper and breakfast. Commenced the task of laundry, then got around to a shower, after the hot water replenished. I shuffled downtown to the store for a look-see, and bought a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Phishfood. The store had some supplies but it wasn’t the greatest. Further down the road was another convenience store that had a deli. It should make for some good vittles to travel through the Hundred Mile Wilderness.

L to R; Bagman, Bump, Storm Cloud,

Pufferbelly at Shaws in Monson, Maine

I headed back to Shaw’s at 6:00 and partook in the “all you can eat” supper. There were two tables, set up full of food. I sat with Bump, Storm Cloud, Bagman, Pufferbelly and one other section hiker. There were potatoes, corn on the cob, cranberry jelly, salad and trays of chicken. Puddings, whipped cream and fruit for dessert. We ate our fill and sat for a while afterwards, to let all the food settle. After supper we headed back to the house across the street and lounged around on the couch, talking. Sunburn and Alfredo came in later and got a spot at the hostel. When I could move comfortably again, I went back downtown to the store and bought my groceries. I arrived back at Shaw’s by dusk and packed the foodstuffs away. I had bought more steak, so I cut it up and threw it in the freezer. Also bought another Ben & Jerry's and ate half of it before I crawled into bed at 10:00.

  

September 14^th Monday

 

          It was very warm during the night and Stormy got up to open the window. We slept fitfully after that and got up at 6:30 to have another shower. We moved over to the main house for breakfast, where I met Twilight, Veto and a few other hikers having breakfast. Shaw took personal orders of quantity, and I had 3 of everything, eggs, French toast, pancakes and sausage. After breakfast I went to the post office, hoping that my tent pole was there. Sure enough, it had arrived. My thanks went out to Walrus tents for their service. From the post office I went to the convenience store and picked up some snacks and a couple hero sandwiches. At the pay phone outside, I called home to Mom & Dad and talked for a few minutes. We were on the last leg of the trip, only 117 miles to go. After that I phoned Jeremy in New Brunswick to let Laura and him know when, they could expect a call, to bring me across the border. I also called Barb King, to give her a heads-up. We were planning on 6 days to get through the 100-mile wilderness. My aunt, Annie, had slipped and broken her ankle and would be staying at Barb’s when I got there. I headed back to Shaws and packed up my belongings and food. We waited for our ride back to the trailhead and talked to “Bump” and got his itinerary for the next few days. He said that he would meet us at Baxter State Park and climb Katahdin with us. Sunburn and Alfredo were staying at Shaws, for another day. I was tempted to stay but really wanted also, to press on. Stormy, Stickman and I left at noon with Shaw and took a picture just before we headed off to the wilderness. Sunny day today and the miles went by quickly. We passed Pufferbelly and Granny, who had started earlier. We stopped for a rest at Leeman Brook Lean-to and met Mr. Ed, Corker, a south-bounder, and Kevin who was now traveling south. We had hiked with Kevin in Virginia, just outside of Waynesboro. He packed light and traveled fast. It was his third AT hike, and this time, after reaching Katahdin, he had turned around to hike south to Vermont to do the Long Trail. He was a carpenter by trade and worked through the winter and hiked all summer. It was too early for Stormy and I to stop, so we packed up and headed on to Wilson Valley Lean-to. I fell crossing Big Wilson stream and soaked just about everything I had, including the camera in my front pocket. The sun was shining so it didn’t take long after we stopped, that most everything dried out. We crossed the Canadian Pacific Rail Road that ran through Maine and then we passed the Wilson Valley Lean-to by a couple miles and found a tenting site near the trail. I had my turkey bun hero for supper and was in bed by 8:00. I was lucky the weather was nice and warm.

 

September 15^th Tuesday

 

          We were up at 6:15, to overcast skies and a light drizzle. I made my cereal for breakfast and broke camp at 7:45. We talked briefly to a section hiker at the next shelter then moved on to Chairback Gap Lean-to. The trail was wet, rocky and rooty and very hard to traverse without slipping and falling. Lots of ups and downs and the rain made it even more difficult. We stopped at 4:00 for a sandwich and cookies at the lean-to then moved on to the west branch of the Pleasant River. Around 6:30 we started to look for a tenting site to set up for the night. I found one near the river that would do. I made rice and had a piece of steak for supper with hot chocolate to warm up a bit. We were very tired after trudging the whole day in the rain. Both of us were in bed by 8:00 with seventeen miles completed on the day.

Autumn in the 100-mile wilderness

 

September 16^th Wednesday

 

           Five months on the trail today and a possible 4 or 5 days to go!  Like usual I got up at 6:00 and made cereal for breakfast. I had been sleeping like someone hit me over the head with a hammer. For the past few weeks I was unconscious during the night and felt very rested when I wake in the morning. I suspected it was the exercise during the day and the cooler air at night. The clouds had disappeared this morning, but it was windy. We started off by fording the west branch of the Pleasant River and made the first shelter, Carl Newhall Lean-to, 2 miles away. Passed the Gulf Hagas trail and wished I could have gone in to see the huge trees that, were used for ship masts in centuries gone by. We had one goal in mind, and that was to make Katahdin, and nothing was going to sidetrack us. There were lots of climbs ahead of us, being over Gulf Hagas Mountain, West Peak, Hay Mountain and White Cap Mountain. We stopped and rested on Whitecap and I emptied my pack to dry everything out. My camera was kaput and no amount of drying was going to revive it. We could see Katahdin from White Cap Mt. but it looked too close. The trail must snake around terribly in order to cover 60 miles in what looked to be 20 at the most.  The trail had traveled through some remote parts of Maine today.  I saw a plaque dedicated to the CCC who cut the trail through back in the 30’s.

Dedicated to the Maine Civilian Conservation Corps

 

The views were very picturesque, but the trail was incessantly climbing and descending. We moved on to Logan Brook Lean-to, met Allagash Man and chatted with him for a half hour before we hiked on to East Branch Lean-to, 4 miles away. We arrived early, 5:30, and had lots of time to set up the tents and make supper. I had stroganoff noodles and steak for supper, another great repast for a difficult day. We had noticed, even more so now, that the leaves were starting to turn color and the woods were beginning to smell like autumn. We had hiked 16 miles and felt better being warm, dry and well fed. I would be turning to the last page in my data book tomorrow, if we made the miles that we planned.  

 

September 17^th Thursday

 

          We were up at 6:00, with cereal for breakfast then packed and away by 7:00. We made the Cooper Falls Lean-to, 8 miles away, for a short break then climbed two small 2000 footers and made the lean-to by 10:30. There was a notice posted in the shelter that Bill Irwin, the blind hiker of “92”, would be at JoMary Road, serving spaghetti to hikers. After we made it to JoMary Road, there was another sign saying that he was two miles north. We got there by 1:00 and met Bill, his wife Deluce, and their friends Mr. and Mrs. Richardson. They were salt of the earth folks, and made us feel right at home. We sat on real picnic chairs and had our fill of spaghetti. Bill told us lots of trail tales and quizzed us, on how we felt about our hike. Later in the afternoon a news reporter from ABC strolled in and wanted to interview Bill, Stormy and I. We agreed, and over more plates of spaghetti, answered as many questions as he could ask. He had a whole bag of the small chocolate bars that folks give out for Halloween and we were like putty in his hands. We had our pictures taken with Bill, then some more spaghetti. At 6:00, after five hours, Stormy and I decided we had better hike on. Bill offered us a chance to stay with them, but we decided it would be better to hike some more.

Canuckelhead and Bill Irwin

My moment with a remarkable man

We traveled only 2 miles to the Antler campsite, but it was worth it. The site was on the shores of Jo Mary Lake and was one of the most beautiful rest spots yet. We found just one other hiker there, Paul, a section hiker. His group was ahead of him, as he was slower and wanted to take his time. We had clear skies and cool temperatures for the evening. No need to make supper, for the 5 plates of spaghetti with Bill Irwin would suffice. Sixteen miles today, even with the 5-hour visit.

 

September 18^th Friday

 

          Up at 6:10 this morning to a beautiful sunrise over the lake and since my camera was kaput, I got Stormy to take a picture. I devoured a quick breakfast of cereal and got away on the trail by 7:15. We hiked the 3 miles to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to, filled up on water then hiked on another 7 miles to the Wadleigh Stream Lean-to for lunch. I was almost out of food again and could hardly wait to get to Abol Bridge. For the last few days, I’d been thinking of the end of our trip, and how I’m going to miss all my newfound friends. It was a conundrum. I badly wanted to finish this torture but also was left wondering what the future held when the hiking stopped. Also since I had no working camera and I’d seen all the pictures I’d taken over the whole trip, I got an idea for a photo swap. I talked it over with Storm Cloud and judged the logistics of such a swap. At Wadleigh Shelter, I wrote a full page in the register to anyone who was behind us. The swap would consist of 4 pictures from each person involved. The categories were Flora/Fauna, Group hiker picture, Scenic picture and any picture that a participant would like to send to the others. I left my home address and phone number and invited all who read the shelter register, to get involved. After lunch we hiked another 8 miles to the Rainbow Stream Lean-to and proceeded to set up camp. We’d met only one flip flopper and a few day and section hikers. I thought of Sunburn, Hopwood and Ringbearer and hoped they could catch up to us. The steak was gone so I had my staple of spaghetti for supper and that just about finished the food. It was sunny but cool today, with 21 miles completed.

 

JoMary Lake from Antler Campsite

Compliments of Storm Cloud Rob

 

September 19^th Saturday

 

          I was up at 6:00 this morning and could hear a light rain on the tent. I pulled my near empty food bag inside and had my breakfast in bed. The rain stopped so Stormy and I both got out of the tents and packed up quickly. We broke camp by 7:15 and hiked to Hurd Brook Lean-to, 12 miles away.  I finished off most of the food I had left for lunch.  I left goodbye and thank-you notes in the shelter registers for all the folks behind us. It was starting to sink in that there would only be one more day of hiking after today. I thought also, that the Hundred Mile Wilderness would be a great hike to do again, as the trail has meandered by so many lakes and except for one day of climbing and descending, had been gentle. We hiked to Abol Bridge and stopped at the store. The sun was beating down and the temperature had to be in the 90’s. I didn’t have a lot of money because it had been so long since a bank machine. I spent it all on some chips, cookies, a box of macaroni & cheese, pop, fudge bars and a hotdog. We met Boomerang and a couple other hikers, who were friends of Paul, the hiker at Antler campsite. We sat in the shade by the side of the store and watched all the camping traffic drive by. We left after a couple hours and headed into Baxter State Park. The trail followed the Penobscot River for a ways then veered off to the Daicy Pond campground. We spied Hootie and Sharon and they got me to take a picture of them with Katahdin in the background. A warden came by and told us the rules of the area and got us to fill out our application sheet for the thru hiker certificate of the Appalachian Trail. Stormy paid for my camp fee and we moved from the warden’s office, to the shelter area that was set aside for thru hikers. The lean-tos were full. Ender, Veto, Sharon, Hootie and 3 or 4 others were there. Stormy and I set up our tents and prepared supper. My usual repast, of spaghetti, was demolished just as it got dark. Everybody was tired but excited about the next day. Stormy and I agreed to sleep in and let all the others go early. 21 miles again today and I don’t hold out much hope for Sunburn and the rest, to catch up. I wondered where Bump was! Crashed in my tent by 9:00.

  

September 20^th Sunday

 

          Up at 7:00 on this, the last day of the longest trek of my life. I’d heard the rest getting up about 5:00 to get an early start. There were just three of us left here at the shelter and I made a pot of coffee. Navy Flyer, a section hiker, Stormy and myself each got a couple cups. We sat around and talked while making breakfast. I made the Mac & cheese. There was lots of talk of moose so I did some calls and a couple minutes later, there were two cows and a calf skirting our campsite, sniffing the air. Navy Flyer and Stormy took some pictures, as the moose were only 40 feet away. A special visitor, Fanny Pack, showed up around 9:30 and we exchanged information of where we thought people were on the trail. Navy and Fanny took the truck to Katahdin Stream campground and Stormy and I commenced to hike to the base of Katahdin. The truck and occupants were there at Katahdin Stream only minutes before we arrived. We made arrangements with Fanny Pack to stay at his rented shelter for that night, after our climb was complete. Storm Cloud and I signed the sheet for ascending Katahdin around 11:00 and we were finally off on the last leg of our journey. The weather was overcast and cool, so the climb went quickly. We met Jim, Ender, Bag Lady and Veto on the way down. Also met Candace and Kelly from Regina. I had been reading their shelter register entries all along the trail and didn’t expect to catch up to them. I told them that each time they wrote, “Go Riders Go” in the registers, I had scratched out Riders and put in Eskimos. We had a good laugh. The climb in spots was very difficult, pulling oneself up, using rebar that had been attached to the rocks, as handholds.

Sign at Thoreau Spring

Compliments of Enlightened Rogue

Above the tree line, the trail returned to a more, gentle ascent and by the time we reached Thoreau Spring, the air was cool and the winds, strong. The peak of Katahdin was only a mile from the spring and we reached it quickly. Two and a half hours to the top, where we reached the weather beaten sign and posed for some pictures, using Stormy’s camera.

 

Canuckelhead and Storm Cloud on Katahdin

 

There were about a dozen other folks around and Stormy asked some girls to take our picture near the sign. After that we huddled in the rocks away from the wind and had a snack. It was anticlimactic to have finally reached our goal, knowing that tomorrow there would be no 20-mile days in front of us anymore. In some respects, it was a bit of a relief, but in others, I hated to see the traveling and adventure end. Several people quizzed us about our trip and after a couple hours we packed up and started our descent. Our pace was much slower going down. There was no urgency in making any destination at a certain time. We met about 5 more ladies on the way down and had our pictures taken again. We arrived at Katahdin Stream around 6:00 and found Fanny Pack at the shelter. He commenced to make us three cheeseburgers each, with chips, cookies and pop to round off our celebratory meal. I felt pretty content with 2160 miles behind me with a full belly to boot.  I was also quite happy that Fanny Pack was here to share in our finish. I remembered our first time meeting him in Catawba, Virginia and many times thereafter, in just about every state.  It would be different waking up in the morning with no compelling force to make miles to another destination. I may not miss the pain that goes with every day’s movements, but I know I will miss being outdoors and all the friends that I have met. We crawled into the shelter after dark and got to sleep around 9:00.

 

One journey ends, another begins