The 100-mile wilderness: 8/23-8/29

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SEVEN DAYS WORTH OF EVENTS. YOU SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO READ IF YOU HAVE LESS THAN FIFTEEN MINUTES SIT DOWN TIME, OTHERWISE HEAD, NECK, AND EYE INJURY MAY OCCUR. (KIDDING, BUT THERE IS REALLY SEVEN DAYS OF STUFF HERE...SO IT WILL TAKE A WHILE)

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Day 125 - 8/23/10
Had a great sleep at the hostel. Nice big bed with lots of covers. I can't wait to go back to sleeping in a bed every night, I really miss that. I woke up at 6:40 and took one more shower before heading out, then walked over to Shaw's to have breakfast with the other guys. It was AYCE so I ate just enough to fuel me for a while but not make me sick. When I left I realized I had left a soda in the fridge at Lakeshore, and I had been planning to carry that out with me and enjoy on the trail, so I walked back and grabbed it. The owner who I had met and talked to last night ended up giving me a ride back to the trail because she was on her way out somewhere, so I think I was meant to forget the soda. If I hadn't maybe I wouldn't have gotten a ride so easy.

I'm not sure when I got back to the trail, but I made it to the first shelter that was 3 miles away by 10:15. I stopped there and took a pretty long break, pulling out the soda (Dr. Pepper) and enjoying it before it had a chance to get too warm. All the other guys, Ichabod, The Crusher, Sherpa & Draggen Tail (the father son duo) all showed up a bit after I did, so they must've gotten an easy ride too. We all hiked together for the rest of the day, crossing paths with one another at different places and taking breaks together at all the shelters.

There were some great sights along the trail today. Little Wilson Falls was a spectacular waterfall probably 40 feet at least. The rock around it was very intricate and neat as well. Then there was a part where we walked along some pond for a while, then headed uphill to these cliff ledges that had views back down to the pond we had passed by. Also had a lot of rivers to "ford", but because it has been such a dry summer they were easily crossable without having to remove shoes and socks.

As I said we took our breaks together, the second one coming at 2:00 by Wilson Valley Lean-to. Stayed a decent length of time, probably a 1/2 hour. After leaving I hiked by myself for the most part until arriving at the next spot, Long Pond Stream Lean-to. I decided to stay here while everyone else pressed on, so it's just me all by my lonesome. I just couldn't do the extra 4 miles, I have so much food that my back actually hurts like it did when I first started. I'd rather have a little extra instead of running out in the 100-mile wilderness though. There is a place, a hostel, that you can stop at midway through and resupply, but I'm sure the prices are sky high. So I don't mind the heaviness, and it'll lighten up soon enough, so I figured I'd rather not push myself too hard when it's heaviest.

The other reason I wanted to be alone tonight was so that I could just do some reflecting about this adventure. A few weeks ago I was really excited at the thought of being finished. I miss my family, Jen, comforts, cleanliness, etc. But last night it really hit me that I am almost done, and it was extremely saddening. I'm going to miss so much of what the AT is about: The people, friendships, trail life, being in a new exciting place each night, and so on. It's hard to face the truth sometimes, and the truth is after this is all over I probably won't see any of these people ever again. They all have their own lives, and I have mine, and we have been united for only a brief time through this amazing trail. It's almost like high school or college where you're all heading toward the same goal, and when you summit that final mountain it's like graduation. Afterward you go your separate ways, onto the next adventure. With the finish line in sight things are starting to feel more and more bittersweet. But if there's one thing I've learned out here it's that life is about balance. You can't experience happiness without grief, so although I'm sad about all this coming to an end, I know that it'll make the few happy moments still to come even better.

Oh, and I'm under 100 miles left. Double digits, yooooooo!

Total miles: 2079.7

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Day 126 - 8/24/10
Day 2 of the 100-mile wilderness and things are going well. I had an early alarm set, but of course just ignored it and slept in until 7:30. I had a breakfast consisting of two clifbars, some applesauce, and a cup of cocoa/coffee, then was on my way by 8:30. The first thing I hit was a steep uphill to Barren Ledges, which then led to Barren Mountain, a 2660 footer. It was a nice view up there, and you could see back where I had hiked a few days ago. Moxie Bald was especially easy to spot, but it looked so far away even though I'd only been there 4 days ago. I took a nice snack break there, and to my surprise saw that I had a signal when I checked my phone. I decided not to post yesterday's entry though because I want to put my entire 100-mile wilderness experience onto the blog as a single entity.

When I moved on I soon past the side trail that led to the first shelter. Then I came upon a sectioner who had recently left from there. He was from Maine, and I walked and talked with him a bit down the trail. We parted ways when I stopped to fill up water, but the stream I stopped at was mucky and just a trickle, so I didn't even end up getting anything out of it. I caught up to him by the time I made it to Fourth Mountain. When ranges have names that are either a number or letter, like here or the Wildcats with peak A-E, it usually means you have some tough up and down climbing. Sure enough that's what I did, hitting Third Mountain next, then Columbus (which had absolutely no view-even at 2325 feet), and finally Chairback itself, for which the range is named after.

After all those peaks I went down toward Pleasant River. Along the way I came upon some trail magic, very surprising considering I'm in the most remote part of the trail. It was at some logging road, and although most of the TM was gone I did get to enjoy a cold can of iced tea. It was so sweet and sugary, exactly what I needed after the tough climbing earlier. Pleasant River wasn't too much farther from there, and although my book said fording was required I was able to make it across just rock-hopping. On the other side was more trail magic, this time a bag full of Capri Sun. Since it was close to 5 I decided to make dinner there and enjoy the beverage with my meal. Plus I would be going uphill once again, so I figured if I eat now I'd have less to carry up the trail. I made myself mac & cheese with tuna and bacon bits for the second night in a row. It's not too bad, and very filling by the end. Wish I had a little Tobasco to throw in there though.

When I had finished and packed up it was right about 5, and with only 5.5 miles to go I felt good about making it before dusk. Along the way up to Carl Newhall, the lean-to I was aiming for, I passed a popular side trail called Gulf Hagas. There I met 3 people who as I walked by asked, "Have you seen 2 dogs?" I hadn't, and was a bit taken aback that these people had lost their dogs so easily. Clearly neither was leashed, which is sad considering right as you cross the river there's a sign saying dogs MUST be leashed. Anyway, I hiked on and soon came upon The Crusher and Ichabod taking a break by the side of the trail. I sat with them for 15 minutes, then we all headed out.

They got ahead and disappeared pretty quick, so it was just me by myself for a while, that is until I met Little Bear. No, Little Bear isn't someone's trail name, he was actually one of the lost pups that had gone missing earlier. Since I had gone a fair distance past where I had met the owners I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to backtrack down to where they were, at least 3 miles away, and I didn't want just leave him out there alone, so I befriended him quickly and took him along with me. Fortunately he had a collar, and on it was a telephone number (and the name Little Bear-that's how I knew that) so my hope was that I'd have a signal at the shelter, dial those digits, and get an answer.

We hiked together all the way up to the shelter, probably around 2 miles. He seemed sort of scared and skiddish at first, which makes sense considering he was lost and his owners were not around, but he took a liking to me and trusted me pretty quickly. All I could think about was that Mastercard commercial where the dog loses his family by accident and ends up taking this long cross country adventure to reunite with them, meeting tons of people and doing all sorts of things like ride on the back of motorcycles and go skydiving. Anyway, when we made it to the shelter everyone there knew about the missing dogs too, so I ended up passing ownership of him over to two SOBO dayhikers who would be going down to the river tomorrow and could give that number a call.

I decided to stay in the shelter because of potential nighttime rain, so it was pretty tight with Three Bears, Ichbod, The Crusher, a SOBO, and myself. But it worked out, and I hope Little Bear gets reunited with his family soon, even though they were irresponsible and didn't listen to the park rules. Time for bed now. Going up and over White Cap tomorrow, my last tough day before Katahdin. Sweet!

Total miles: 2100.5

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Day 127 - 8/25/10
On my third day of hiking the AT gave to me, tons and tons of rain! Third day of the 100-miles that is. Fortunately I dodged the rain, getting to my goal shelter 10.8 miles away just in time. But that's jumping ahead.

Decent sleep in the shelter. The SOBO was a snorer though, old guy of course. I hit a series of mountains before White Cap, Gulf Hagas (2680'), West Peak (3178'), Hay Mountain (3245'), in that order. So there was some climbing, up and down, before White Cap, which is at 3650 feet. The fog had rolled in, and some swirling smoke, so I wasn't able to get a view of Katahdin from the summit. I was disappointed because I was anticipating that spot to be my first 100% positive view of Big K. But if I had to choose between a view of Katahdin and a view from atop Katahdin, I'd choose the latter. So hopefully this counts as an exchange in my favor. It was a bit rough reading everyone's account of getting a view in the shelter register below White Cap though. They all sounded so giddy.

I only stayed there for 10 minutes, then booked it to the next shelter so I could avoid the looming rainstorm that I'd been expecting since last night. Just as I pulled into East Branch Lean-to it started to go from a light sprinkle to full on rain, so I made it just in time, as did Three Bears who was right behind me. I'm staying here because 1. I don't want to get wet 2. The terrain from here on out is almost flat, so I can do bigger days and make up for this short one 3. I have enough food to make it to Katahdin no problem, so stopping here for a shorter day doesn't really impact my food supply.

It's really nice to be able to stop at 1, have avoided the rain, and just relax. I can eat, read, and journal at my leisure, something I don't get to do often. Since I do have some time for extra words, I thought I'd hit on a subject I've been thinking about a lot, especially recently. One thing I've come to realize is that I've spent this whole time on the trail living without regret. There hasn't been a decision I've made that I wish I could take back, a day where I wish it had gone differently. Even the bad days where you trudge through rain and feel like crud, somehow even those days have ended on a good note with happiness in my heart, and I feel truly lucky to have it this way. It makes me want to continue living a life where I don't have to wish I had done something differently. To live with regret seems terrible, and I can only imagine how badly I'd feel twenty years from now if I hadn't done this trip and taken the time to do it when I could. It's amazing how many people you meet, all different ages, who say they had always wished to do something like this. Maybe it was a distant dream for some, just a whim like a cool thing to do, and for them it won't be something they regret. But to those who have a deep desire to give it a try, I say go for it, make the attempt, because at least you can be happy knowing you gave it a try instead of always wondering "what if". I know now that if there's something I want to do, no matter how hard or impossible it may seem, I will go for it, because I refuse to regret anything in this life.

Total miles: 2111.3

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Day 128 - 8/26/10
It rained all afternoon, night, and into the early morning. I didn't get any sleep because of it, plus there was an old guy snoring like crazy. That is one thing I will not miss. Everyone was up and moving early, and by the time I left the rain had returned. Not as hard and intense, but there all the same. Almost immediately I hit a ford that required me to remove my boots. First time I've had to do that at an official fording location, the time at Big Branch in Vermont doesn't really count because normally there's a bridge you use to cross it. So this was my first one, not too bad, and when I got to the other side, dried my feet, then put my socks and boots back on my feet felt nice and toasty inside. That didn't last too long though because the rain continued to come down all the way until I had made it over Little Boardman Mountain, 3.5 miles from the shelter. When I hit my first road, that's about where the rain stopped, and from then on the trail was very flat and easy and the weather started to clear.

I took my first break at a little sandy beach area on Crawford Pond, then my second at Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to. Before I made it there I hiked a bit with Jenx, a nice guy who was at the same shelter as me last night. He had done almost the whole trail in '08, all the way to the Gulf Hagas trail, but had to go home for a family emergency and so couldn't finish. I can't imagine having less than 100 miles to go and just pulling the plug, but he's not the first I've heard that happen to.

Anyway, we took a break at the shelter together, then I headed onward to Jo-Mary road where in my book it lists a nearby campstore (only .9 miles) you can get food at. Unfortunately when I got there I saw a sign that said it wasn't .9, but rather 9 miles, and it wasn't even opened. What?!?!? I was so disappointed, I had been envisioning all these foods I would buy and enjoy, milk, cereal, ice cream. Plus I know I have just enough food to make it to Katahdin, but I could have definitely done with a few more things. I'll be scraping by with what I have now. The worst part is my appetite has really kicked in again, so it's getting hard to make my snacks last the day.

Although I was upset about the situation, there was nothing I could do about it, so I left and trudged on, my mind lingering on what could have been for a good mile or two at least. I can't wait to get home and eat a giant bowl of cereal, that's really what I wanted more than anything. Not much to see in between that road and the shelter, just long flat trail. Nice trail, but a bit boring too. The one nice thing that Maine has, and no other state on the AT really does, is ponds and lakes everywhere. If it weren't for the beautiful water landscapes than these flat easy stretches would be just as boring as Pennsylvania's or some other mid-Atlantic state. I passed at least 3 or 4 of them today.

I made it to the shelter a bit before 4, so I had done a 19.5 mile day very fast. I'm not sure when I left this morning, but it felt around my normal time (8ish), so I was easily over 2mph today. A SOBO doing the ECT (Eastern Continental Trail) was here, and Three Bears showed up soon after me, then Jenx a bit later. The ECT guy has a really strange voice, really monotone and boring, and it reminds me sort of how Ben Stein talks. "Bueller. Bueller." I made an early dinner because I was starving, and I'm going to try to get to bed early and fall asleep first so I won't be disturbed in case there are any snorers or what not. Oh, and the shelter I stopped at is called Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to. Hope you all can figure out how to pronounce that. The spring for which the shelter is named is actually amazing, one of the best I've seen in some time, maybe even the best on the whole trail. It's just so huge, a giant clear space of frigid water. Truly a beautiful sight.

To cap the post I think I'll write up a list of THINGS I WILL NOT MISS:
-Privys
-Feeling hungry all the time
-Snorers
-Having smelly armpits
-Worrying about running out of TP
-Not being clean
-Packing up a wet tent

Total miles: 2130.8

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Day 129 - 8/27/10
Had a good sleep in the shelter. Probably crashed around 8, maybe earlier, I was just dead tired. I guess I was talking while I slept because when I woke up I was informed about it by the others. One guy, the ECTer, actually remembered what I said, which was, "In 100 years they'll have an escalator to the top". Not exactly sure what that means, but I can guess I was dreaming about Katahdin or some other AT mountain. Maybe it was an eerie prediction of the future, who knows?

I got an early start because I had gotten to bed so early, and on my way out I had to snap a picture of that spring. It was just too gorgeous not to. I also snagged a button up shirt from the shelter and wore it out of there because it was such a chilly morning. I didn't want to wear my jacket because it gets damp with sweat when I hike in it. This morning was slow and sluggish for me, time seemed to be standing still. I think I'm so eager to finally get to Katahdin and be done that my few remaining days will feel that way.

I took a break after only 4 miles because I was starving, and when I started back up again Ichabod then The Crusher soon caught me. They had stayed at White House Landing last night, a hostel in the 100-mile wilderness, so they had only just started the day pretty much. I asked them how the place was, and we talked about it for a while. Seems like they had a good time. We hiked together right up to the first shelter, Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, and decided to take a break. Along the way there we passed a lot of nice sand beach sections, one even had a reclining chair you could sit in. It was chained to a tree so no one would take it, which I liked because that way you know everyone will get a chance to enjoy it. That lake was called Nahmakanta Lake, and stretched a very long ways all the way to Nesuntabunt Mountain, at least 4 miles away.

That was the very first thing we hit after the shelter, a reasonable climb of 700 feet, bringing you up to 1520'. I left a little before the others, and when I made it to the top I took a short side trail to some cliffs where you could see Katahdin straight ahead. It was my first legit view, without fog and bad weather blocking it. The summit was clouded, so it wasn't 100% visible, but I saw enough of it to be in awe. What a mountain. It made me so much more eager to get there and conquer that last peak. It was a strange finally seeing it, in a way it seemed so close, and yet still so far. I don't think the reality of what I'm doing will set in until Monday when I'm climbing it. The others soon came along and joined me at the viewspot, and we hung out there for quite a while.

Again I left ahead of them and didn't stop until I made it to Rainbow Stream Lean-to, the shelter I planned on stopping at for the day. Put me at 18.2 miles today. Decided to once again sleep in the shelter, which makes it like 5 nights in a row or something. I'm becoming a shelter rat! Really I've just become so lazy about setting up my tent. Maybe I will tomorrow though because really I only have 2 nights left that I can tent out on the AT. I've been experiencing a lot of lasts lately, moments where I'll be doing something, stop, and say in my head, "This is my last hot chocolate on the trail" or "This is my last hostel visit". It's bizarre, like I'm mentally preparing for the end, letting myself down easier rather than just a sudden and abrupt end of all things AT. Maybe I need to do this otherwise I'll go into shock when I'm finished. I am a little worried about PHD (Post Hiker Depression), which is why I'm glad to be moving back to LA rather soon (Sept. 9). The way I see it, the busier I am the less caught up I'll be in how great the AT was and how much I miss it. I'm excited as well to get back to the working world and try and find a job, one that keeps me busy and I enjoy, and that's in my field. I'm confident that I can go out there and find a place where I'll get my foot in the door and which will lead to further opportunities down the road. Thinking about these sorts of things makes me happy and will help me transition into life off the trail. Although one chapter is ending, another is just beginning. Yes that's an old cliché, yet it's so true. Just as I am eager to climb Katahdin, I am equally eager to see where life takes me afterward.

Total miles: 2149

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Day 130 - 8/28/10
It rained a little in the early AM, so I was happy I had decided to stay in the shelter. I really dislike having to pack up wet gear, as you all probably have heard me say before. The rain was what woke me up actually, so after it stopped I went to the bathroom, ate breakfast, then packed up to leave. I forgot to say this yesterday, but Jenx had actually given me 4 clifbars and a packet of M&M's because he knew I was low on food and realized he didn't need them. It was totally unexpected and awesome, and definitely helped me out.

When I was up and ready to go The Crusher was just starting to move and get motivated, so I talked to him about tonight. I had suggested to the others that some us of hike the extra 3.5 miles to Abol Bridge where there's a store, buy a bunch of snacks and beer, then hike it back the 3.5 to Hurd Brook Lean-to where we were all going to stay. He liked the idea, just not the extra 7 miles of hiking, so I told him he didn't have to go, that I would and Three Bears probably would. Two would be enough. Three Bears had already left too so we'd be the first ones to make it there and be able to return the earliest with goods.

The hiking for most the day was flat and uneventful. I stopped at Rainbow Spring Campsite for my first snack break, finishing off this nasty blend of trail mix I had created. You know how I said Jenx helped me out because I was low on food? Well to give you an idea of how low, one thing I resorted to was supplementing the trail mix by crushing up a ton of ramen and putting it in with the rest of the stuff. Bad call on that one. So I finished off that and hiked onward, not stopping again until Rainbow Ledges where there was a great view of Katahdin. Even though I had just seen it yesterday it looked so much closer than before, and much MUCH larger! It's so alone, and really stands out. More intimidating than any other mountain I've seen on the trail. I ain't scared though, I can't wait to climb that beast!

When I had gotten there another man was up there, a strange old guy who I didn't like. I couldn't wait to see him get up and leave, and eventually he did, giving me the chance to look off at the mountain alone. I sat there a good 10-15 minutes just staring at the thing. Katahdin - the finish line. It's crazy to me. After that span of alone time Rocket showed up, and I told him the gameplan for tonight. He was down, and I asked if he'd stay behind at the shelter and just watch our stuff while we were gone, which he was also down for. I left before him and did the fast 2.5 to Hurd Brook where I saw Three Bears was already set up and waiting. I quickly unloaded all extras from my pack and set up in the shelter, finishing up just as Rocket came up the trail, so we left right away.

We hustled to do that 3.5 and made it under an hour easily, mostly because we were carrying no weight and could practically run. It was a bit too rocky and rooty to sprint though. When we got there I was starving, and bought food to my hearts content. I had two sodas, two 3-4" subs, a cookie, Reese's Cups, and that was just for there. I bought a bunch of other stuff for tonight and tomorrow, as well as a bunch of beer. Three Bears went crazy and bought tons of food for the celebration, s'more supplies, hotdogs and buns, chips, candy, and beer also. We were ready to have a good night.

Made it back around 4:30, and from then on The Crusher, Ichabod, Rocket, Three Bears, and myself commenced to celebrate the end of our journey with bountiful food and drink. We had a great time, and had the company of several sectioners, one NOBO old guy, and a SOBO couple. They all went to bed a while before us, but we just continued to celebrate, talk, eat, and drink. We finished all the beers, and most the food, calling it a night around 10. Now I'm very tired, slightly buzzed still, but that's fading, and ready to crash. Tomorrow I'm meeting Mom and staying with her at Katahdin Stream Campground, so this really was the last night we or at least I could do this. Those 7 miles were totally worth it, I'm very glad we all had the chance to get in one last celebratory night.

Total miles: 2160.5

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Day 131 - 8/29/10
Woke up early, but had a slow morning, so I didn't leave until about 8. I once again hiked to Abol Bridge, this time with a full pack, so it took me just about an hour to get there. I couldn't resist stopping again, so I went in and bought myself a whoopie pie, Gatorade, chocolate milk, and a Mt. Dew. I hung out there for a while with Rocket and The Crusher, and after an hour decided to hike out. I wanted to wait a little while so that the timing for meeting my Mom would be better since I was expecting her to be at Katahdin Stream sometime between 12-1. It was almost 10 miles from Abol to KSC, mostly flat too, so I thought the timing would be just right.

In those 10 miles were some nice sights, a long stretch that followed alongside the Penobscot River, lots of small waterfalls and swimming holes beyond that, and just nicely maintained trail in general. Baxter State Park is a very nice park, you can really see the effort put into conserving the natural beauty of this place. I made it to the campground at 1:10 and found my Mom right away, sitting at some picnic tables. I checked in with her, then ran over to the Ranger Station and registered there. I'm NOBO thru-hiker #221. Seems like a lot have already finished. I wish I could remember what number I was back down in Georgia at the Amicalola Visitor Center, but alas I cannot.

I went back and talked with my Mom, and she told me our campsite was actually 2 miles down the road, although it's still considered part of the Katahdin Stream section. So we drove down to our spot and set up the tents, grill, and other miscellaneous items. After that was done we drove to a picnic area at a beach so I could swim and wash off. The drive was long because the roads are so narrow and not paved, but the 1/2 hour trip was totally worth it. Jumping in the water felt great, I really needed it. Afterwards I changed into some fresh, clean clothes Mom had brought and felt like a new man. No more stink! At least not as bad.

We drove back to our campsite, making a quick detour stop at the main KSC area so I could check in with the other guys. I wanted to see if there was any consensus on what time to head up, but it didn't seem like anyone had really decided. I hung for only a minute or two longer, then went back and hopped in the car. I'm thinking of starting at six so that I can get ahead of dayhiker crowds a bit and enjoy the mountain to myself a little more. When Mom and I got back to our spot she started up dinner, an awesome feast of ribs, corn, and redskin potatoes with bacon and onions. What a meal, and to top it off we also had some Shipyard Pumpkinhead brews, a nicely spiced beer, almost like pumpkin pie in a bottle.

After dinner we cleaned up, then started up a campfire with some wood we had bought at the Ranger Station earlier. Had a nice time sitting around that, talking about the trip and reflecting on the experience. I can't believe tomorrow is my last mountain. Hiking the AT is like one of those things you think will never end, the goal is just so far away. You chip away at it day by day, and yet it still feels so distant. Only when you get to that final stretch does it become real, something obtainable. That's where I am now, it has become real. Tomorrow I'll be a real thru-hiker, and a dream many years in the making will be fulfilled. It's almost too much to take in.

About 9pm now, I should be getting to bed. I probably won't be able to sleep though, it feels a lot like being eight years old again on Christmas Eve. Anyway, that's it today. See you on the other side!

Total miles: 2173.9