Monson to Mount Katahdin
I did it!
Day 159
I opted into Shaw's breakfast special for the bottomless blueberry pancakes. I often struggle with breakfast on trail. Waking up hungry and wanting to eat is easy; digging into my snacks less than 2 hours later because I don't stay full for long, is the problem.
A cautionary sign - only enter the 100 mile wilderness if fully prepared
Today I set off into the Hundred Mile Wilderness (not an actual designated wilderness area). This stretch of trail does not cross any public roads or come near any towns/places to resupply for 100 miles. However, that doesn't mean it's as isolated as it seems. There are gravel access roads that serve private landowners, logging companies, assorted state parks, and recreational users for the many navigable ponds in the area. There is cell service more often here than in other parts of trail, and day hikers can access the AT in several locations. It's still Maine, so even if NOBO thru hikers describe the trail as "easy," there are few bail out options if things don't go according to plan. My shoulders hurt from my 6 day food load - here goes nothing.
One thing I don't have to worry about is lack of water in this area. Especially this year.
It always takes a little extra mental effort to set out from town into rain, and today was no exception. There's also rain forecasted for the next few days, which actually makes it better because it's not a simple decision to delay by one day for nice weather. But as they say, no pain no rain no Maine.
While there wasn't much climbing today, it was extremely slippery. The wet slate is like ice, and saturated muddy hillsides are not much better. My Bluetooth headphones gave up the ghost today. I've had them for 5 years, and I'm fairly sure that the rain I've put them through in the last few months is more than the "sweat proof" rating is intended for. The button controls cracked, and I guess too much water got inside. I suppose this is the best time in my hike for a little more introspection.
This is a SOBO marker, only 100 miles to go!
Between 5 stream crossings and rain and mud, I was drenched. At this point, I only wear my rain jacket if it's cold and windy. It doesn't keep me dry, not even a little bit, after an hour. People argue that you are either wet from the rain or from sweating in a non breathable jacket. As long as it's warm enough, I opt for being rained on. The cheap Frog Toggs have served me well, and I'm not sure if spending more money on a nicer brand can fix anything. Though a little more water resistance would be better!
The last stream crossing was less than a mile before the shelter, and it was the sketchiest. The current was strong with water levels soaking my shorts. Luckily, I could cross with other hikers (and the other streams as well), even if it provides moral support more than practical. I was more than a little weary as I got to camp while the rain continued.
Day 160
Stream or trail, the eternal question
The morning started out sunny and clear. Of course, by the time my clothes fully dried out, it rained in the afternoon. I only had 1 stream to ford today. Between puddles flooding the trail and slipping in the mud, my feet were wet all day. Thru hikers praise trail runners for drying quickly. If you walked through water and your shoes are fully saturated, I think it takes at least a full day wearing your shoes in *dry conditions* for them to dry out. Today was not that day.
The Chairbacks were today's peaks of note. It was slow going, and I didn't come close to the ambitious mileage goal I set in the morning. Oh well. There was a short but tricky rock scramble on the descent, too. I camped at a decent pond site with a few other hikers. Whoever described the 100 mile wilderness as "easy" is exaggerating. I felt like I fought for all of my miles so far. I did have another good hour of daylight after I got to camp, but due to uncertain camping restrictions I wasn't sure how much farther the next decent site might be.
The last hundred-mile marker of the trail. This one was several feet tall and not easily missed
I encountered a unique site today: a plane crash. Wilderness plane crashes are not unheard of, and within a mile of the AT there are at least three that I can recall. However, this time the trail walked directly by it, no bushwhacking detour needed. I was told that the two passengers survived.
The red paint made the site really stand out
Another fun note today was the Fourth Mountain (of the Chairbacks) Bog, which was absolutely filled with pitcher plants. I'm sure there's a bunch of other rare wetland plants, too, but this is fun because it is a carnivorous species. Scent attracts flies, who get trapped in the sticky liquid at the bottom of the "pitcher."
Wetland views - bogs are super important ecosystems for carbon storage, biodiversity, and water quality
Day 161
Spooky lake vibes?
Overnight rain meant I packed up a wet tent in the misty morning weather. Pretty quickly, I passed an active construction site on one of the logging roads. Beeps of heavy machinery really wreck the wilderness vibes. I did take a brief detour to see one of the waterfalls at Gulf Hagas, also known as the Grand Canyon of Maine. There are many more waterfalls if you continue downstream. There were, at least, some easy miles in morning.
Screw Augur Falls. You can't see the scale nor the serpentine upper portion.
I was trying to be clever avoiding the mud when I slipped off the large uneven boulders and fell completely in it. I was at least able to rinse the mud off at the next stream, and then it actually cleared to sunshine by midday. At lunch, I could dry out all my stuff, and with a map check to confirm no upcoming streams, I wore DRY SOCKS the rest of the day. This is actually a huge deal that I bragged about to other thru hikers.
A distinct forest type with coniferous trees and an understory completely covered in moss
The ridge today had stone steps and no scrambles. The last peak in the line was Whitecap, and NOBO thru-hikers get their first view of Katahdin. Contrary to all of the photos of the wooden summit sign, I don't know what the mountain looks like. So even though the haze had mostly cleared, I can't be sure that I actually saw Katahdin yet.
At Whitecap summit
I employed the time management strategy of eating dinner on trail and continuing hiking into the evening. I'm starting to notice earlier sunsets, so eating early means one less thing to do when arriving late at camp and darkness creeps in. Does it save time by moving dinner earlier rather than later? Uncertain. It's great as motivation when afternoon snacks run out but you still have miles to go.
Hard to tell, but Katahdin is probably at the left where the clouds and the distant blue peaks meet.
Day 162
Lakes and ponds
Though it was a little pointless with three streams to ford today, I worked extra hard to preserve my dry socks as much as possible. The fastest strategy is to walk right through the water in hiking shoes. If you have dedicated water crossing shoes, such as camp shoes like the popular Crocs, it takes time to change footwear on each side of the water. The alternate strategy is to remove your socks and insoles and wear your hiking shoes with bare feet. This is no faster, but chances are your shoes have more tread and are more firmly attached to your feet if your camp shoes are not up to the job. This keeps your socks around 50% dry as the water eventually works its way up from the sole and in from the fabric upper. The stream crossing right after the shelter in the morning was particularly tricky, but another hiker Wildberry (who I've seen on and off for the past 2 weeks) waited around extra so she could coach me through it. Thanks!
Is this more or less unlucky than walking underneath a ladder?
The short Little Boardman Mountain had me winded with its stone stairs, but at around 2000 feet at least it was over quickly. At this point, it needs to be a LOT of stairs for my legs of steel to be sore. Afterwards, the trail actually got easier and flatter again - most key, there were fewer obstacles like rocks and roots. There were some easy cruising miles alongside a river (one that I surprisingly didn't have to cross) as I approached Jo Mary Road. This is probably the busiest of the logging roads, in both logging and non-commercial traffic as it provides access to a large lake. Shaw's Hostel does food drops here, and even though I didn't arrange one for myself, the hostel staff brought trail magic pizza and soda as a welcome surprise.
A lake view
I made it 19 miles to a shelter with *legendarily good* spring water. This is my longest distance in a while thanks to some easy terrain. The mosquitoes were out in full force, and I started my final campfire of the hike. A note on water: while Maine might be known for its quality water, I have not felt that way about most of the streams I've encountered recently. Starting around Connecticut or Massachusetts, the streams began to have an orange hue more often than not. This is due to naturally occurring tannins found in leaves and is unrelated to water quality, but a lot of tannins can give a taste kind of like stale black tea. The color and taste are markedly improved using a water filter, compared to chemical or UV treatment, but are not completely removed. Most of the time this rarely bothers me, but Maine has had some really strong tannin streams lately. Other than masking the taste with the flavors of dinner or an electrolyte mix, it's a make-do or do-without situation (to the next water source, which it's the East during a rainy season so isn't always far). It's almost rare for me to have clear filtered water rather than yellow these days, which is why the spring at this shelter was remarkable. It bubbled up out of the ground in a nondescript pit but was clear and shockingly cold.
Trick question, the photo at left is a chocolate mix and is not mud. The photo at right is an extreme example of filtered water that remains rather yellow from tannins.
Day 163
The shelter crew convinced me to put in some big miles today. We're all watching the weather on Katahdin, and instead of planning a zero for the upcoming rain, it's possible to push and go a day earlier. No one here seems to want to linger and soak up the moment, or maybe they have hard deadlines and travel plans.
I walked alongside a lot of water today. The ponds and lakes definitely blend together. They are pretty with the blue surrounded by forested hills, but just know that there are likely leeches hiding in those scenic photos. There were also a lot of day hikers today - another reminder that the 100 Mile Wilderness isn't as remote as it sounds.
Only the waves indicate how windy it is. Reminder that the double braids are a strategic move to contain hair in adverse weather conditions.
From Nesuntabunt Mountain there's a clear view of Katahdin, and I was surprised to not feel any particular emotion about it. I'm kind of over climbing mountains right now, and so are my shoes. They are blown out on 3 of 4 sides, so my feet are sliding sideways within the shoes. I tried duct tape to hold the fabric upper and the sole together, but with all the embedded dirt and the frequency of wet shoes, it did absolutely nothing. I can smell my own hiker stink right now, so you know it must be pretty bad.
Katahdin front and center
Rainbow Lake was the big feature of the afternoon, most unfortunately because it was surrounded by big mud pits. I stopped at Rainbow Spring for some delicious water and a quick dinner break before continuing on to find a campsite near the lake. I was able to catch the tail end of sunset over the lake as I set up camp and fell asleep to the calls of loons. I never went night hiking on this trip because I was already one of the last people to leave camp in the morning, and I was never in a rush to burn the candle at both ends, so to speak. Night hikes from my summer camp days were pretty cool as you hear different sounds and get the occasional shock from seeing animal eyes reflect back at you. Deer eyes reflect yellow, and bats reflect red. The forest looks much different, so night hiking is best done when navigation is not a concern and the trail is obvious, and even then you will be slower than normal.
There was a quarter mile of big cascades/chutes/rapids today that were pretty cool
I had been wanting to do a 25 mile day for a while now, and today ended up being that day. As mentioned before, pushing myself to my physical limits was not ever a goal of mine. Once I realized that my loose end-of-trail timeframe was achievable without big miles, I stopped doing big miles. I didn't like focusing on hiking pace all day, and I'd rather space things out than take zero days. My preferred answer to "where are you going to camp tonight" was "wherever I am around 6 pm." Of course, I checked upcoming camp sites and knew how much food I had to get me to the next town. But seeing how many miles I had left (even if it was a very reasonable daily goal) was mentally discouraging, and I enjoyed spontaneously changing the details.
Day 164
Morning views from Rainbow Ledges
I had a short morning hike into Abol Bridge, less than 10 miles total. Abol Bridge is an actual bridge and a campground with a store, so I did a final food resupply and got an ice cream cone. I then had time from noon on to simply hang around camp on a beautiful afternoon. I went for a refreshing swim in the river and spent a while reading a book. Caught up on some journaling, too.
Katahdin, from Abol Bridge
Baxter State Park is a unique place compared to other parks along the AT. They prioritize wilderness over recreation and have more rules around camping and hiking. Camping is only allowed at designated sites, and one of those is reserved specifically for long-distance hikers (defined as, walked into the park through the 100 Mile Wilderness and not stopped in the nearest town before summitting) since we can't plan weeks in advance with the normal campground reservation system. Day hikers must also reserve hiking permits well in advance, and the number of walk-in thru hiker permits is capped each year. When that limit is reached, thru-hikers have to enter the park through the main access road instead, and the thru-hiker campsite is closed.
Camped right along the river
Because everyone is rushing ahead of the Friday rain, there was no available camping within Baxter State Park by the time I arrived, so I stayed at the campground just outside of the park boundary. In addition to hiking, this area is popular for fishing, kayaking, and whitewater rafting. While I was hanging out in the afternoon, I saw several groups of people float by on the river. I ate a double portion of dinner and turned in early, reflecting on my last night on trail.
Day 165
The morning began with deceptively easy hiking through pretty birch trees
I woke up early today, around 4:45 am, so I could get started hiking into the park and leave plenty of time for summitting. By the time I arrived at the park boundary trail register, there were already at least 6 thru-hikers signed in ahead of me. At the ranger station, I received my hiking permit and borrowed a little daypack. Between trail registers and the permit itself, I probably signed my name and intended plans (trails to and from the summit) in at least 4 locations. Since camping isn't allowed along the trail, the park encourages you to leave the bulk of your gear at the ranger station for the day and will even lend you a daypack if you'd rather ditch the large pack altogether.
From the ranger station, it's about 5 miles to the summit. The first mile was flat and included a pretty waterfall. On a beautiful summer day, there was a ton of day hiker traffic. The next two miles had some pretty serious scrambling. There were families whose kids seemed more like mountain goats at times. Even with all of my experience, and I generally enjoy rock scrambles, there were a few spots when I was getting a little shaky with nerves. Sometimes I had to remind myself that thousands of people climb this trail every year. After the initial shock of "THIS is the trail?!" it generally didn't take that long to find my footing. There were even a few spots where rebar was installed to provide additional grab points.
There was only a light breeze above treeline. Once you got up to the ridge, the last 2 miles still had rocks but were comparatively flat and easy. It was at this point, when I could see the summit in detail, that I started to feel some feelings. I saw a lot of people I knew coming down from the summit as I was on the final ascent. There were tears when I got to the top. I was proud, happy, and overwhelmed - it's hard to put words to it.
The summit was rather crowded; I hadn't seen a trail like that since Franconia Ridge. Other thru-hikers were there saying encouraging things, and then there were day hikers just hanging out, not feeling the emotional weight of months and months of work, both before and on trail, leading up to this moment. There's almost an urge to leave it unfinished, to still have a bit of anticipation or mystery.
So you don't have to squint: plaque commemorating the donation of land from Percival Baxter, former governor of Maine, to the State. Baxter Peak (Katahdin, like many mountains, has several sub peaks) is the highest point in Maine. The plaque lists the specific areas/features donated as well as the stipulation that the land remain wild.
Things going wrong often make the best stories, so people love to ask for that. If you're not a hiker, it can be hard to explain what the draw of the trail is to make you put up with so much adversity. Even if you like hiking, it can be hard to explain the draw of a months-long thru-hike in particular. However, I've also come to the conclusion that the sting of bad times fades fast, and the memory of good times on trail lasts longer.
While it would be artistically convenient to end this post with some deep introspective thoughts, I did still have to hike down the mountain. And I'll do some post-trail reflections, too. The AT is one of several trails to the summit of Katahdin, and none of them are easy. For simplicity's sake, I chose to return on the AT as well, giving myself a little longer to follow the trusty white blazes. After a snack and photo break enjoying the views and the first time with cell service since the morning before, I headed back. Turning around and walking AWAY from that famous summit sign, however, brought on another wave of tears.
Happy hiking!
The summit weather was perfect, could not have asked for better
Unlike many hikers, I don't dislike downhill travel more than uphill. Blessed with young knees and agility, perhaps, my joints handle it fine. While I was no big fan of the climb up, I handled the climb down better. There was lots of sitting and scooching and lowering by upper body strength. It wasn't a complete knee bomber like the wooden steps on Mousilauke, and it was more of a scramble with handholds than some of the slabs that I dislike the most. I stopped back at the same waterfall for a snack break and to linger a bit longer before meeting my parents near the ranger station.
There were hugs and additional photos and some much-appreciated snacks. I retrieved my backpack - final trail baseweight at 18 lbs. We headed into Millinocket for the night and got some food. I enjoyed perhaps my last pint of ice cream in one sitting for a while. Thanks for sharing your birthday, Mom!
Congratulations!!! Thank you for taking us along on your hike with your stories and photos! Amazing! Now you are officially a “rock” star!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!! That was an amazing journey!!!!
ReplyDelete