|
Daily Journal Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Home
Page |
|
|
Week_13 |
|
|
Day: |
85 |
|
Date: |
Saturday, 26 July 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Very warm, humid, overcast, rain late. |
|
AT
Miles: |
21.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.4 (to Killington Peak) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1666.5 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1714.0 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Soup, veal, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Small snake, chipmunks. |
|
People
Seen: |
2 overnight hikers, 8 day hikers, many
others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:30am after a bad night
because of mozzies and heat. Felt
tired straight away – already warm.
Set off at 7am for a relatively short day which, however, incorporated
Killington Peak (4250’). I decided to
aim for Killington for lunch (there’s supposed to be a cafeteria on top),
which meant a relatively short morning.
However, the bad night’s sleep seemed to have pushed me over the edge
into “over-trained” and, even with a light pack, I struggled all morning. It was foggy, so no views, but the higher
altitude forest was pretty and “fairy-tale”.
There was a “blue blaze” (side-trail) 0.2 miles very steep trail to
the summit from the AT. I reached
there at 1:30pm and struggled up the climb only to find the whole resort
closed – presumably because of the fog and wind. I walked back down to the AT and Cooper
Lodge where I met two girl day-hikers and a guy, Todd, who had started hiking
the AT two days before me, but had finished at Harpers Ferry and was now doing
a few of the northern sections. I had
passed him at Rainbow Springs. He had
travelled with Lisa for six weeks, and others, and could fill me in on how
they were going. He said he would
probably see me in the White Mountains and maybe Katahdin (northern end of
the AT), from where he might be able to give me a lift to Boston. We chatted over lunch after which, at
2:30pm, I set off down the mountain. I
planned to stop at the Inn on the Long Trail for the night and arrived there,
very tired, at 4:40pm. Unfortunately,
they didn’t provide evening meals so I decided to walk another two miles to
another Inn. I was very tired and not
pleased to lose the Trail in rough terrain at one point, costing me 15
minutes, and then to be hit by torrential rain just before reaching the road
where the Inn was supposed to be. The
Guide Book details were confusing and I got saturated before going into an
expensive-looking motel where I took a room despite the $40 price tag. I ate a lot of peanuts in the bar before
having a nice dinner. I rang my
cousin, Peter, to say I was thinking of putting back my meeting with them in
the White Mountains by one day. I had
decided that, if the mountains or Trail got worse, I would have to work very
hard to reach Franconia Notch on time.
Better to give myself the rest, even if it means a day later at
Katahdin. I watched TV and rinsed out
my clothes. Running short of food and,
given likely wet conditions tomorrow, I decided to sleep in and have a late
breakfast (no early breakfasts at the motel) before heading off for a long
afternoon. Turned off the TV at
12:15am. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
86 |
|
Date: |
Sunday, 27 July 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, some rain, overcast. |
|
AT
Miles: |
17.9 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.4 (motel) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1684.4 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1732.3 |
|
Breakfast: |
Orange juice, oats, omelette, chips,
sausages. |
|
Lunch: |
None. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, oats. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
None. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 overnight hiker, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 9am after a good sleep and went
and had a big breakfast before paying the bill and leaving at 10:50am. It wasn’t raining, but looked ominous. I had tried to ring John C twice without
luck. I was going to try for about 20
miles and do without lunch since my last biscuits would be required for
dinner as all wood would be too wet for a cooked dinner. The spirits were low as I left the
comfortable indoors for the rough life.
I still seemed to be very tired and felt the need of a day off but
must keep moving to meet Peter. The
Trail was very boggy and the undergrowth wet as I made my way around Kent
Pond and, after a mile, I found the Inn I should have found last night. Too bad.
There was some road-walking before a solid and wet climb up over a ridge
and down the other side. In places,
the Trail was flooded by the adjacent creeks.
I divided the day into three six-mile sections and just plodded along
trying not to think where I’d rather be, or about the weeks still to go. There were some very tough climbs and very
wet trails (rivers) through the pretty and wet forest. At about 6pm it began raining very heavily
and it looked like I would be setting up camp in the rain. There were no Shelters within range. The Trail had been re-routed so an expected
spring wasn’t on the Trail. I only had
a bottle and a bit of water. I reached
the summit of Dana Hill and decided to stop at 6:40pm. Fortunately, the rain had all but stopped
as I set up camp. I decided to get
into bed and eat my dinner of biscuits and peanut butter and oats. I ate it while listening to some excellent
church choral music (it was Sunday) on my Walkman. Lights out at 9pm. Not a great day. Maybe tomorrow will be better. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
87 |
|
Date: |
Monday, 28 July 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Very warm, cloudy in the morning, sunny
in the afternoon, humid. |
|
AT
Miles: |
22.7 |
|
Other
Miles: |
1.2 (1.0 in Hanover, 0.2 to Shelter). |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1707.1 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1756.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Oats. |
|
Lunch: |
Sub, fudge brownies, ice-cream, chocolate
milk. |
|
Dinner: |
Pizza, ice-cream, orange juice. |
|
Aches: |
Feet a bit sore. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Chipmunks. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Thru-hiker, 4 day hikers, many
others. |
|
Journal: Woke up at 5:30am after a good night’s
sleep to hear it raining lightly outside.
It was very tempting to roll over and go back to sleep. I got up and packed up using the shelter of
my suspended groundsheet, but it had really more or less stopped. I ate the last of my oats for breakfast and
set off at 7am through damp undergrowth.
The Trail wound around through the wet dripping forest across pastures
and through bogs, so it didn’t take long for my feet to become thoroughly
saturated. I aimed to walk the 12
miles to West Hartford taking only short breaks and arrived at the general
store there at about noon. I bought
myself a big lunch. Another Thru-Hiker
who had spent last night at Cloudland Shelter (I passed it mid-morning)
turned up and we chatted briefly while we sat on the bench outside the store
and ate. (He had hitched from Dalton
to Killington because he said he had walked that section before.) I left at 1:10pm to walk the remaining ten
miles to Hanover, the first town in New Hampshire, where I planned to
resupply. The calories I ate for lunch
seemed to give me a boost and the time passed fairly quickly as the day
became sunny hot and humid. I stopped
at Norwich Post Office en route and posted off some used maps. The Trail crossed the pretty Connecticut
River where people were swimming and climbed into the pretty college
(Dartmouth) town. There were lots of
joggers out. I was undecided whether
to stop at an Inn in town or keep moving, after buying groceries, to the next
Shelter. I also had to ring Peter and
John C. I felt that, after the last
expensive motel, another Inn was not really justified. Also, if I stayed, I would probably call
Barb in the morning – more expense. I
walked through town and ˝ a mile out the other side before I knew it. There I found a supermarket and did my
shopping and then repacked it on a bench in the foyer. By this time it was 6:10pm, and I decided
to have dinner, make the calls, and keep moving. I walked back into town – very swanky, full
of students and beautiful people, and had a pizza in a shop. I made my calls and arranged to meet Marj
(aunt) and Peter (cousin) next Friday night at Cascade Inn in North Woodstock
and call John C from Pinkham Notch in a week.
I then went to another supermarket, bought some ice-cream for dessert
and another quart of orange juice (we’ll see what half a gallon of orange
juice does for me tomorrow!), then walked out of town in the gathering dusk
at 8:10pm. I arrived at Velvet Rocks
Shelter at 8:45pm – almost dark. There
was no-one there (it looked like a nice spot). I quickly set up the tent, ate the
ice-cream, drank the orange juice, had a wash, hung everything up, and
retired at 9:20pm to update my diary and sleep. Not such a bad day. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
88 |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, 29 July 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, overcast, humid, rain later. |
|
AT
Miles: |
15.5 |
|
Other
Miles: |
1.2 (0.2 shelter, 0.3 spring, 0.4
mistake, 0.3 shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1722.6 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1772.9 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
Left heel sore. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
3 snakes, chipmunks. |
|
People
Seen: |
3 AT Thru-hikers, 4 overnight hikers,
some others. |
|
Journal: Had a bad night’s sleep because of
indigestion and a monstrous thunderstorm at 2am. Tent didn’t leak. Got up at 6am and left at 7:40am with plans
to walk 23 miles. Early progress
through conifer forest was slow and I had to make a detour for water from a
spring. Rain threatened and was
forecast, but it was hot and humid.
Once again, I felt enervated and found it hard going. It’s hard to know whether it’s physical or
mental. I kept plugging away on the
Trail, which was always fairly close to civilization, and passed through a
number of boggy areas so my feet became wet again and my left outside heel
became quite sore. I began to ponder
the merits of stopping early for a restful day in the hope my attitude would
improve. I would still be on schedule
for North Woodstock for midday Friday as planned. The Trail passed over Moose Mountain which
was enshrouded in fog so no views. On
the descent, the radio warned that severe thunderstorms were on the way with
heavy rain. I decided to push on over
the exposed Holts Ledge in the hope of getting to Trapper John’s Shelter
before the bad weather hit. I was
tired (pack heavy), but kept going and passed over the Ledge where there was
a fog-impaired view before descending to the Shelter. In residence was Larry, a friendly AT
Thru-hiker, and later arrived two overnight hikers then Ruth and Bob, also AT
Thru-hikers. The overnight hikers
slept in their tent and the rest of us in the Shelter. I managed to get a fire going and cooked
dinner, generally taking my time. At
about 6:45pm, it began raining steadily. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
89 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 30 July 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, overcast, fog and drizzle. |
|
AT
Miles: |
23.6 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.9 (0.3 shelter, 0.6 restaurant). |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1746.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1797.4 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Cake and ice-cream, cookies. |
|
Dinner: |
Noodles and sauce, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None real bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
3 snakes. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 overnight hiker, some others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:30am after a good night’s
sleep. It had stopped raining. I packed up and left at 7am, saying goodbye
to the others who I’ll probably meet again in the White Mountains. Everything was extremely wet and rain was
forecast. Fortunately, the Trail was
easy and not overgrown. A lot of it
was on roads and woods roads and I made good time – I suspect the miles were
short. I climbed to the top of Smarts
Mountain without a break. It was very
steep near the top and the Trail was extremely wet. It was alpine-like at the top and quite
cool and windy. Fog prevented any
views. I descended down the difficult
rocky and wet Trail and then had some more road-walking before the ascent of
Mount Cube. Another wet difficult
ascent but, at least this time, I got occasional views through the blowing
clouds – they were spectacular. The
descent was especially difficult and dangerous in the wet conditions. I slipped and fell twice but suffered no
damage. I reached NH 25A at about 2pm
and walked the Ľ mile to a small restaurant for lunch. Unfortunately, pancakes were off at noon
and they’d run out of apple pie, so I settled for two plates of cake and
ice-cream and six big fresh cookies.
The manageress was very nice. I
left at 3:10pm to walk the remaining 7˝ miles I’d planned. More very wet Trail and hence feet. Progress was a bit slower but at least more
level. It was through old forest,
reclaimed farmland and past weekenders.
I stopped with three miles to go to find there’d been a
relocation. The distance was supposed
to be the same but, of course, the new Trail was slow and I didn’t reach NH
25C till 6:40pm. I crossed it, and
then a stream, and found a good campsite on the other side amongst the pines. I decided to try a fire despite everything
being wet and was successful. I set
everything up as quickly as possible because of the forecast rain but,
fortunately, it held off and it was a pleasant though hurried evening. I went to bed at 8:50pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
90 |
|
Date: |
Thursday, 31 July 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, overcast, some rain. |
|
AT
Miles: |
22.6 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1768.8 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1820.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, instant
pudding, Snickers Bar. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
4 AT Thru-hikers, 3 AT Hikers (by
sections). |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:30am after a good night’s
sleep (cool weather) and left at 7:201m.
It hadn’t rained overnight, but did for a while shortly after I
started walking. The first miles seemed
to be short again, but who’s complaining.
I passed “Boater Bill” and caught Larry (who’d apparently walked past
me while I was packing) who was talking to a southbound (by sections) AT
Hiker. The country was again pretty,
mossy woodland, and I was in good spirits for some reason. I guess I knew I was going to make it to North
Woodstock OK. The ascent of Mount Moosilauke (4800’) followed, but it wasn’t as bad as
feared though a bit endless and rocky in parts. The summit was above the tree-line and, if
it hadn’t been cloudy, would have provided good views. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable up there in
the fog. The descent was tiring and
interminable. For a long stretch it
followed an attractive cascade and, in many places, steps had been attached to
the slippery rock surfaces. I reached
Beaver Brook Shelter at the base and stopped there for lunch at 2pm. After an hour for lunch, I crossed NH 112
in Kinsman Notch and began the steep ascent of Mount Wolf. The going was slow along the crest with many
rocky and boggy bits, and some relocated trail. It took longer than I thought it would to
eventually reach Eliza Brooks Shelter.
I arrived there at 6:50pm and found it already filled up with four AT
Thru-hikers. I decided to pitch a tent
then tried to light a fire with damp wood but was unsuccessful, so resorted
to biscuits and peanut butter. Went to
bed at 8:40pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
91 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 1 August |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, mostly overcast, some rain. |
|
AT
Miles: |
8.6 |
|
Other
Miles: |
1.0 (0.7 on road, 0.3 in town) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1777.4 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1829.8 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Fish and chips, ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
Chilli, veal, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
None. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Grouse. |
|
People
Seen: |
6 day hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: I got up at 5:30am after a wet night,
during which I woke up a number of times when rain came in through the mesh
screen. It was still drizzling when I
woke up, so I moved things into the Shelter as quickly as possible and didn’t
get much wet. After putting on wet
clothes and socks, I left at about 7am with 8˝ miles to go to US 3 and
Franconia Notch. The going was very
slow as the Trail ascended Mount Kinsman through sopping wet vegetation and
up its hairy slippery rock faces. It
was very foggy and there were no views, but the scenery was attractive
desolate alpine at the summit as I walked to North Kinsman before beginning
the risky descent. It took me 3Ľ hours
to reach the AMC’s Lonesome Lake Hut.
The AMC manages a number of huts on trails in the White Mountains
which it operates for hikers who do not wish to carry camping gear and
food. They offer dormitory-type
accommodation and meals, at a price. I
went in and rested for ˝ an hour during which time I ate a couple of Hershey
Bars, some chocolate cake, and some of the remaining pancakes (free) from the
Hut breakfast. The Hut looked like a
good place to stay. From there it took
me just over an hour to walk the three miles down to US 3 and, after
mistakenly walking ˝ a mile north along the road looking for where the AT
left on the other side, I hitched into North Woodstock. I got a lift relatively quickly from a lady
who lived in Lincoln and arrived at Cascade House, the guest house where I
had arranged to meet Marj and Peter, at 12:30pm. Marj had booked me in, and I had a shower
before putting my laundry on and having lunch at a restaurant. I spent the afternoon doing the washing,
shopping, food repacking, drying out wet equipment, reading the paper, and
eating. During the afternoon, Ruth and
Bob turned up (having cut out the Kinsmans Ridge
section) as well as the four guys from last night’s Shelter – all very
friendly. I started a letter to Barb
sitting on the verandah of the guest house at
5:30pm. When half-way through, Marj
and Peter turned up and we spent some time sorting out gear before going out
to a meal. After dinner, we returned
to the verandah to talk and eat our ice-creams for
a while before retiring around 10:30pm.
It was raining steadily. I had
tried, unsuccessfully, to ring Barb a few times. I finished the letter to her and went to
sleep at midnight. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
92 |
|
Date: |
Saturday, 2 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, partly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
10.1 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.8 (to Trail) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1787.5 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1840.7 |
|
Breakfast: |
Eggs, sausages, muffins, pancakes. |
|
Lunch: |
Chicken rolls. |
|
Dinner: |
Fettucine, instant
pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
None. |
|
People
Seen: |
Many overnight hikers, day hikers and
others. |
|
Journal: We got up at 8:15am and had breakfast in
the dining room before messing around for a while buying odds and ends around
town and leaving at 10:30am. Marj had
decided to walk the first few miles with us, so she bought some sandwiches
and carried them. Because of
construction work, we had to park nearly a mile away from where the AT
crossed US 3, so had to walk that distance along new trail before reaching
the AT and beginning the ascent of Lafayette Mountain. The climb was tough and relentless and Marj
was falling behind, so we stopped earlier than our planned Liberty Spring
and, after lunch, bade farewell to Marj who returned down the mountain. She had decided to stay another night in
North Woodstock. We continued our
ascent. Seventeen year old Peter also
began to find the climbing hard and we had more frequent rests and travelled
more slowly than I had anticipated. We
eventually reached Little Haystack Mountain and were greeted with excellent
views. The Trail was now above the
tree-line and we had a magnificent walk along the exposed ridge as the Trail
passed over a number of peaks including the 5249’ Mount Lafayette. We were there at 5pm and still had four
miles to our target of Garfield Ridge Campsite. We pushed on with Peter becoming very tired
and eventually reached there at 7:30pm just as a shower of rain passed
through. The Shelter was pretty full,
but we squeezed in and I cooked dinner outside after the rain stopped. We had the stove so didn’t have to worry
about wet wood. We retired at 9pm with
me having to sleep right across the entrance of the Shelter hoping it didn’t
rain and that I wasn’t stood on as some-one made a night-time excursion. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
93 |
|
Date: |
Sunday, 3 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, partly sunny, fog in the
morning. |
|
AT
Miles: |
13.7 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.3 (to shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1801.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1854.7 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Noodles, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, chipminks. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Hiker (by sections), many other
overnight and day hikers. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am after a restless
night. Fortunately, it didn’t rain
(though it was quite windy) but lots of people climbed over me during the
night to get to the loo. I packed up
and woke Pete at 6:30am. We had
breakfast and left at 7:45am after asking the campsite caretaker to book us
into the AMC Lake of the Clouds Hut for tomorrow night. The fog was clearing and we could see some
of the closer mountains. The Trail was
slow going and we made our first stop at AMC Galehead
Hut where we had peanut brittle (good!...all we could eat for 50˘!). We then carried on along the Trail which
was mostly through scrubby conifer. We
had lunch at an overlook near Zeacliff in improving
weather before walking down to the AMC Zeacliff Hut
(all the pancakes you could eat for 20˘!...good!). It was then another five miles to our
target of Ethan Ponds Shelter. Peter
had been moving better today (less uphill) and the last part of the Trail was
easy walking with good views and we arrived at 6pm. In residence already was southbound AT
Hiker, Tom, and seven young people (kids, really) from some camp. It was pretty noisy, but they all went to
bed at 9pm, which was good. Ten of us
in the Shelter built for a maximum of eight was a bit of a squeeze, but we
managed. It rained a little, but not
much, at dusk. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
94 |
|
Date: |
Monday, 4 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, windy, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
14.0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (from Shelter) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1815.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1868.9 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli. |
|
Lunch: |
Soup, Hershey chocolate. |
|
Dinner: |
|
|
Aches: |
None. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, chipmunks. |
|
People
Seen: |
Many overnight and day hikers. |
|
Journal: We got up at 6am on what promised to be a
good day for climbing and views. We
left at 7:15am for the first 3˝ miles which were to be downhill to Crawford
Notch before the big ascent up on to the Mount Washington massif
(Presidential Range). Peter was pretty
worried about the climb. We had to make
reasonable progress to be at the AMC Lake of the Clouds Hut by 6pm for
dinner. My fears about our rate of
progress were realised when Pete’s speed slowed dramatically on the steep
climb from the Notch. At our first
break, I decided to take the food he was carrying plus the stove. It seemed to do the trick and both his
speed and spirits improved thereafter.
The rate of ascent wasn’t as great, either. There were some superb views from the
cliff-tops the Trail followed. It was
an excellent day for views. From here,
the Trail essentially followed a long spur towards the peak of Mount
Washington (~6300’). We reached the
AMC Mizpah Hut more or less on schedule at 12:45pm
and had lunch inside. They had
All-You-Can-Eat soup for $2 so I had that for lunch plus some chocolate. We left there at 1:45pm for the remaining
five miles. We soon climbed above the
tree-line and had more excellent views in all directions. Pete was enjoying himself and we made good
time, taking only one break before arriving at the Hut at 4:20pm. It was very cold in the wind. After a scare about not being able to get
dinner, we checked in and went down to “the dungeon” (for backpackers) which
wasn’t as bad as we’d been led to believe by Tom. We then went up to the Hut dining area
where 92 people were going to be served dinner. There were only six in the Hut “croo”! It was
lights out at 9:30pm, so we retired before then. We were sharing “the dungeon” with Ruth,
Bob, Ruth’s daughter and two others. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
95 |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, 5 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Cool up high, windy, partly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
14.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1829.6 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1883.3 |
|
Breakfast: |
Porridge, pancakes. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, Hershey Bars. |
|
Dinner: |
Soup, chicken and vegetables, custard. |
|
Aches: |
None. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
None. |
|
People
Seen: |
Many. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6:30am and packed up before going
up to the dining room for breakfast at 7am.
It was a big breakfast (people kept giving me extra) and we talked
with Ruth, Bob and others. As always,
everybody was impressed with the Thru-hikers.
We left soon after 8am for the 1˝ mile climb to the Mount Washington
summit which is very developed (Barb and I had been there before). I planned to ring Barb from there but,
despite trying for an hour, had no luck.
She must be away for the night.
A ranger let me into the Post Office and I picked up a couple of
letters. Because of hanging around for
the phone calls to Melbourne we didn’t leave the summit until after 10am,
which was later than planned. By this
time, fog had closed in but we’d had excellent views on the way up. The Trail followed the cog railway and we
saw three trains. As we went down, the
fog cleared and we again had excellent views.
The trail followed the northern spur of the Presidential Range which
was above the tree-line and although rocky and slow gave great views. It was an ideal day for travelling this
route. It took us about three hours to
walk the six miles to the AMC Madison Hut where we stopped for lunch. Ruth and Bob were there again. We had lunch and left at 2:15pm, giving us
3ľ hours to cover the six miles to the AMC Pinkham Notch Camp, where we were
booked for the night, in time for dinner at 6pm. It took us a slow scenic hour to cover the
first mile and the next two miles of mainly steep descent weren’t much
faster. We re-entered the forest and
found that we had further to go than we had thought. The last three miles were covered in a mad
rush through pretty forest and we arrived at Pinkham Notch at 6:15pm and were
hurried in late for dinner, which was good.
After dinner, we checked in, showered and spent some time in the
lounge drinking Cokes and me trying to ring the Cocks’ and Cederholm’s to arrange meetings further up the
Trail. Peter was sore and tired, but
seemed to have enjoyed himself. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
96 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 6 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Very warm, humid, mainly overcast. |
|
AT
Miles: |
18.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.2 (to Carter Notch Hut) |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1848.0 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1901.9 |
|
Breakfast: |
Fruit, oats, French toast, sausages. |
|
Lunch: |
Stew. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, brownies. |
|
Aches: |
Chafing in crutch. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
2 small snakes, squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
3 AT Hikers (by sections), 4 overnight
hikers, 8 day hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am so I could try calling Barb
and Bo Cocks before breakfast then make a quick getaway on what promised to
be a tough 20 miles over the Carter Range to US 2 and a hitch into Gorham for
the night. Bo was out, and Barb didn’t
answer. I packed, woke Pete, and we
went across to the 6:45am breakfast. I
ate a lot and it was good. Pete then
went out to the highway to catch his bus back to Boston. We said a short goodbye and I then tried to
call Barb one more time and this time got her. We chatted for over 20 minutes. I think she’s ready for me to come
home. She also said Bruce B (one of my
colleagues at Syntec) was trying to get hold of me
to do something for them in the US prior to my return. I left Pinkham Notch just before 8am and
began the very tough climb up to the 4000’ level on Carter Ridge. Fortunately, this section of the AMC trails
has less people on it, although I did meet a number of people heading to
Pinkham Notch from the AMC Carter Notch Hut, six miles along the Trail. I got very tired hiking on the rugged
Trail, but enjoyed the views and walked non-stop to Carter Notch Hut. It was a very pretty spot next to a couple
of lakes. The Hut boys were very chatty
and gave me two full bowls of stew for nothing. I decided to call it lunch – it had taken
me three hours to hike the six miles from Pinkham Notch, making US 2 look
doubtful by dusk. I left at 11:45am
and began yet another very steep and tiring ascent to Carter Dome (4800’). The Trail continued to be very tough and
slow but, despite feeling very tired, I just kept plugging away. The views were good and I was in good
spirits. I stopped on a rock ledge
with terrific views near Imp Shelter for afternoon tea before pushing on for
the last six miles to Rattle River Shelter.
The Trail was becoming slightly faster walking. I arrived at the Shelter at 7:30pm after
descending from Carter Ridge and met three elderly AT Hikers – Dan and Chuck
and Arletta.
They had done Georgia to Harpers Ferry last year and were doing
Harpers Ferry to Maine this year. They
were very friendly and Dan gave me some brownies (his wife had visited them
at the Shelter earlier) to accompany my biscuits and peanut butter
dinner. I’d decided it wasn’t worth
walking the extra 1˝ miles to US 2 and hitching into Gorham since it would be
too late to do anything and just cost me money. An early start tomorrow, since I’ve got to
cover sufficient miles to meet John C on Saturday morning. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
97 |
|
Date: |
Thursday, 7 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, overcast, some rain. |
|
AT
Miles: |
18.8 |
|
Other
Miles: |
1.3 (1.0 to Gorham, 0.3 to Shelter). |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1866.8 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1922.0 |
|
Breakfast: |
Cornflakes, eggs, burger, brownies. |
|
Lunch: |
Gorp. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, instant
pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Thru-hiker, 20 overnight hikers,
many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:30am and packed and left by 6:15am
without having breakfast. After ˝ and
hour walking, I reached US 2 and began walking and hitching towards
Gorham. I soon got a lift which
dropped me off at the town Laundromat at 7am.
I put my laundry on and rang Bo and arranged to send suggested
rendezvous details to her mother’s in Salem.
I also tried to call Bruce, but he wasn’t going to be there for
another 1˝ hours. I went to an
adjacent restaurant for a big breakfast before going to the supermarket to do
my shopping. After that, I rang Bruce
again, sent a card to Ray and Marilyn, ate some brownies and drank a quart of
chocolate milk before walking out of town and beginning to hitch. I soon got a lift and began walking on the
AT again at 10:40am. I was now in the Mahoosucs and still had 17˝ miles to go. The Mahoosucs are
supposed to be the toughest range on the Trail. The first few miles were pretty easy as the
Trail climbed to the ridge. There were
some views, but it was foggy/hazy. It
began to rain steadily for a while and I decided to keep walking to the
Gentian Pond Shelter for a late snack and give lunch a miss. En route, I passed Dan, Chuck and Arletta, and caught “Lumberjack”, another AT
Thru-hiker. The Shelter was full of
people and I sat in the entrance talking to some of them. The scenery from the Shelter was
dramatic. They thought I was silly to
go on the six miles to Carlo Col Shelter when it was already 4:30pm, but I
had to meet John C in a couple of days and was confident I could get there in
daylight, despite the Trail being slow because of the mud, rocks, and steep
ascents and descents. I reached the
Shelter and was pleased to find only three people there – Bob and Patty, and
Wes. I repacked my Gorham-purchased
food by torch and candle before eating a cold dinner and going to bed at
9pm. I was now in Maine. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
98 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 8 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, overcast, some rain. |
|
AT
Miles: |
19.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.3 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1886.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1941.7 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, 2 health
bars. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar,
instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Grouse, squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Thru-hiker (southbound), 3 overnight
hikers, 1 other. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:30am with the prospect of a
long hard day through the Mahoosucs so as to be
within range of my rendezvous with John tomorrow morning. I was already doubting the wisdom of my
schedule. I set out a bit before 7am
and climbed up on to Goose Mountain. I
was rewarded with fantastic views in all directions. Vast forests, some lakes, and peaks poking
through the clouds. All could be seen
from the bare summits. Rocks were
slippery and the muddy slopes treacherous as I continued north towards Mahoosuc Notch.
The descent was hair-raising.
On reaching the Notch, I entered the supposed toughest mile on the
Trail. It involved scrambling over, around,
and under huge rocks which had tumbled to the bottom of the gorge some time
past. Near the bottom, the temperature
was distinctly cooler and in crevasses could be seen snow and ice. I took just over an hour to negotiate the
extremely strenuous stretch, then had to climb the Mahoosuc
Arm of Old Speck Mountain. It was a
tough climb and no view at the top because of fog. Progress was very slow as I pushed on to
Old Speck Pond and the Shelter there for a 2pm lunch. There was a French-Canadian hiker there
having a day off to dry some wet gear.
She was an artist from Montreal and very friendly and I felt more than
a little encouraged to stay for the night.
However, I needed to press on.
The Trail then climbed steeply up Old Speck Mountain (no views again
because of fog) before plunging steeply into Grafton Notch – the end of the Mahoosucs. It was
getting late, and I was very tired but, after a brief rest,, started climbing
the next mountain in my path, Bald Pate.
I crossed the summit soon after 7pm.
It was a barren forbidding place in thick fog and I didn’t hang
around. The last few miles took longer
than I expected and it was fairly dark by the time I reached Frye Notch
Shelter at 8:40pm. There was no-one
there, although there was some discarded camping gear around, and the very
loud thunderstorm that arrived at the same time as I did, lit up the place
spookily. I had a quick cold dinner by
candlelight before retiring at 9:30pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
99 |
|
Date: |
Saturday, 9 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, mostly overcast, some rain. |
|
AT
Miles: |
20.0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1906.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1961.7 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink, sub, ice-cream. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter. |
|
Dinner: |
Cheese Florentine, pop tarts. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Grouse, squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
20 overnight hikers, some others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 6am and left at 7:25am hoping that
it would only take two hours for the for the five miles down to the road
where I was supposed to meet John. The
going wasn’t too bad, and I arrived there 1˝ minutes ahead of schedule. John was impressed. He was waiting there with his father and
they drove me the eight miles into Andover where I resupplied and bought a
sub, a quart of orange juice, and a pint of ice-cream. We drove back to the Trail and, after a
quick re-pack, set off with 15˝ miles to go at 10:45am. The first six miles to Hall Mountain
Lean-To were covered in 2˝ hours and we stopped there for lunch. The Trail wasn’t too bad, but was becoming
more boggy. After lunch, our progress
seemed to be much slower though it was hard to know whether it was because we
were slower or because the miles were long.
We descended steeply into Sawyer Notch, then had a tough climb up and
down a mountain, then another big ascent to the 3600’ mountain of Old
Blue. Unfortunately, the fog was thick
and there were no views, but at least the rain had stopped. We were both tired and still had three
miles to go. It went very slowly as we
crossed bog after bog and didn’t reach Elephant Mountain Lean-To until
8:10pm. It was already fairly dark and
we were disappointed to find the place crowded with a French-Canadian camp
group and several other hikers. There
was only room for one more in the Shelter, so John slept there and I put up
my tent while John cooked us some dinner.
Within and hour we were in bed. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
100 |
|
Date: |
Sunday, 10 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, humid, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
22.3 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1928.5 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
1984.0 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bars. |
|
Dinner: |
Noodles and sauce, pop tarts. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, grouse. |
|
People
Seen: |
3 overnight hikers, 9 day hikers, some
others. |
|
Journal: We got up at 5:30am and left about 6:45am
with the daunting prospect of over 22 miles in front of us on the boggy Maine
trails. Fortunately, there were no
major mountains on our route for the day.
We set off in foggy damp conditions and first climbed to the fairly
bare summit of Beamis Peak but couldn’t really see
anything. The Trail then descended
over a series of knobs until it reached Beamis
Stream. It was too wide to rock-hop
across and we both ended up just ploughing through it. By this time the weather was clearing and
after our steep ascent to ME 17, we had a great view over the lakes, forests
and mountains to the west. We only
stopped for a short time to admire the view because we were conscious of the
distance we still had to go. The Trail
levelled out a little, though still gradually ascending, and was often boggy,
slowing us occasionally. John saw a
moose, but I missed it! John stepped
up the pace in the better going parts, and I hung on. We reached a lovely beach on the north-east
end of Long Pond and we both washed our socks and I went for a lovely swim
during the 40 minutes we stayed there.
We then left to walk another five miles to the Little Swift River Pond
campsite where we planned to have a late lunch. The Trail continued to be boggy and, at one
point, newly clean from my swim, I slipped on a root and fell sideways into
some lovely black mud, dirtying my whole left side. We reached the Pond around 3pm and spent 45
minutes eating and resting. We then
moved off through more deciduous forest and boggy trail with the intention of
breaking the remaining six miles into two three-mile sections. However, we missed the rocky ledge
supposedly marking the halfway point, and walked all the way to ME 4 leaving
us only 1˝ miles to go. We were
pleased that it looked like we were going to reach the Shelter at Piazza Rock
at around 7pm – an hour earlier than last night. There were about five cars parked at the
trail-head and, as we climbed towards the Lean-To through the forest, we
heard a loud screech of tyres and then two big bangs of a car crash. Probably some of the parked cars. We decided we wouldn’t be able to do
anything, so didn’t return to the scene.
We were very pleased to reach the Lean-To at 7pm and find no-one else
there (though there was a care-taker in a tent about 100 yards away). We washed and had dinner, congratulating
ourselves on having an empty shelter, when a father and son hiking team
turned up, very tired, at 8:15pm. We
chatted with them and the care-taker, who brought us some cookies, before
retiring around 9pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
101 |
|
Date: |
Monday, 11 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Cloudy and rain at first, clearing and
warm later. |
|
AT
Miles: |
16.0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
1.0 (0.5 relocation, 0.5 to Shelter). |
|
AT Cumulative
Miles: |
1944.5 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2001.0 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bars. |
|
Dinner: |
Rice and shrimp creole
sauce, pop tarts. |
|
Aches: |
None bad (feet look mouldy). |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Grouse, squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
24 overnight hikers. |
|
Journal: We got up at 5:30am to intermittent
rain. The Trail did not look inviting,
but we set out at around 7:15am during a lull in the rain. We first climbed Saddleback Mountain and
reached the summit in a little under two hours. The weather steadily improved on the way up
and actually cleared briefly as we reached the summit. John and I running up the last 100 feet or
so in full packs to get some views must have looked amusing. We did get some views, which were better
than nothing, of vast tracts of forests, mountains and lakes. For a while, the Trail followed the bare
rocky crest, before descending. En
route, we climbed up the North Peak and Saddleback Junior, both demanding,
before following an easier, though still boggy, ridge. It began to rain a little at 11:45am, 15
minutes before we reached our planned lunch stop at Poplar Ridge Lean-To. There we ate lunch and talked to the
“born-again” “Wayfaring Man” who was hiking parts of the AT, and a mother and
son hiking team, both knowledgeable on mountain climbing. We left there just before 1pm with 7˝ miles
to go to our planned stop of Spaulding Mountain Lean-To, but conscious that
there was a new “relo” (trail relocation) which
purportedly added miles and was tough going.
We met a number of hikers headed towards Poplar Ridge Lean-To for the
night and we joked that our target shelter would probably again be full of
French-Canadians. The “relo” was hard going, but paralleled a beautiful
waterfall and some lovely brooks as well as passing through pretty
forest. To our surprise, we reached
the Lean-To turn-off at 4:50pm and, despite a very rough trail, reached the
Lean-To at 5:00pm. It was full of
French Canadians! We had a good dinner
then rested amidst the babble of French voices. John found it a bit wearing, and it
certainly wasn’t quiet. We went to bed
at 8:45pm as the noise gradually subsided. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
102 |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, 12 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Sunny, mild, windy. |
|
AT
Miles: |
12.9 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0.5 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1957.4 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2014.4 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli. |
|
Lunch: |
Tuna sub, ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
Chicken, salad, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
Bruised thigh and elbow from fall. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Grouse. |
|
People
Seen: |
5 day hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: We got up at 5am in order to reach ME 27
and John’s father by 1pm. We did not have
a good night because of the tossing and turning of the three boys in the
shelter which rocked its flimsy floor.
At one point, John said loudly “for crying out loud!”. I think they got the message. After a hurried breakfast and packing we
left at 6:15am and returned to the new AT via the very rough side-trail then
began our ascent of Spaulding Mountain.
It was a crisp clear morning – a good day for hiking. Near the summit, we took a short side-trail
to the peak and enjoyed some good views.
From there we pressed on north-east past the side-trail to Sugarloaf
Mountain where John was tempted to detour to capture another 4000’
mountain. We then descended gradually,
then steeply, to the south branch of the Carrabasset
River. On the way down, I slipped
twice in quick succession breaking my watch strap the first time, and
suffering some grazes and a bad thigh bruise the second. More care required. We had a short break a bit past the river
and adjacent road before making the solid ascent of the twin-peaked Crocker
Mountain. We made good time and got
some good views on the way up and from the north peak where we had our second
break. We left there at 11am, leaving
us two hours, for the remaining five miles.
We hoped to arrive exactly on time but, despite reasonable going,
arrived at 1:10pm. We found John’s dad
waiting for us as arranged and they drove me the five miles into Stratton and
Widow’s Walk, an historic bed and breakfast place. We said our goodbyes and they headed for
Boston. No-one was around, but notices
invited me to sign in and select a room, which I did. After a shower, I walked up the street of
the pretty town, put my laundry on and bought a sub and milkshake for lunch. I sent off a card to Vic, a mutual friend,
as suggested by John, then collected the laundry and did my shopping before
returning to the B&B, registering and writing a letter to Barb. I went to a nearby pub for dinner, then
returned to the B&B, repacked my food and went down to the lounge for a
while. Hosts, Jerry and Mary, lent me
a set of pliers with which I repaired my watch band. At 9:30pm I returned to my room and
listened to the radio while looking at my maps, planning my final days and
writing up my diary. A call to Marj in
Boston to determine if my air-ticket had arrived was not successful, so I
decided to leave ringing Barb till Monson, by which time I might know for
sure. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
103 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 13 August 1986 |
|
Weather: |
Mild, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
18.8 |
|
Other
Miles: |
1.0 (relocation). |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
1976.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2034.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Eggs, bacon, orange juice. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels, grouse. |
|
People
Seen: |
15 overnight hikers, 3 day hikers, many
others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 7:40am and finished packing
before going down to breakfast, which Jerry cooked. Two eggs and toast wasn’t really enough, but
what could I say. After breakfast,
Jerry gave me a lift back to the Trail for a dollar, and I was walking by
8:50am, which was good. It was a
perfect day as I began the ascent of the Bigelow Range – the last big
mountains before Katahdin. I was in good
spirits and the climb wasn’t too tough.
My pace was a little better than expected and I reached the west
summit of Bigelow Mountain soon after noon and admired the fantastic views in
all directions – lakes, forests, mountains, towns. I continued on over the eastern peak
enjoying views all the way then descended into Safford Notch. The forest was very pretty in the mottled
sunlight. There was a relocation which
added a mile to the Trail, unexpectedly, however it passed through attractive
mossy rocky forest and wasn’t too difficult.
The Trail then climbed up on to Little Bigelow Mountain and I found a
nice sunny spot on a flat rock with a view for a late lunch at 3pm. After lunch, the Trail descended from the
Bigelow Range using another “relo” and offered some
views. It then went through deciduous
forest and some boggy areas. I reached
Jerome Brook Lean-To at 6:30pm and found it empty. I had a wash and dinner without incident on
a pleasant sunny evening and decided to take a chance and drink the water
untreated, though the stream was at low altitude. Went to bed at 8:30pm and did my diary by
candlelight. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
104 |
|
Date: |
Thursday, 14 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Mild, sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
16.8 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT Cumulative
Miles: |
1993.0 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2051.0 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
Lower right back chafing. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
14 overnight hikers, some others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5:30am and, after
water-proofing various pack items with garbage bags for the coming Kennebec River crossing, left at 7:10am. It was going to be a beautiful day as I set
out to try and reach the Kennebec, 17 miles away,
by lunchtime. The Trail passed through
pretty deciduous forest for most of the morning and also by three beautiful
lakes. The second, East Carry Pond,
was particularly beautiful, with a loon calling, and I took an early
mid-morning break to enjoy the scene.
It made me feel quite melancholy that the trip was nearing the
end. After a break at Pierce Pond
Lean-To, I pushed on to the Kennebec. The Trail was new and, although following
an attractive large stream, was hard slow going. Just before reaching the Kennebec, I met an elderly couple coming the other way
who’d just crossed the river by canoe.
They said the river was running very high – too high to ford. Alice Ference, an
AT Thru-hiker nearing her goal, drowned while fording the Kennebec
last year, so I was a bit anxious about the dangers involved. I reached the river, more than 100 metres
wide, at 2:45pm and found the two mid-river gravel bars, which were supposed
to be above water for safe fording, beneath the surface. I was tempted to try the ford and assume I
could swim pushing my water-proofed pack if too deep, but decided to leave
that as a last resort for tomorrow morning.
The river is supposed to be at its lowest at 6am (there’s a dam upstream
making timed releases of water). It is
possible to call in advance to arrange to be ferried across the river, but I
didn’t really want to do that, having walked every step of the way so far. I had lunch and waited on the banks in the
sun for 1˝ hours to see if there was any change in the water level – there
wasn’t – before walking inland 100 yards to a small conifer grove where I set
up camp. There is a major road across
the river. It is strange to contrast
that normality with my life-risking struggle to go on first thing tomorrow
morning. Around 5pm, two hikers (I
think) began testing the water depth on the other side. The current was far too strong and the
river too deep for them to go more than a few yards from the shore and they
gave up. I had dinner early, made some
preparations for tomorrow, and went to bed at 7:30pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
105 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 15 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Mild, overcast. |
|
AT
Miles: |
27.2 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2020.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2078.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter. |
|
Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Moose, weasel (?). |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Thru-Hiker (southbound), 10
overnight hikers, 2 day hikers, some others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 4:30pm and packed up in the
dark, putting everything in garbage bags in preparation for the big
crossing. After breakfast, I headed
down to the river which was now much lower and covered with a patchy
mist. Quite attractive. I carried a pole for support but, apart
from some slippery rocks, the crossing was something of an anticlimax and, at
its deepest, the water was only mid-thigh.
On the northern bank, I rearranged some things and put on my shoes and
socks before setting off on a long day of 27 miles. Fortunately, the first six miles were
road-walking and I covered them in good time.
The first of those miles took me through the little village of Caratunk where everybody seemed to be still asleep as I
tip-toed through. I took my first
break at Pleasant Pond Lean-To before the steep climb up Pleasant Pond
Mountain. I didn’t bother taking the
side-trail to the summit. The Trail
descended the other side through deciduous forest and it was here I disturbed
and saw my first moose. It trotted off
into the forest. I continued to make
good time and took my second break at a very pleasant spot on the shores of
Moxie Pond. Then followed the ascent
of Moxie Bald Mountain from the shoulders of which there were excellent views
towards the bluish mountains in the distance.
I had lunch at Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-To on the shores of pretty
Bald Mountain Lake and chatted to a female school-teacher from Philadelphia
and a southbound AT Thru-hiker. With
weather reports indicating scattered afternoon showers, I walked the
remaining seven miles to my target Breakneck Ridge Lean-To through mixed
forest with plenty of bogs. Already
there, with a fire going, was Gary, who was out for a few weeks shakedown in
preparation for doing the AT next year.
We talked a fair bit and I went to bed at 8:30pm. A big, but good, day. I was initially worried a bit about Gary,
who seemed the Rambo-type with knives etc., but he loosened up after a while. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
106 |
|
Date: |
Saturday, 16 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Some rain, mostly fine. |
|
AT
Miles: |
9.0 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2029.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2087.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, eggs, toast, orange juice. |
|
Lunch: |
Burger, fries, ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
Steak, vegetables, cake, ice-cream. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
None. |
|
People
Seen: |
2 AT Thru-hikers, 1 AT Hiker (southbound,
by sections), 5 overnight hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5am and packed and ate quickly
and left at 6:15am, just after a brief shower of rain. It was very gloomy. I decided to just walk the nine miles into Monson
non-stop and hopefully get there early enough to ring both Marj and
Barb. The Trail through the forest was
mainly on old logging tracks and was wet and boggy, but there were long
sections on the road where I could keep the pace going. I got into the outskirts of Monson, on a
big lake, at about 9:15am and immediately found Shaw’s Boarding House, where
I planned to stay. I went in and the
diminutive operator, Keith (and his wife, Patty), told me I was in time for
breakfast and could make my calls from their phone. I checked in, had my big breakfast, rang
Marj (ticket had arrived) and Barb before having a shower. I then went downtown, collected my mail and
did my shopping. Among others at the
hostel were Jerry (who I had hiked with in New Jersey, and who was apparently
waiting in Monson for me to catch up) and “Shutterbug” (Geoff). We went down to the only restaurant in town
for lunch and I read my mail. It
included a letter from Syntec painting a less-rosy
picture of the job they were proposing to me.
I was a bit annoyed, but not surprised. During the afternoon I ate, watched
baseball on TV, read the paper and did my laundry. Also in residence was Bob Barker, an MS
sufferer, and an insufferable bore.
After dinner I went for a walk around town with Jerry and Geoff before
returning to watch TV until retiring about 10:30pm. During the day, Bo had rung to say they
would meet me on Monday for lunch. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
107 |
|
Date: |
Sunday, 17 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Warm, very humid, partly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
22.6 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2051.8 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2109.8 |
|
Breakfast: |
Eggs, pancakes, orange juice. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar. |
|
Dinner: |
Macaroni cheese, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
None. |
|
People
Seen: |
10 overnight hikers, 5 day hikers, many
others. |
|
Journal: I got up at 6:15am and after breakfast
(big!) left Monson at about 7:40am. Geoff
and Jerry left with me and we all did the long road-walk out of town followed
by a climb up on to a ridge on new trail.
The going was slow, but the forest was pretty and the Trail passed a
number of attractive lakes. Geoff
dropped behind. The Trail passed by
Little Wilson Falls which were very pretty and followed by the first ford of
the day. The Trail then dropped off
the ridge back onto a road and we had about five miles of road-walking, some
of it in hot sun on a very humid day.
We reached the point where the Trail left the road and immediately had
to ford Long Pond Stream. We had lunch
on the opposite bank at about 3pm while socks and feet dried, before leaving
at 4pm to climb up 2000+’ Barren Mountain in very hot conditions. There were some good, but hazy, views on
the way up. Once over the peak, the
Trail descended and I reached Cloud Pond Lean-To at about 6:15pm. It only had a dirt floor, but was in a very
attractive setting by a lake. Jerry
arrived shortly after me, and Geoff at about 8:15pm. It had begun to rain at about 7:45pm, and
got heavier. I blew out my candle soon
after 9pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
108 |
|
Date: |
Monday, 18 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Mild, raining in the morning, overcast. |
|
AT
Miles: |
16.6 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2068.4 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2126.4 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Burgers, fries, ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, instant
pudding, Mars Bar. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Squirrels. |
|
People
Seen: |
7 overnight hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5am and left at 6:20am after it
had rained heavily during the night and was forecast to rain again during the
day. I had 10˝ miles to do by 11am to
meet the Cocks’ family as arranged. It
seemed to be an easy task, but the rough Trail and wet slippery conditions
slowed progress considerably. After an
hour it began to rain steadily and soon I was soaked through. The forest was mossy and pretty, but cloud
and rain prevented any views. I
eventually reached the St Regis Paper Company Logging Road, where I was to
meet the Cocks’, in light rain and 55 minutes late. They weren’t there, but there seemed
nothing to do but wait. I sat on a
bridge in the drizzle and ate my gorp, wet, but not
unhappy. After 30 minutes, the Cocks’
arrived. It was good to see them
all. They suggested we drive into a
nearby town and eat at a restaurant out of the rain, so I hid my pack and
joined them (still soaking wet) in their Volvo. We drove about 18 miles to Brownville
Junction where we found a really nice diner and had a very pleasant hour
chatting and catching up on news – me still in my raincoat. At about 2:30pm, we left and they drove me
back to the Trail where I resumed walking at 3pm and they set off for the
long drive back to Boston. It was
still over 13 miles to go to my target Shelter, but there was one six miles
away so I decided to go there non-stop and see how the time was. It had stopped raining, but everything was
soaking wet and a number of streams had to be forded. There was also a new “relo”,
which slowed things a little, but I reached the Shelter, Carl Newhall, at
5:20pm to find Jerry and another hiker there already. It would be too late to try for the next
Shelter, so I decided on an early night. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
109 |
|
Date: |
Tuesday, 19 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Mild, rain in the morning, overcast. |
|
AT
Miles: |
23.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2091.8 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2149.8 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, candy bars. |
|
Dinner: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, instant
pudding, candy bars. |
|
Aches: |
Crutch chafing. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
2 moose, pheasant. |
|
People
Seen: |
13 overnight hikers. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5am and left at 6:30am thinking
that, if I got a good run, I might make the 29 miles to Potaywadjo
Spring Shelter. There was a fine
drizzle and fog as I set off up the slippery Trail towards the summit of
Whitecap Mountain (3600’). A lot of
wet undergrowth was overhanging the Trail and I was soon soaked through. The going was very slow and it took me 3˝
hours of solid walking to reach Logan Brook Lean-To, seven miles away, where
I had my first break. There were no
views from the bleak summit of Whitecap Mountain. In the shelter was Kacy
(and boyfriend), the solo girl hiker I’d just missed catching in the Green
Mountains in Vermont. She had since
skipped New Hampshire! I pressed on
down the mountain making slightly better progress and took another break next
to a pretty pond after another 5˝ miles.
During the break, Jerry caught me.
We’d said good-bye this morning as he hadn’t been going to go as far
as me today, but had obviously changed his mind. We walked another three miles along a boggy
and sometimes hilly Trail through mossy forest to a lake where we had lunch
at about 2pm. We then walked on to the
very attractive Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To and were tempted to stay, but I
wanted to push on so as to be in a position to reach Dacey
Pond, at the base of Katahdin, by Thursday night. After another five miles, we stopped in a
damp, almost swampy, area near a spring and set up our tents. Wet wood so I had another cold dinner. Today was a bit of a trudge and I’m looking
forward to finishing. Went to bed at
8:15pm and updated my diary in the tent. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
110 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 20 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Warm, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
24.4 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2116.2 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2174.2 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Biscuits and peanut butter, candy bars. |
|
Dinner: |
Noodles, instant pudding. |
|
Aches: |
None bad. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Pheasant, 3 snakes, 2 moose. |
|
People
Seen: |
10 overnight hikers. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5am after a good night’s sleep
and set out at 6:30am for Potaywadjo Spring Hut,
six miles away. The skies were
relatively clear so we were hopeful of a better day. The Trail continued through mossy forest
with an incredible variety of mushrooms and toadstools – all shapes, sizes
and colours – as had been the case the last few days. The Trail was rough, boggy in parts, and
covered in roots. At Potaywadjo Spring Lean-To there was a magnificent spring
with bubbling sand as the water (cold and clear) bubbled up. We then decided to go for Wadleigh Stream Lean-To for lunch in two sections. The Trail conditions remained the same and
it passed by some more beautiful lakes.
At one point, the Trail actually went along the narrow rocky shore of
the lake. I slipped into the water
twice. We had lunch at about 1:40pm at
the pleasant Lean-To. Jerry was having
a lot of trouble with one of his boots that was falling apart, and was tying
it together with string and tape but it kept coming apart under the strain of
the rough Trail. We only had eight
miles to our target shelter, Rainbow Stream Lean-To, but were both tired and
weren’t looking forward to the miles which included Mount Nesuntabunt
(~2000’), the last mountain before Katahdin.
Jerry seemed to have decided he was going to accompany me to the
end. I would have preferred to hike
alone but don’t want to be rude and he’s a likeable bloke – we get on
OK. We set out up the mountain and
stopped at the top for a great view of the forests, lakes and Mount Katahdin
(the northern end of the AT) for the first time. The summit was covered in cloud. We descended from the mountain to Crescent Pond
and, as we were walking along the edge, Jerry spotted a moose feeding in the
shallows about 30 yards offshore. We
both got pictures before it was scared off.
We then saw it had a calf with it.
The last four miles dragged, but we eventually reached the pretty
shelter by the stream in a little valley.
We had it to ourselves. I had a
double portion of noodles (because I hadn’t cooked the two previous nights)
and, after dinner, enjoyed two cups of hot chocolate whilst musing over the
trip and its looming end. I felt a bit
melancholy. Went to bed at about 9pm. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
111 |
|
Date: |
Thursday, 21 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Mild, mostly sunny. |
|
AT
Miles: |
21.9 |
|
Other
Miles: |
0 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2138.1 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2196.1 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
?? |
|
Dinner: |
Hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni cheese,
apple pie, chips. |
|
Aches: |
Left Achilles sore. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
Moose, chipmunks. |
|
People
Seen: |
1 AT Thru-hiker (southbound), 6 overnight
hikers, 4 day hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: Got up at 5am to what promised to be a
beautiful day. We packed up and left
our lovely spot at 6:30am and hiked upstream to a nearby lake. As we walked around the shore in the early
morning sunlight, Jerry spotted a big bull moose out in the middle of the
lake which was covered on the surface by a light mist. It was a beautiful scene and I wished I had
the zoom lens. We took some pictures
and walked around the shore on the Trail getting quite close before he heard
us and took off. It seemed a good omen. We pressed on along the Trail, which was
never easy going – always twisting and turning, going up and down small bumps
and hills, covered by exposed tree roots and rocks, and occasionally boggy.
It was a real test for the legs, ankles and feet. It passed along the shore of Rainbow Lake
for five miles before climbing up on to the Rainbow Ledges. It was a excellent day and we had good
views in all directions. The crest of
Katahdin still had a cover of cloud, however.
The descent from the Ledges to Hurd Brook
Lean-To was tortuous. We had a break
before continuing on more tough trail.
We were both wishing it was over.
At about 1:30pm, we reached Abol Bridge
Campground and its small store. We
bought a big lunch and sat outside in the sun eating and watching the logging
trucks roll by. We decided to buy some
extra food for our last night on the Trail and got some hot dogs, baked
beans, chips, cans of drink, fruit pies and cookies. We left at 2:30pm for the last 7˝ miles to
our target of Daicey pond Campground. The Trail was easy at first, following old
logging trails and some flat land upstream along the Penobscot
River, which was quite wide. We saw a
couple of big rafts with tourists floating downstream. The Trail then left the river and followed
a large stream upstream and became more difficult. The stream was pretty, with a number of big
cascades and flumes and inviting swimming holes on a warm afternoon. We were both tired and looking forward to
getting to the Campground. The Trail
crossed a number of tributaries on testing logs and saplings, but neither of
us fell in. We reached the Campground
at 5:30pm on the shores of a beautiful pond with Katahdin in the background
(top still cloud-covered). We paid for
a shelter and had a very pleasant evening eating our goodies, chatting with a
southbound, by sections, AT Hiker, and reflecting on the trip. Rain was forecast overnight, clearing
tomorrow. We went to bed at 8:30pm
after deciding to go tomorrow, regardless of the weather (Katahdin weather can
be very dangerous, even in summer).
Almost as soon as we went to bed, it began raining. There were mozzies and mice in the shelter. |
|
|
|
|
|
Day: |
112 |
|
Date: |
Friday, 22 August 1986. |
|
Weather: |
Warm, cloudy and first, windy. |
|
AT
Miles: |
7.2 |
|
Other
Miles: |
5.2 |
|
AT
Cumulative Miles: |
2145.3 |
|
Total
Cumulative Miles: |
2208.5 |
|
Breakfast: |
Muesli, health drink. |
|
Lunch: |
Burgers, fries, ice-cream. |
|
Dinner: |
? |
|
Aches: |
Left Achilles. |
|
Animals
Seen: |
4 moose. |
|
People
Seen: |
16 day hikers, many others. |
|
Journal: We got up at 5am after a bad night’s
sleep. Jerry had been tossing and
turning most of the night and shaking the whole shelter. It had rained most of the night but had now
stopped. We set off at 6:20am to walk
to Katahdin – our last day on the Trail.
We were both quite excited, though we knew we had a tough climb in
front of us. In the first couple of
miles the clouds started clearing and the scenery was beautiful – lakes,
forests and Katahdin (still cloud-covered).
We surprised a cow moose and calf at very close range, but didn’t have
time to get the camera out, and saw another couple of moose at a distance
feeding in a lake. We reached Katahdin
Stream Campground at 7:10am (Barb and I had camped there before) and began
the big, our last, ascent. The Trail
gradually became steeper and steeper, and the rocks became boulders. We had both decided to take out full packs
up, even though we didn’t need them (we were returning the same way later in
the day), and this made the climbing very tricky in parts. As we got higher the temperature became
cooler and there was a biting strong wind.
We got into the clouds a few times, but they seemed to be breaking up
as we went and we also got some good views.
Eventually, we reached the mountain’s summit plateau and walked 1˝
miles across its rocky surface gradually, and then more steeply, up to the
summit (5260’). We collected some
spring water en route for a summit toast.
It was very cold, though we were only lightly clad – shorts, T-shirts,
Goretex rain jackets. We reached the fog-covered summit at
10:15am and the Trail was officially finished. We hung around for a while, toasting each
other, eating a snack and picture-taking, before leaving at 11am. It was too cold to stay longer but, between
breaks in the clouds, we’d got superb views in all directions, so couldn’t
complain. The views continued
throughout our descent above the tree-line – the pack still making
boulder-hopping difficult. Below the
tree-line we were becoming weary and knees and feet were hurting. We wanted to finish. At 1:40pm, we arrived at Katahdin Stream
Campground. At the Ranger Office we
found the AT Register and made our final entries. I went for a quick swim in the absolutely
freezing pond – much to the delight of a number of onlookers – and changed
into clean (relatively) clothes. Jerry
asked a guy with a pick-up about a lift to Millinocket and the guy said he
could give us a lift to the main road, which he did. There, we only waited a few minutes before
getting another lift into Millinocket – right to the door of a motel (with a
stop at the Post Office for Jerry). We
checked in at 3:45pm and spent a relaxing rest of the day eating, watching TV
and talking. Rang Barb and found a bus
went from Medway, 11 miles away, next morning at 9am. Went to bed at 11:15pm. [Next day, I hitched to Medway and caught
two buses back to Boston where I stayed with my aunt, Marj, until I flew back
to Australia a week later.] |
|