Winding Down

After breakfast in Monson on Saturday (9-3), we were shuttled back to Jo-Mary Rd where we started hiking at 9:45 AM.  I was eager to begin the last section of the hike.  Here is a picture of a sheer rock face with trees growing out the side and a lot of moss.

We forded two streams.  The first one required taking off our boots and socks and putting on our Crocs.  The second stream had more rocks to use for crossing so we all decided not to change our shoes.  The rocks were slippery and some were uneven.  About 2/3 of the way across, I slipped and fell in.  My right foot was caught between two rocks and the strong current made it difficult to stand upright.  It took me about 30 seconds to get myself back in control of the situation in the waist-high water.  Somehow, only the bottom of my backpack got wet.  I keep my tent in the bottom of my bag so no real harm was done.  Then I realized that one of my hiking sticks was missing.  One stick floated away and I couldn't see it.  Fortunately Deadman was still on the shore and he spotted out the pole below the surface about 50 feet downstream.  I made it to land, took off my backpack, and went back in after it.  Other than being very wet, the ordeal ended OK.  We continued hiking until 6:30 PM when we tented just off the trail.  Considering the late morning start, we were pleased to have hiked 15.0 miles.  Sunday (9-4) started at 6:30 AM.  Here is a picture of the misty morning in Maine.

We climbed 900 rocky feet to the top of Nesuntabunt Mountain, descended 900 feet to Pollywog Stream, and then had lunch at Rainbow Stream Lean-to.  The morning was difficult with lots of mud and unending standing water.  We forded one stream by rock hopping.  The afternoon had easier terrain with no major climbs but still, lots of mud and water everywhere.  At 3:30 PM we heard thunder in the distance and it kept creeping closer.  As we reached Rainbow Spring Campground at 4:30 PM, the rain began so we quickly put up our tents.  I ate dinner in my tent after I towel dried the floor due to all the water.  The rain stopped at 6 PM for a few minutes so we all quickly walked to a nearby spring to get water.  We hiked 14.7 miles.  The goal of Monday (9-5) was to reach Abol Bridge.  The overnight rain left all of us with wet tents and wet gear.  The trail was very sloppy and drenched.  We reached Abol Bridge at 2:30 PM.  By 3 PM we were being shuttled to the Appalachian Trail Lodge, a hostel about 30 miles away in Millinocket, ME.  It continued to pour all night and it is expected to continue into Tuesday.  We hiked 11.2 miles so we are 15.2 miles from the peak of Mt. Katahdin.  After 24 weeks (168 days), I have hiked 2,165.8 miles for an average of 12.9 miles per day.  Hopefully the next post will be a picture of me on top of Mt. Katahdin!