I’ve started a photo album on Facebook.
But we get back on the trail tomorrow morning and on to Caratunk and beyond.
Caratunk is at mile 151. We are at 114 now. So at 12-15 miles a day it should be about three days.
Guthooks is giving us direct distances to shelters instead of trail distances right now which makes it rough for planning when in town.
So. The 24th we finished around mile 60.
The 25th we got to Logan Brook at about mile 72 with a privy way up the hill and all the bees.
The 26th was Chairback Gap at Mile 88.5
Long Pond was next. We stopped early to get shelter space with rain coming in at Mile 99.5.
It dropped over two inches of rain. The dried up stream next to the shelter was running in the morning.
The next day, after the rain we got to Leeman Brook at 111.5 and decided to press on to Monson. We had to ford seven crossings in 100 miles because the water was up.
I had a fall and lost a pole over a waterfall. I was able to replace it at Monson and until then John Monk, Jr. lent me a replacement. Happy had a log bridge dump her into the bog. No moose were spotted, but a lot of moose droppings.
John will be an NPC (paladin sword & board) in NTRPGCON next year.
So August 29 we had a very long day (made longer by some traverses and cross trail work) but finished in Monson which is technically Mile 114.5.
The trail used to go through Monson but they rerouted it to get away from unsafe highway traffic.
Today we are at the iconic Shaw’s Hostel taking a zero and recovering. But August 21 to August 29 we covered 119 trail miles (since you have to go up and down Katahdin but it only counts one way on the trail). Nine days. At our expected rate we would have been at the Chairback Gap Shelter instead of Monson.
Tomorrow morning we eat breakfast and head off down the trail again. Next town will be in three-four days at Caratunk at mile 151.
We have our tags.
We met Ninja Mouse, Jellyfish, Robot and Two Tone who were going north as we went south.
Then we met Firefly as well.
Going south we met Chip, Firewood, Wombat and Monk. Monk got madly stung by bees/hornets and got off trail with a four inch diameter eruption on his leg.
So. The 23rd we made it to a shelter and the next night we got to Nahmakahta Shelter at mile 44.
Then on the 24th we made it to Cooper Brook.
At this point our goal had been to do a series of ten mile days as we got our trail legs back.
Cooper Brook Shelter is mile 59.7. We were doing better than the plan.
Beautiful falls and a swimming hole. Leeches in the water so we didn’t swim. We met Sunshine who works for LL Bean, her mother Morning Glory (who packed in margaritas), Taco Money who is full keto and has lost 280 pounds so far, and Storm/Chip was with us again.
The bog bridges were impressive. One was broken half way through and I was glad it didn’t fail and make us swim the distance it spanned.
Storm made a fire every night. Firewood, who was just out of the Rangers, gathered firewood every night.
Then August 25. The trail got tougher with the chairbacks.
I had a post or two get swallowed by bad internet connections and be lost. So I’m recreating our trip as we rest in Monson.
First, Happy (Win) has been incredible. When we hiked up we were part of a group of fifteen—twenty people making the climb at the time we were going up. She got to the top half an hour before the rest.
It was a beautiful day.
We summited on the 21st and headed to Abol’s Bridge on the 22nd. After that there is almost no cell service or reliable internet until after the 100 mile wilderness.
Those rock scramble pictures are several thousand vertical feet over less than .3 miles.
Rain at night after we got under shelter.
Anyway, past that flashback.
We hiked in to a shelter and there was space. We were lucky. With the rain the mosquitoes get suppressed (they need about a week of still water to bloom). Friends of our coming North through the wilderness got swarmed by mosquitoes and rained on. We had virtually no mosquitoes at all and it was mostly dry until our last day or so.
The first half going south is fast trail. Then it goes over the chairbacks. Rough. A little dangerous. No views. The trail is going to route around them.
I tried not using my poke straps. Fell during ford and lost a pole. We had seven fords. Our friends coming north had three.
Chip (John Monk—a great guy) from Pennsylvania leant me a pole until Monson where I bought new poles.
You can tell that we had a rest day.
Fitbit captures all the miles, the trail and the walking around (privy, getting water, etc.).
We were going to stop at a shelter and then into Monson on day 8 but the guy there was creepy and we decided to hike the last stretch in.
I was glad we did. Seven great days. Comes out to an average of about 14 trail miles a day.
We climbed Katahdin on August 21. We went up the Hunt Trail and down Abol. I twisted my knee on the uphill ascent and it just got worse going up and the more going down. I was really afraid it was going to knock me off the trail.
We had run into Tabasco who we had met on the South when he was hiking with Angela. She flipped at Harpers Ferry (going up to Maine) and he had flipped at the end of Pennsylvania.
We had a reserved shelter at the Abol Campground that we were able to share with Tabasco which helped because he was unable to get reservations. The shelters will sleep six.
Some Motrin on the way down reduced the inflammation and the pain was gone. I’ve never had anything happen quickly like that. I’m still amazed.
The shuttle from the hostel dropped us off at the ascent and our backpacks at the campground. It is a two mile road walk back to the trail, which we were able to hitchhike.
There is only the one road in and out so anyone going our way was going our way, so to speak. A guy offered us a ride in his pick-up but we suggested that it would be better for his nose if we were to ride in the bed of his pick up rather than the crew cab.
The next day we hiked down to Abol Bridge which is a really easy ten miles from Katahdin Springs. There was a rainstorm that rolled in so we rented a cabin. It came with shower privileges but did not include soap or towels. The beds had mattress covers, and the floor had an eighth of an inch of grit.
On the other hand it was the last time for laundry or a shower before the hundred mile wilderness. We were glad to take showers.
Then on into the 100 Mile Wilderness we went. The ATC recommended ten days of food (there is even a sign with warnings). We had five and the resupply bucket scheduled.
We climbed Katahdin on August 21. We went up the Hunt Trail and down Abol. I twisted my knee on the uphill ascent and it just got worse going up and the more going down. I was really afraid it was going to knock me off the trail.
We had run into Tabasco who we had met on the South when he was hiking with Angela. She flipped at Harpers Ferry (going up to Maine) and he had flipped at the end of Pennsylvania.
We had a reserved shelter at the Abol Campground that we were able to share with him because he was unable to get reservations.
Some Motrin on the way down reduced the inflammation and the pain was gone. I’ve never had anything so successful happen like that. I’m still amazed. Grateful too.
The shuttle dropped us off at the ascent and our backpacks at the campground. We borrowed day packs from the ranger station for the ascent.
After the summit it is a two mile road walk back to the trail, which we were able to hitchhike. If we had come down the way we went up that would not have been an issue.
There is only the one road in and out so anyone going our way was going our way, so to speak. A guy offered us a ride in his pick up but we suggested that it would be better for his nose if we were to ride in the bed of his pick up rather than the crew cab.
The next day we hiked down to Abol Bridge which is a really easy ten miles from Katahdin Springs. There was a rainstorm that rolled in so we rented a cabin. It came with shower privileges but did not include soap or towels. The beds had mattress covers, and the floor had an eighth of an inch of grit.
On the other hand it was the last time for laundry or a shower before the hundred mile wilderness.
Then on the next day ok we went. They recommended ten days of food (there is even a sign with warnings).
We had dinner with Vera Hurst, got our resupply bucket ready and got ready to start our hike.
They told us to pack seven days of food. One for the day of the climb. One to Abol’s Bridge and five for the hundred miles. Then half way in we would pick up a five day resupply to get us the rest of the way through and into Monson.
And Sunset.
Just met Tabasco again at the lodge. He just flipped up to climb tomorrow too.
Part of a flip flop (what they call it when you hike north then “flip” up to the top and hike or “flop” south) is getting to see old friends.
We had dinner with Vera Hurst, got our resupply bucket for the middle of the 100 Mile Wilderness ready and got ready to start our hike.
Being able to have food delivered half way through at the bridge really makes that stretch easier.
They told us to pack seven days of food. One for the day of the climb. One to Abol’s Bridge and five for the hundred miles. Then half way in we would pick up a five day resupply to get us the rest of the way through and into Monson.
And Sunset.
Just met Tabasco again at the lodge. He just flipped up to climb tomorrow too.
Part of a flip flop (what they call it when you hike north then “flip” up to the top and hike or “flop” south) is getting to see old friends.
Recovering from travel, arranging resupply and meeting friends.
Recovering from travel, arranging resupply and meeting friends.
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