So far

I'm journalling every day but having a hard time getting it online. Too much time hiking! My handwriting is so terrible that it takes forever to transpose my notes. But I'm meeting so many awesome people and want to keep in touch so I just wanted to drop in some contact info.

My email is phillip.r.ouellette@gmail.com
I'm on Facebook at facebook.com/phillip.ouellette.5
and you can follow my progress at share.delorme.com/PhillipOuellette

So look me up! As of now I'm in Manchester center staying with my good friend Al and his amazing family at their beautiful house in the mountains. It's a beautiful day, I'll be in Mass soon, and I'm feeling exceedingly lucky and happy to be on the Trail. Peace and love,

Ups

June 27. "The Bigelows"

Interesting day. I hiked well, and sure, over pretty tough terrain, the Bigelows. It's my first 4000 footer so far! And it reminded me very much of hiking in the Southern Presidentials. It rained pretty much all night, but I slept well, alone at the the Bigelow shelter. Up early, ate a cold breakfast of Pop-tarts and granola. Even skipped the coffee. Was just nervous, I guess, and having a hard time eating, just wanted to get going, but I knew it's important to eat. But, I stuck a couple of Snickers in my hip-belt pocket. New Rule: always have Snickers on hand when hiking elevation. The more the better. The ones that have 2 little Snickers in the same package are awesome. When I would wake up, last night, alone, in the dark and rain, of course I though of all the things that could go wrong as I crossed the mountains. Lightning (probably the most legitimate worry), as I would be on exposed ridges and summits. Someone told me - I think it was the Northern Outdoors shuttle driver, "If you see lightning in the Bigelows, duck." Thanks, that's helpful. People have a lot of non-advice advice out here. Oh, back to the list. Slip and fall, broken bones, hypothermia, eh, why not throw in "massive heart attack" while I'm at it. Of course, none of these things came to pass. I wouldn't have been nervous about it, really, at all... I mean, I've climbed lots of big mountains, but inclement weather in high elevations still freaks me out a little [I'm not the only one, turns out, lots of hikers share my anxiety]. I wouldn't normally go up a mountain on a foggy, drizzly day, but I'm thruhiking, so I can't really sit around and wait for perfect weather (see rule: sometime you gotta start in the rain). I couldn't sit in the shelter all day waiting for it to clear up, I mean, it could get worse! I can't go back; seriously "Why did you get off the trail?" "Well, it was a little foggy..." So, I just had to pull on the ole boots and go. I made sure everything was water-proofed, brought some extra water, had snacks on the ready, and just started cranking. I knew once I went, I'd feel much better about things. And I did, it wasn't bad, just foggy and gloomy, a bit drizzly. The rocks were surprisingly "sticky" for being wet, and my footing was good. I took it slow and steady, took regular breaks, and before I knew it was up and over Little Bigelow. I was walking by large, open areas of white fog, that I just knew would be an amazing view on a clear day. Before long I was in the col between Little Bigelow and Avery Peak, where there's a campground. I started up Avery Peak, which is kind of a straight shot up, which I like in a way, no false summits! The scenery here was spectacular, just in the forest. Great slabs of rock jutted out over the trail, forming rooved caves (which would make a good shelter, I thought - of course - in the case of an emergency). Everything was covered with lush green moss, streams trickled down the mountains, the fog sat in the notch and gave everything a ghostly quality. I had noticed a little blue sky as I'd gotten up a bit higher on Little Bigelow, so I thought there'd be a chance of getting up over the clouds, and getting some sun and views when I climbed the much higher Avery Peak. And it was so - Avery was beautiful, with the foundation of an old fire tower, I'm guessing, and very reminiscent of the Whites. Gravelly, rocky trails lined with stones, signs warning not to disturb the fragile alpine plants. And sun! A bit anyway, and the fog was breaking up, and restricted but grand views were finally there. I took some pictures and hiked down into the gap between Avery and West Peak, where yet another campground sits, and where Smash and Co. had spent the last night. I ate half a Snickers. Climbed up West Peak, which was pretty socked in - it's actually higher than Avery Peak. Down again, and through a section that had little blazing, maybe because of the kind of trees don't take well to it. But the trail was clear, wide and obvious, with boot prints tramped into the mud from last night's rain. Going up to the Hirn, I ran into a couple of Quebecers (I think), first people I'd seen in almost 24 hours, since I talked to T. We chatted for a bit, they were just out for a dayhike. The view from the top of the Horn was actually quite great, and the sun was out a bit, and the clouds were breaking up, though one large, sad-looking grey cloud floated above me. I sat there for awhile, feeling very safe and satisfied. Nothing had gone wrong! Imagine that. I came up with an exercise to do when I'm feeling panicky or anxious. Think of one thing that I'm grateful for, right here and right now. Sure, it was foggy and windy, but I'm grateful there are no bugs! Maybe this is obvious; an expression of gratitude puts me in the moment, grounds me, and takes some power away from the steady drum beat of "what if" in my mind, about future evens that never seem to unfold. I will practice it regularly. On the way down the Horn, toward the lean-to I'm at now, I ran into some guys on their way up to camp at Avery campsite. They were having a tough time, it's a steep climb. One of them told me there'd be rain in the morning, so I was considering going all the way to Stratton today, but when I got to the lean-to area, it's really nice! Manicured, a caretaker tent, day-use lean-to, a little loop trail around Horn Pond. Also refer to Rule: don't trust anyone's information. It'll probably be lovely tomorrow [it wasn't]. And if not, I'll put on the old raincoat and hike 5 miles to town, can be there for breakfast. I've heard nice things about Stratton, I might even take a full day off, I need to resupply, pick up a drop box, more Aqua Mira, TP, denatured. Maybe a new hat, if anything looks good, like a quick-dry ball cap, this cowboy hat ain't working. Okay - gonna go lay down and rest. Keep on truckin'! - Ups

10.2 Miles. Foggy most of the day, sun came out a bit in the afternoon.

PS. Ditching my Platypus, it's leaking. Fog is blowing by the lean-to like smoke!

"Nothing bad can happen, so long as birds are singing" Now, I know this isn't technically true, but it's an illogical answer to my illogical fears. Thought of it today. [Bible said something similar later to me; as long as birds are singing, he'll hike. If they're silent, watch out...]

June 26. Carry Pond -> Little Bigelow Lean-to

Half day today, about 8 miles from Carry Pond Shelter to Little Bigelow Lean-to. Got here about 12:30, a woman named "T" was here, having a snack break. Very nice woman in her 50's, finishing her last section up to Katahdin. She's from Kentucky and has an adorable Southern accent (the dialect where "cold" is pronounced "code"). It started raining while we talked hiking, but we sat at the front of the shelter and stayed dry. She hiked on after awhile, heading North to Carry Pond, where I'd stayed last night. Today's hike was fairly uneventful, kind of muggy with your typical up-and-down walk in the woods. Not much to recport there. Lots of logging activity, crossed several roads, one paved, the AT ran along one for a short distance [actually walked past a street sign!]. Can hear logging machinery in the distance even now, a start change from the isolation of the 100 miles. A little gnat followed me my whole hile (I have no proof that it was only one) and performed an insipid, stupid little dance right in front of my glasses the entire way. I get it, gnat, I see you, stop being such an attention whore, it's quite unbecoming. I decided to stop early, because the next shelter is 10 miles over the Bigelows, Big-Bigelow[Avery Peak] being a 4000 footer, and I'd love to start them fresh, early in the morning. Good thing, it's raining now, and some serious thunder is happening in the distance. Smash and the boyz are putting in big miles today, trying to get to Avery campsite, up and over Avery Peak. I imagine they're not having too much fun right now. I'll shoot for the next shelter tomorrow, 10 miles over some reportedly rugged but gorgeous terrain. Some in the register here at the lean-to have compared it to the Whites. Til then! Going to scare up some dinner and enjoy being dry in the lean-to. -Ups

June 25. Caratunk -> Carry Pond Lean-to

I would not recommend [Northern Outdoors] to another hiker. They seem to be ill-equipped to serve the needs of the hiker, and more to the rafting-weekend-partier types. The campground was a fucking zoo all night, music pumped from trucks, shrieking, drunk women, loud obnoxious men. Screaming and partying til at least 1 AM. I complained to the woman at the desk [this morning], but she didn't seem that interested or surprised. Good thing I'm not carrying a gun (as so many people have asked me, ostensibly for protection, from what I'm unclear), because I probably would have been tempted to at least fire a few rounds in the partygoers' general direction. The tent-cabin in okay, kind of like a yurt with 2 small beds [and ill-fitting sheets], but the temperature was hot, then cold, then hot - too warm for my bag but cold with nothing. I gess the chaos finally died down at some point, and I got some sleep [I also was cartoonishly squeezing the pillow against my ears]. So, up at 6:30ish, grabbed some TP from the shower room, and came up for breakfast. Ordered pancakes. The young, bro-ey waiter brough out French. "I ordered pancakes." "No, you ordered French toast." "I've never ordered French toast in my life" "Sorry, man." Ugh. My opinion of humanity is not great right now. Looking forward to being back on the trail. Northern Outdoors is running a shuttle to Sterling Inn (will try to resupply my denatured alcohol for my stove) and then to the PO and trailhead, to ferry the river. Almost 8 AM. Full day still ahead! [The French toast was good. Made friends with the bro-ey waiter later on, and we talked about thruhikers who'd passed through]

Lesson learned: The things you worry about are almost guaranteed to not be the things you should have worried about. Those things will likely be fine. You will not see it coming, what will go wrong, so stop the worrying. It is futile.

June 25, con't. East terrain, 14+ miles. Pretty tough day, all in all. I guess every day is going to be tough out here. Got a shuttle to Sterling Inn, courtesy of Northern Outdoors, to get a few ounces of denatured alcohol. Cost a buck. Then he tool me to the PO, where I got my first drop. Kind of exciting! Put some pretty good stuff in there. I made a list of how many dinners, etc. I still had in my food bag, and supplemented from the drop so I have enough to get to Stratton. Still have too much, I suppose. Left a few things in the hiker box at the PO, items worth maybe $6 total, doesn't make sense to ship it. Someone will be psyched to find a full jar of peanut butter in there .Then a short walk to the tailhead, and to the ferry. That was fun. The Northern Outdoors guy said there was a fee, but there isn't (see rule: never trust anyone's information). Apparently, ther guy who runs the ferry ( a rowboat) across the Kennebunk is reimbursed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as part of a government contract, I think, to keep it free. In 1985 a hiker drowned crossing the river, trying to save money. So they made it free so no-one would have a reason not to take it. [there is a white AT blaze painted on the floor of the dinghy, so you're never off the trail. It is the only non-walking, sanctioned section of the Trail). Hillbilly Bob (I think this was the boat guy's name, I can't be sure) gave me a quick run-down of the weather forecast, distance to the next shelter, and for good measure, distance to Springer Mountain [the southern terminus of the AT in Georgia]. Thus began the day of hiking, finally, at about 10, on the southern bank of the Kennebunk. East terrain, rolling hills, hiked along a stream for a while. Pleasant weather, but scattered thunderstorms were forecasted. Smash and company (I like them now) were at the first shelter I passed (Pierce Pond). Smask was wearing only underwear, his clothes draped in the sun on a tree near the pond. "You missed the show!" Friar exclaimed, and explained that Smash had falled full-body into the pond while trying to douse his bandana in the cold water. We chatted and ate lunch, and were eventually back on the trail. Hot and humid, bugs were out but not bad. Had a new nasty black-fly attacked; those bastards draw blood! [and leave bruises! WTF? Thankfully most of them were killed off in early June by a late frost]. It was 10 miles from Pierce to our destination, Carry Pond Shelter. 5 hours or so of relatively uneventful, pretty fast hiking. Thought a lot about if I have what it takes to keep this up for another 2000 miles. One step at a time. I snacked on chocolate almonds and Haribo, and sweated bullets, drinking water constantly. Getting low on Aqua Mira, will have to find some in Stratton, or another treatment method. On the last leg, around Carry Pond, the thunderstorm showed up. It was actually pretty cool, but a bit alarming, when the Trail took me down to the pond's edge. Great, dark, ferocious-looking blue-grey clouds were rolling in over the pond, and the wind was whipping the water into whitecaps. Finally the rain came, hard. I paused to don my raincoat and pack cover; I knew I was close to the shelter but not sure how far. Walked in the rain for probably 50 paces, and saw the sign, pointing up a blue-blazed trail, 100 yards. I ran up the trail, splashing through puddles, to the exclamations of Smash and Co. when I came up. "Almost!" I said. We caught up on the day's hike, and I talked to the other folks at the shelter; a couple, and a father-son duo, all going from Grafton to Katahdin. I rehydrated lentils and quinoa, and joked with the guys, talking gear, motivation for thruhiking, weight loss. Then I realized, I'm being the cliquey thruhiker! I bugged me about them before, how they are this little inside-group and ignore the day- and section-hikers. I wasn't doing it intentionally, but a thruhike [even attempted] is a bonding endeavor. I will attempt to not fall into that habit. Too dark to write; need a new noteboook soon! - Ups

June 24. Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to -> Caratunk

Tough day, good end to it, though. Got going about 8, in the rain. Tried to wait it out, but just had to go. Ate 2 Pop-tarts, plus cold granola, nuts, cranberries with powdered milk. I think I need to eat bigger breakfasts, I felt good the first part of the day. The climb up Mt. Pleasant was tough, in that is was long and pretty relentless, though not too steep. The rain let up, and the clouds parted, finally. Made me think that sometimes you have to start with non-ideal circumstances, have to begin anyway, and hope that the conditions will improve. Can't just sit around waiting for the perfect time - life lesson if I ever heard one. Took a coupld of hours to climp the summit, and I fould Smash and the boys lying on the rock, taking a lunch break. Those guys are growing on me, they seem like good guys. I shouldn't judge people so quickly. My panic issues showed up to play today, and I battled them for a while. I didn't bring enough water up the mountain, I've been getting spoiled with the constant water sources, and I started to freak out a little. It all turned out okay [of course], but I should watch that in the future. The descent down the other side of Pleasant was tricky, the rain had made everything slick, like someone had poured WD-40 over the whole damn mountain. I slipped and fell 2 or 3 times; once I landed on my pack, which is the ideal outcome in a fall. My feel came right out from under me - I flinched, thinking I was in for some paint - and smoosh, right on my pack. I went slow from then on. The view from the top was great. After coming most of the way down, I found a stream, treated some water, and continued to the Pleasand Pond shelter where I took a load off, mixed some Emergen-C with a liter of water, and downed it. Got more water from the stream near the shelter. Ate gummi bears. Finally felt better. I considered staying at the shelter, but it was only 2:30 and I couldn't justify hiking a half-day. So, I rallied and started to Caratunk, especially since the terrain looked manageable, except a steep "blip" a coupld of miles before the AT hits 201. The terrain was, in fact, manageable, albeit a little muddy, and the woods were nice, sunny and breezy. The "blip" was a very steep climb, straight up a pine-needle covered hill in the woods. It was hard after a long day. After more mud, poor blazing, and requisite back-tracking, I heard the road (actually heard it for the last hour or so) and came out to the trailhead. 14-some-odd hard miles, and I laid down/collapsed under a tree, happy to be done. I walked to the road and started walking, trying to get a hitch. No one was stopping. I asked a young woman on a bike if I was heading the right way. She said I was heading to the PO, but Northern Outdoors, where I wanted to eat and stay, was the other way. I thanked her and switched to the other side, and was quickly picked up by the Sterling Inn [another hiker hostel in Caratunk, probably should have stayed there] van, which - guess who was in it - Smash and the Boys! We greeted each other and I got a ride up to Northern Outdoors, where I parlayed a cabin-tent [kind of like a yurt, a simple cabin structure with canvas walls and roof, and 2 beds inside] for the night for 16 bucks, put in a load of laundry, took a shower (used shampoo I found, good enough), and now am sitting at the bar in the lodge, having eaten chicken wings and a burger, and a lot of cran-sodas and water. There's an annoying drunk dude next to me cursing loudly at the Bruins game, and it hasn't even officially started yet. I get why towns seem loud and annoting to hikers, I kind of want to be back in the woods. No burgers in the woods, though. Smash and the boys are camping near the trailhead. Going to get the Kennebunk ferry tomrrow in the AM, after picking up my food drop at the post office. Gonna grab my laundry and leave the bar, hit my cabin-tent and get some sleep. -Ups

AM showers, cleared up as day went on, humid, hot(ish) and muggy

June 23. Horseshoe Canyon -> Bald Mt. Brook Shelter

It's about 8:30 in the shelter. I just awoke from a nap in which I dreamt it was my job to clean the US Congressional Hall, and Senators would bring in large sticks and leave them laying around, in some kind of demonstration of their concern and support for the 2nd Amendment. I was sick of it, and threw them all away outside, and people were outraged. Go figure. My dreams have been extra-bizarre and vivid on the Trail, many people from my past making appearances. Maybe the exhausion and isolation of the Trail unlocks some strange door in the mind. There is one particular spot on this shelter's metal corrugated roof that sounds like an old guitar being fiercely plucked when it gets hit with a big fat drop of rain. I keeping listening for it, laying in the near-darkness. A strange mosquito moth creature is buzzing my headlamp. I put in a good 13-point-something mile day, and feel good about it. The first part was flat, mostly, fairly muddy - though nothing like day 2 & 3 - and the bugs were pretty bad. There were a coupld of fords, but they were knee-deep at best and one had a rope. I saw a couple of old ladies fishing near one. "Whatcha doing?" they asked. "Trying to keep my feet dry", I said. "Good luck with that!"  Still unsure of Hugh's whereabouts. My guess is that his camera ran out of batteries so he just went back to Monson. Fuckin' Hugh. [I ran into him my first day out of Monson, he'd left a couple of hours behind me and I ran into him a few minutes after being on the trail. He was standing in the middle of the trail fiddling with his camera. I asked if he were lost, and he said no, my camera doesn't work. I reminded him that we're walking in the rain past nothing worth photographing, but no matter. I hiked past him and haven't seen him since.] Just heard a thunderclap in the distance. I heard something big in the woods today, maybe a deer, didn't seem big enough to be a moose, and I haven't seen any bear scat today. Moose apparently think it's okay to use the AT as their personal toilet - not cool, meese! Tried that new coffee-mocha stuff this morning; it's awesome. Basically cocao with instant coffee in it. Dana and I found it at IGA and figured the extra calories couldn't hurt. Tonight I made pasta/sauce, that I dried awhile ago. Added cheese powder, oil and chipotle. It was really good and super filling. I think it was a whole jar of suace. The cat foot stove is working well, just can't put it near anything flammable, because it gets wicked hot. I was testing it on a plastic table at Shaw's and almosts melted a hole clean through the damn things. Stopped for lunch at Moxie Bald mountain lean-to, near Bald Mountain Pond. Ate a peanut butter wrap and summer sausage, quickly, because I was about to be completely carried away by mosquitoes. The pond was beautfiul though, it was mistl and windy and mysterios, with craggy cliff haces coming down to the water in the foddy reaches of the pond. By the way, "ponds" are extrememly large in Maine, more like lakes. So then I tramped up Moxie Bald Mountain, a good, hot, sweaty climb that eventually spit me out on the 2630' summit. There were a couple of tricky rock scrambles, and also a summit-bypass trail, I suppose in case of bad weather. Since - hint is in the name - it's "bald" up there, rocky and exposed. The summit is sprawling, lunar and austere, with weather-beaten, scrubby vegetation, lichen, and an endless array of giant, waves of rock, like a playground for hikers. It was hazy, and the views were negatively affected, but they were there nonetheless, and I laid on my back in the sun - I'd finally found sun - and tried to dry off. Most of the day had been gray and foggy and melancholy, but up on the summit I was feeling satistfied, maybe because of the sun and maybe because I knew most of the day's work was done. Kaleigh had mentioned that she lost the trail up here, and it was a bit hard to find, it doesn't really go over the summit, but skirts it. I followed the cairns and eventually found the way. In the shelter with the college bros, Dirty Mike and the Boys - they're nice enough, I suppse. They got separated up on Moxie today, but rememdied it, though they were quite a bit later that me getting in. Looking forward to breakfast. Til then - Ups

AM clouds, PM hazy and partly sunny, then light rain

June 22. Monson -> Horseshoe Canyon

Easy 9 miles on relatively flat terrain today, many more road crossing and signs of life and industry [logging] than in the Wilderness. Spend most of the morning chatting with fellow hikers, eating breakfast, drinking too many sodas. Dana shuttled Smash and the boys down to the Route 15 trailhead, and picked some other folks up. She seems so in her element when she's helping people out. We put my food together [well, Dana did, I was so full of nervousness/excitement/anticipation that I was pretty useless at this point], and some boxes for the future, and Dana dropped them off at the PO. Kaleigh was panicking a bit about her pack weight; we advised her to mail some of her food to Stratton, but the PO was closed by then, so Dana will do it from home. My pack weight is only 25 pounds with 4 days of food and water, which I'm glad of. I also weight less, so that helps! Dropped 10 pounds in the Wilderness, if Shaw's scale is accurate. Hit the trail as about noon, in the light rain. Dana dropped me off. I'm going to miss her a lot. My first bit of trail magic happened today, at about mile 6 I came across a cooler with cold beer, water, soda, and seltzer. I grabber an orange seltzer; it was great. After and easy ford I got to Horseshoe Canyon lean-to, where I thought Smash and the boys might be, but - thankfully - they're not. A little frat-boy for me. Big Squirrel is here, though; we ran into him a couple of days ago near Monson. Also a section hiker kid, very young, Switchback, who if he's out of high school I'd be surprised. Nice kid, started in Gorham and going to Katahdin, and doing 20+ mile days. He's a good source of info about what's to come - though, if I've learned anything out here, it's never trust anyone's information. People have a hard time factualizing distances and times, it's so subjective, it seems... "not too far" can mean right around the corner, or 10 miles of grueling hiking. Hugh - fuckin' Hugh [as we endearingly referred to him after he gave us bad info about White House Landing in the 100 miles - he's actually a very good dude, quirky and interesting] - is a guy we met as we were hiking toward White House Landing. We was going from Monson to Katahdin, then going back to Monson and heading South, what's known as a flip-flop hike. He told us White House wouldn't pick you up after 6, which is innaccurate - they will if you're staying the night. So, we busted our asses to get there, needlessly. It's important, I'm learning, to develop your own system of judging time and distance, and be realistic about it. People are good sources of info about where to start, people to meet and talk to, where to get a good burger - but not numbers. Not out here, anyway. Made some beans and rice (dehydrated), with my cat food stove, which worked well, and will probably turn in soon, though it's early. Hiking alone is different, after so many miles with a partner. I was a little sad and lonely for the first couple of miles in the rain, but feeling good now. "Fixing a Hole" by the Beatles has been in my head all day, I suppose beasue of the rain. Also, today is the first day I've really felt like I can do this. :) - Ups

June 21. Day off in Monson, Maine

A day off from hiking is welcome. We ate a large breakfast and bid adieu fo Brian (trail name Copernicus) who drove Kaleigh to a trail head 12 miles or so down the AT, for another day of slackpacking. At breakfast three recent college-grads rolled in, bros named Yeahyeah, Friar, and Smash [collectively known as Dirty Mike and the Boys](Smash got his name because in college, he broke an empty wine bottle over his head on a dare...). They have a bit of a frat-boy vibe, not exactly my style. I'm wondering if I'm going to connect with many of the men out here, they're young and have a bit of a macho, push-the-miles-above-all, almost daredevil kind of attitide. They had breakfast at Shaw's but then want to Lake Shore House since it was cheaper. Breakfast was good: eggs, bacon, sausage, coffee, french toast, Sunny D [it had been at least a decade and a half since I had Sunny D, and enjoyed it thoroughly]. Dana and I went down to the next town and got a few food items at the IGA, and ice cream and whoopee pies for lunch. I apparently lost 10 pounds over the last 10 days, so I'm okay with the extra calories! It was a beautiful day, again, and we went to the library and checked emal. Back to Shaw's, relaxed and packed, talked gear with Chef and Smooth and Pineapple [Pineapple was the kayaking kid from White House landing]. Then took off around 4 to go grab Kaleigh at the trailhead. Turned out to be a 3-hour expedition, because of the 15-mile gravel road part, down which I had to drive slowly. It was all fine in the end, and Kaleigh treated Dana and I to fried fish at the Lake Short House for our troubles. More ice cream, talked to 2 brothers from DC - weekend section hikers - who intend on hiking the 100 miles in 6 days. Never hiked New England before... not sure how that's going to turn out. Dana thinks they'll do it. I'm not sure. Hitting the Trail tomorrow. Excited but nervous.  - Ups

June 20. Wilson Lean-to -> Monson

Finally in Monson! Made it through the last ten miles from Wilson Lean-to. Wasn't too bad, but pretty rugged. A couple of nice cliff-views, lots of ponds, and a slight unintended detour down an old country road when we missed a place where the Trail turned. Rain into a coupld more Northbounders, and finally started seeing some dayhikers near Lily Pond. Another gorgeous, sunny day probably in the 70's for most of it. Got pretty hot in the middle of the day. We certainly brought the right amount of food, we ate the last of it near a pond outlet stream a couple of miles from the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness. Pretty much all we have left is a bit of peanut butter - good thing we didn't have to spend another night out there. We ran into a hiker named Big Squirrel near the end, who had heard we were coming from Kaleigh and her dad at Shaw's [hiker hostel in Monson, the first town you come to after the Wilderness]. As soon as we got tot he road, we were able to get a hitch into Monson from a friendly woman who was going to get BBQ. She said she has a cousin, Steve, who's at the Delaware Water Gap now and hiking north, and if I come across a bearded guy in his 50's names Steve, to saw hello from her. We got BBQ, and potato salad and mac & chees and chips and soda and a whoopie pie. Quite delicious. At Shaw's now, uploaded some pictures, and chatted with the owners and with Kaleigh and Brian about our trials and tribulations on the Trail. Taking tomorrow off, will go through gear, put together food for the next leg, and maybe pick Kaleigh up from a slack-pack. Til then! -Ups

June 19. Cloud Pond -> Wilson Lean-to

A beautiful morning greeted us as we awoke from a deep sleep in the tent at the Cloud Pond campsite. The frog researchers [they said they were surveying frogs, and I asked them what kind of questions they were asking. HA HA] were the only the only others camped there, but there were a number of them, in 3 or 4 tents. The bugs had died down - the gnats last night were outrageous. It was hard to even get in or out of the tent without a few dozen following you in, leading to a gnat-mass-murder spree that involved a lot of frantic clapping. The early-morning frog & bird symphony was actually quite beautiful, as I laid in the tent with my pot-cozy/headband covering my eyes, avoiding the morning sun, putting off waking up fully just yet. We arose, and made some hot beverages - tea and Via [note: thruhikers will act like you're snooty-puss if you use Via on the trail] - and some breakfast - cold cereal/granola with powdered milk, and Pop Tarts. We packed up and left the Pond, wishing the researchers good luck, and got going at about 8. We were well-rested and well-fed, back on the Trail, and hiking strong. Shortly we came to the summit of Barren Mt., which has some kind of USGS tower on the top, its use I was unclear about. We continued on and soon popped out on Barren Ledges, which offered truly one of the most magnificent veiws I've seen so far [in the Wilderness]. It's one of those views that you expect to see on the June page os a Maine tourism-promotion calendar, or a hiking book. Beautiful, expansive, sweeping views of Boarstone Mt. and Lake Onawa, and a sunny rocky outcropping from witch to enjoy it, take it all in. We lingered for a bit, took some pictures, and then started to head down, down, the AT past Slugundy Falls, a wonderous geological feature, and then down to ford Wilbur Brook - someone had tied a climbing rope across to aid in crossing, since the bottom was slick and covered in large rocks, and the water was knee-deep and rushing fast. We tool a lunch break, cheese and salami, and kept going, through dense woods spotted with sunlight, past a huge slide of rocks and boulders - not on the map, but something big, geologically speaking, happened here. A single trekking pole stuck out of the melee, mysteriously. We hit a couple of good climbs that led us up and over to Wilson Valley, and soon found our lean-to. Cooked up some lentils for dinner, and some quinoa/chickpea/raisin dehydrated thing for lunch tomorrow, as we have kind of run out of lunches. Dana's been doing some yoga in the shelter to stretch out, and I tried to build a fire but got tired of messing with it - it burned for a while but the wood is picked-over and all pretty damp. So we're going to turn in early and arise early, to try to get into Monson in the early afternoon. Can't wait for a shower at Shaw's, a burger, an ice-cold soda, some BBQ... what else? Maybe see some friends we've made on the trail before heading South again... - Ups

8.7 miles, sunny and 70's

June 18. Chairback -> Cloud Pond

Have some catching up to do. Yesterday I could barely write, I was so tired. We pulled a 17+ mile day, over some of the biggest mountains yet, I think we might have pushed it a little hard, because today we had to cut our day short, due to tiredness. Yesterday's first climb, from Logan Brook shelter up to White Cap, was surprisingly smooth. The trails are well groomed, even a rock staircase so well constructed by the MATC [Maine Appalachian Trail Club] helped us up. The other mountains in that chain were pretty easy, as well, and we had great wather, so we decided to press on past Newhall and shoot for Chairback shelter. We descended into the valley, weathered a quick rainstorm that turned into a sun-shower, and then passed by, and found the Pleasant River ford. Water only up to our knees, the sun was coming out just was we waded in, it was very nice actually, and the cool water soothed our aching feet. We underestimated Chairback a bit, I think, it was beautiful but difficult hike, and when we got to the "top" we saw the craggy summit, towering over us to the right. It was getting late, around 7, and the sun was lowering in the sky, and we still had to get up and over. A Katahdinesque, steep scramble led us to the summit and an amazing view, but we didn't linger. The shelter was close to the top, just on the shoulder of Chairback, and we found it soon enough. We heard voices, so we knew we were closed; sure enough, after a final, steep climb through the woods we found it - Cosmo and Sam had arrived a couple of hours before, and greeted us. We talked about the day's challenges, cooked dinner, and crashed hard. We let Cosmo use Dana's bag (it sucks and we've been using [my Marmot Sawtooth 15] for the both of us). He was grateful, and put his tin-foil sleeping contraption way.

Today (the 18th) was another good weather day and we started with a tough climb up Mt. Columbus. The AWOL guide - which is great [and everyone out here is using it this year] - has comprehensive information about water sources, and we found a small spring to refill our water.. We hit Third and Fourth mountains, all tough climbing, eating Snickers to get us up. As we descended into Fourth Mountain Bog, we kind of hit a wall. The previous day caught up to us, and we decided to just get up to Cloud Pond and call it a day. It was a good climb and a little scrambly, and then flattened out to walk along the spine of Barren Mountain, through woods and bogs and rocky outcroppings. Thankfully, the sun had come out and our spirits were lifted somewhat. We found the sign directing us to Cloud Pond, and took a .4 mile trail down to it. Sawn-log bridges lead us around the wooded, buggy pond, to a few tentsites and a lean-to. So here we are, [Doodles and I] and some frog-researchers, who seem very nice. I'm in the tent, Dana is sleeping hard - it's about 5. Too many bugs for the lean-to, and Dana's sick of sleeping on wooden floors, so we're tenting. Gnats are bouncing off the outside of the tent, actually sounds a bit likes a light rain. The researchers told us that severeal days of good weather - 70's and sunny - is ahead, which is fantastic news. We've actually really lucked out with weather. I'm a little worried about tomorrow, I hope we feel stronger. We don't have too much food left, but if all goes well we'll be in Monson day after tomorrow. Tome to make a big dinner and rest - trying to stay optimistic, stay in the moment, and not worry about future events that may or may not play out. Not easy, for me, my brain is always coming up with things to worry about. But none of my fears have come true yet, on this journey, so I will attempt to enjoy the here and how, and take what comes in stride, hope for the best, and only worry when it's time.

June 17. Logan Brook -> Chairback

Crazy long day today. We were planning on stopping at Newhall shelter but it was a beatuiful day, so we blew by it and kept on trucking. Went over 5 peaks, White Cap, Hay, Gulf Hagas. Down into the valley. Rainstorm hit us, but it didn't last long. Forded the Pleasant River, water was cool and about knee-high, not too bad. Climb up Chairback was a bit brutal, but the view from the top was great. At shelter, exhaused and turning in... - Ups

June 16. Crawford Pond -> Logan Brook Shelter

It's about 7:30 at Logan Brook Shelter. Light rain on the metal roof. We mixed up two dehydrated dinners and it would up tasting like some kind of delicious lasagna-casserole. We got here early, maybe 2, but decided to stay since we're about to hit our first true mountainous area, White Cap and three other peaks. There aren't a lot of options for shelters up there, and it's about 7.2 miles to the next lean-to, and we'll hit that tomorrow. Hoping for good weather, in that it's pretty steep terrain. Honestly, though, we made it 3 miles up Katahdin in totally shitty weather, way more elevation gain, and we did okay. I'm sure it will be fine! The fords so far haven't been a big deal, and I was nervous about those at first. We forded the east branch of the Pleasant River today, challenging but not too bad. Knee-deep, cold water, maybe 40 feet across, moving but not too rapidly. My favorite part of today's hike, I think, was the view from Little Boardman mountain, which we climbed early on. 1980', but with a nice summit view of the mountains we will be climbing in the next 2 days. The woods were muggy and buggy today, and we wore lots of Deet and our headnets for some of the time. To finish the day, we climbed up the shoulder of White Cap mountain, at about 2406' where our shelter is. So, tomorrow is a 1200 foot climb in 1.4 miles, first thing. That's pretty steep! But hope the footing is good. I imagine it might be like going up one of the Hancocks [in the White Mountains] which I've done in winter and summer, so we'll sell. I'll report back. So now we're just chilling in the lean-to with 2 other Southbounders, Sam - a kid half my age and twice my height, who's out here before he decides where to go to collge, and is quiet and obviously very smart. Also, Cosmonaut, a chatty ex-Army guy who, instead of a sleeping bag, has constructed a system of emergency space-blankets, and for which he apologized in advance for the loud, crinkly noise it makes. He says he'll swap it out in Monson for a normal sleeping bag. We are definitely getting stronger, we're putting back 8, 10, 11 mile days with ease. After our 16 miles that wiped us out, we've been cautious about going too big. Food is looking good. We've been sleeping a lot, stretching a lot, and eating a lot. My handwriting is improving! I'm becoming comfortable in the woods, my anxiety is way better. There is no time or energy to be depressed, even if one could be in the endless string of beautiful places The Trail leads us through. Also, lots of moose and bear poop. Everywhere.

Been out here a week! Not crazy... yet.

Found new bootlaces for my broken ones, new package in the shelter! [The Trail provides...]

June 15. Antlers Campsite -> Crawford Pond

Beautiful weather today. Antlers is a nice site and [Doodles and I] made breakfast by the lake in the warm sun. Unfortunately, breakfast was kind of a bust. We tried making rice pudding that we'd dehydrated and added apples and cranberries. Too much water, too much heat on the stove, and we had burnt, watery rice for breakfast. OH WELL. The hiking was pretty easy, relatively flat terrain, not much mud, a lot of bugs but we have our headnets and Deet and it was pretty tolerable. At one point we stopped for snacks and laid our mats right on the trail to lay down and rest. Perks of having closed-cell pads, we figured. We met a few hikers on the trail, more that we've seen yet. A NOBO thruhiker blew past us. Apparently he'll be #2 this year [#1 summitted Katahdin a couple of days before we even began]. A Brit, as it happens. We met Ben, a SOBO who was in the Air Force - and wearing his standard-issue boots, which he'll probably swap out soon. We stopped for lunch at Cooper Brook Shelter, and ran into another couple of Northbounders [one a creepy Irishman who I dubbed Sheepshagger]. I'm surprised at how early these guys are - they must have started in February or early March, and just cruised. They were smoking cigarettes, which I found amusing. We finished up the day with some more easy hiking, a knee-high ford of a stream off Crawford Pond, and made camp near the pond, near a little "beach" area that overlooks the water and reminded me a bit of Walden. We made a fire in a ring that was already here, so apparently this site is used for camping, though it's not an "official" site. Dinner was Ramen, and a dehydrated, curried-quinoa-chickpea-raisings thing I dehydrated a while back. Light rain on the tent, but it's stopped now, and we're turning in early. Elevation tomorrow, up to Little Boardman, but not too much, and then next day on to the big peaks. -Ups

11 miles - sunny & warm

June 14. White House Landing -> Antlers

This was, all-in-all, a pretty relaxing day. We decided to hang out at WHL, and stay for lunch. It was beautiful and sunny by the lake, I felt like I was on vacation on Cape Cod. We lounged in the hammock, laid our moist gear out to dry and generally recovered. Drank a lot of water. The WHL advertises "high-fat, high-calorie" foods, and they're not joking. I ordered a 1 lb. burger and Dana ordered a pizza, which we thought might be personal-sized, but was full-sized, large and well made. We stuffed ourselves. We'd also eaten breakfast there, with Kaleigh and Brian and a father-son team from Florida who were flirting with the idea of being collectively trail-named "Trainwreck", which I think is a great trail name for anyone, and could be shortened to T-dubs. The father was in rough shape, staggering about with red and chaffed hands and face, like he got into poison ivy or has a sun allergy. But they had a killer attitide, and we were all surprised when his son as spotted kayaking around the lake after breakfast, when the rest of us barely had the strength to stand up straight. Kids, we joked. (ED: he's 21, and his trail name is Pineapple). So we ate, and drank water, and recovered from the previous day's slog. We laid in the sun, I walked about and took arty pictures of the grounds and sheds and nick-knacks that live here. We resupplied a bit, after realizing that we were burning through our snacks pretty fast. I bought 6 snickers, Dana got a Nutty-bar and some snickers as well. We bought camp soap and washed our clothes in a large metal bucket, and dried them on a line in the sun. Finally it was time to go, and Linda packed up our remaining four slices of pizza, "calzone-style", in a ziploc, we took a couple of leftover blueberry pancakes, wrote a short entry in their register, and loaded our packs back down to the pier. Linda is a font of knowledge about the trail; I'm guessing just from talking to hikers for 15 years - I don't think she's ever hiked the AT). I looked at a book of photos that people had sent back to WHL when they were done with the trail, mostly Katahdin summit pics from NOBO's (Northbounders), but a few from Springer Mountain. I hope I can send them one too. Bill dropped us off closer to the trail in the boat (he became annoyed when the branch he was using as a rudder had become un-bungeed from the outboard motor) and wished us luck. We were back on the AT in a few minutes and put away and easy 6 miles to Antlers campsite, 1:45 to 4:45. We got a late start, so we decided not to go all the way to Cooper Brook. Kaleigh and Brian left us a note saying they went on, so they're a day ahead of us now. Hopefully we'll see them at Shaw's. The hiking was easy but super-buggy, we put on DEET and head-nets. Antlers is nice, right on the lake, empty except for us. Slept from dusk to dawn. Looks like a lovely, breezy day ahead! :) -Ups

Mostly sunny, upper 70s, humid in the woods

June 13. Rainbow Stream -> Whtie House Landing

A beautiful day, spirits were high as we climbed up from Rainbow Stream toward Nesuntabunt Mountain. We passed a couple of great snack-lunch-rest spots, one was a little ourcropping with our first great view of Katahdin (so far away!), and one, an overlook of Polywog Gorge. The climb up to the mountain wasn't bad, and our clothes, wet from the day before, hung on our packs to dry. We climbed down and skirted Cresent Pond, where two anglers lazily floated in a dinghy. We passed a boat landing as they pulled in their boat, and said hello. As we descended to lower ground and approached the Wadleigh Shelter (which was a bit overrun with litter), the trail grew muddier and swampier, our feet got soaked, we were ofter - again - up to our knees. It was not good for morale. We skirted Nahmakanta Lake, and trail conditioned worsened yet. Spirits were no longer high. At one pint the trail simply emptied us out into a muggy, mosquito-filled swamp. Are we lost? No, that's the trail, see the blaze? We tried to go around but eventually just walked through it, up to our knees in muddy water, boots sliding, schlorping into the leafy decay underneath. We climbed out of that and had to soon ford a branch of the Nahmahanta stream, which was a little unnerving but not too bad. It was waist-deep and moving fast, but a log lay across, that we were able to hold onto and make our way across safely. We climbed out of the rushing current and soon after found a trail intersection with a business card pinned to a tree, with a hand-drawn arrow. It indicated White House Landing, a hostel that caters to AT hikers. We found a blue-blazed trail that leads to a boat dock  (through bogged-out logging roads and more buggy woods) where we blasted an air-horn that was hanging from a tree, waited on the dock, and were picked up by Bill in a motorboat, who, with his wife Linda, runs the little paradise White House Landing on the other side of the lake. As we approched the dock after a very short ride, we saw Kaleigh and Brian waving and shouting hello. They'd beat us there by an hour or so. We secured a room in the cottage, near the bunkhouse, with a double be. At this point, we were fully exhausted and not in a great mood. But this is hiking - it's hard! We had missed dinner at 6 (too bad, Kaleigh said the burgers were awesome), but whipped up some dehydrated meals that tasted like the inside of a burrito - no matter, it was filling. We hung a few things up to dry, took a shower in the shower house (amazing), and hit the bed hard. Big day, lots of tough miles. The trail is testing us. Keep stretching, keep smiling! Short day tomorrow to Antlers Campsite. -Ups

16.5 miles. Sunny & warm.

The trail is not making me weaker, it is making me stronger.

Bug bit. Swamp rock leg scrape. Sore legs. Maine!

June 12. Hurd Brook -> Rainbow Stream Lean-to

Trails are incredibly muddy but spirits are high. I feel immensely satisfied tonight - the nigh is warmer than is was yesterday, and Doodles and I are snug in our sleeping bags at 9 PM. We took a nap right when we got in, having had a long, wet, slog today. We were in mud up to our knees in some parts, we hiked by a pond that had flooded onto the trail. The woods are beautiful but it's hard to enjoy it much when you're soaked to the skin. But we're keeping our camp clothes dry - mine are Smartwool shirt, down coat, long Patagonia undies, running shorts and socks. I keep them in a dry-bag, and my sleeping bag in one as well, and keep everything in a trash-compactor bag liner in my pack. Everything else is in ziplocs, or can get wet without consequence. I slipped and fell backward into a stream today, landing on my pack (best place to land). I was concerned about my stuff getting wet - it didn't. Give me hope for the fording, since most of our packs will likely be submerged, at least for a minute. The shelter sits on Rainbow Stream, which is high today, and a log "bridge" needs to be crossed to get to it - about 20 feet across the fast moving water, made of 2 wood beams, about a foot wide total, and slick. The water rushed over it a good couple of inches, and the crossing was a little scary, but we all made it safely. Kaleigh and Brian are here, they're very pleasant. Jack (now "Chip"; he inadvertantly murdered a chipmunk at KSC) blew past this lean-to to the next - 8 miles more. Dude is a machine. Ok. Sleep now. Looking forward to a sunnier day tomorrow (forecasted).

PS - dinner, dehydrated beans and veggies with powdered cheese.

-Ups

Light/Medium Rain. 60's. 11.6 miles.

June 11. Katahdin Stream Campground -> Hurd Brook Shelter

The walls we construct around ourselves to give us a sense of safety are illusory. We are not fully safe anywhere. I was worried today about the weather, of course. Hypothermia is a huge fear of mine - I am somewhat justified in this - but with the right gear and a little know-how, it can be prevented. But even though you have a house around you with warm blankets and central heat, you are no less endangered from the hand of fate, of it's going to get you. The most dangerous part of this trip so far was the car ride into Baxter State Park, when a buy in an Audi came screaming around a corner, on a little windy 2-lane road, nearly losing control and fishtailing into us. "That was the more dangerous than anything you'll encounter on the trail," Scott observed, after we all started breathing again. He was probably right. We're in the shelter now, Hurd Brook, ate some dinner - dehydrated squash and beans and pasta I made a couple of months ago. It was good. We warmed up - Dana's bag isn't warm enough, but we're making due. I have a down jacket and a super-warm bag (15 degree Marmot). The hiking today was pretty inconsequential, actually a pretty goo day to hike through the woods on relatively flat ground; rainy but no views to be had anyway. We did see a huge tortoise. Meeting some cool people; Jack, Kaleigh and her dad Brian, and me and Dana are in the shelter and warming up. Rain is letting up, it's supposed to rain tomorrow too, so we're going to get some sleep!

Steady rain. 60's. 13.4 miles.

June 10. Katahdin Summit!

It was like a completely different mountain today. The views we missed yesterday in the fog and clouds are staggering, on this bluebird day. I was worried about my legs, as they were pretty shredded from the day before. But, the weather was perfect. Katahdin is a great hike because it unfolds in sections. Rocky path through the woos, it gets bouldery, then, suddenly, treeline! And the rebar "monkeybars", the scrambles, and the long ascent up the impossibly step, imposing rockpile that brings us to the tableland, and area that reminds me very much of hiking on the Presidential Ridge. But, with the 100 Mile Wilderness off to your right, dotted with lakes and one visible road, and not much else. In the Whites, usually, you can see towns and roads - unless you're in the middle of the Pemi - but up here, being so remote, it's almost nothing, just vast stretches as far as you can see. After the tableland we start a fairly short ascent to Baxter Peak, the huge A-frame sign marking the northern terminus of the AT visible from far off, calling, beckoning your tired legs up the final steps to the top. And the views from the top - wow! Like every breathtaking view I've ever seen from the top of a mountain rolled into one. We met other thruhikers beginning their journey - seems like a lot of SOBO's (slang for Southbounders) this year - Chef, Kaleigh, Jack. On to the 100 miles. But, oh, our legs ache!

PS - Dreamed of chocolate-chip scones last night. Equipment meltdowns: broken bootlace, chipmunk food-bag attack, pants crotch blew out, Dana repaired with tent patch kit.

Sunny and 70's.

June 9, 2013. Day 0 - Failed Katahdin summit

Katahdin is a beast. It is not a mountain to be trifled with. It is a craggy, bouldery, heaving, towering menace, and it shows no mercy to hikers, weary or not, young of old, green or tried and true. It's also breathtakingly beautiful. We didn't summit Katahdin today. We approached the tableland with our daypacks, and by that time the wind had picked up significantly, rain was pelting our faces, and the temperature had dropped. Gloves and hats were soaked. We decided to turn around. Cutting my teeth in the Whites, and spending nights reading the tales of slowly-unfolding missteps that result in death and close calls in books like "Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire", I didn't want to take any chances. "Inclement weather" are the key words in the mountains, and like I said before, Katahdin is not a mountain to be trifled with. People have died - and come close to it - on Katahdin, just as on Mt. Washington, of hypothermia and exposure, even in summer. (The ranger at Katahdin Stream related a harrowing story of a man who had to be rescued from just above treeline, last July, when a sudden storm blew in. Dozens of people assisted with the effort, and he barely made it out alive. The ranger said it's common for people in a severe hypothermic state to "give up" when help arrives; they let go of whatever was keeping them going because they feel they are now safe, and he just relaxed and went limp. It took them hours to get him down. I literally shudder when I hear stories like that.) We made it pretty far, nearly up to the tableland, but we turned around, and made it back down the cold, slippery, steep rocks unscathed. There are scambles and handholds and technical areas where you're closer to rock-climbing than hiking. It's no wonder people are encouraged to bring a daypack instead of a full pack; loaner packs are available at the ranger station (they are all damp and smelly). Back at the campsite, Scott left us, kindly leaving his extra food and loaded us his headlamp. So we will be at it again. Tomorrow is looking like a much-improved weather situation, sunny an d in the 70's. Our legs are sore now but I'm hoping we will make it  up, all the way, so that we can be on our way, down the trail. Lots of lessons today.

Rainy, 50's.


PS - an adorable chipmunk chewed through my unattended bag of nuts.