The hikers in the spot next to mine were up at 4:00 a.m. getting ready for the day. I laid there for 30 minutes and then decided to go ahead and get up. I was hiking by 5:30. At 9:00 I decided to stop and take a break. My timing was perfect since it started raining. I pulled out my rain jacket and put it on and finished my snack just as it started raining hard as a thunderstorm passed over. The rain finally stopped at 11:30, about the time I made it to the Hurd Brook Lean-to, where 6 other hikers had also stopped for lunch. I had already covered 11.5 miles but I wanted to get to the Abol Bridge Store so I could figure out a plan for tomorrow.
Shortly after the trail left the 100 Mile Wilderness it follows Abol Road for a while. Just before coming to the store the trail crosses a bridge. There was a clear view from the bridge of Mount Katahdin, my second view in two days. It was slowly sinking in that this trip, and the section hike that started in 2013 was coming to an end. Most folks have mixed emotions when that realization hits, glad to be wrapping up their hike but sad to leave the trail. At the moment, all I felt was relief since this hike had been much harder than I thought it would be.
When I got to the store I had 2 Gatorades, a lemon pie, a ham and cheese sub sandwich, and 3 scoops of ice cream in a bowl. After that I went to the campground across the road, found a nice spot and set up camp.
From here I’m 15.1 miles away from the top of Mount Katahdin. That sounds doable until you consider the last 6 miles climb 4,200 feet, and you have to come back down and leave the park if you don’t have reservations for a campsite, which I don’t have. Many hikers successfully do it, but I won’t since it’s beyond my ability. Another option is to secure a spot at thehe Birches Lean-to in Baxter State Park. To do that you have to be one of the first 12 hikers to sign up in the morning at the ranger kiosk just inside the park boundary .8 of a mile from here. There’s only 12 spots and they are handed out on a first come first serve basis. The sign up starts at 7:00 a.m. each morning and if you don’t get on the list you have to try again the next day. Many days more than 12 folks are lined up before the ranger gets there. I walked down to the kiosk and met the ranger. He explained that some mornings hikers start gathering as early as 3:30 to 4:00 a.m. He was very helpful and stressed that I needed to come early to ensure I could get on the list.
After that I went back to camp and got my phone charging plug-in and cord, and the battery pack and went to the Abol Bridge Store to charge them both. The store also has a satellite phone that you can use for a dollar an hour. I had tried calling Karen and ended up leaving a message. I also called The AT Lodge in Millinocket to arrange for a shuttle on Monday afternoon and an overnight stay assuming I’ll get a spot at The Birches Lean-to on Sunday and be able to summit on Monday. The store also had WiFi access that you can purchase, so I signed up for it and sent Karen an email to let her know that I was okay and give her details of my plan. This place is so remote that there’s no cell phone service.
After my phone and battery were charged I went back to camp, had dinner and climbed into the quilt hoping for a good night’s sleep, since 3:00 a.m., the time I decided to get up, wasn’t too far off.
I hiked 15 miles today.
Prone to Wander
Prone To Wander's Epic AT Journey 