Days 5 to 10, June 27 to July 2: Finishing the 100 Mile Wilderness, Maine

For several days the weather was unseasonably warm and very humid…no, steamy! But I felt fortunate to not suffer the extreme heat event back home in the Pacific Northwest.

 

On Day 5 I chose to hike just 11.4 miles on relatively easy terrain.   The serene Cooper Brooke Falls Lean-To was the perfect place to camp.  The sounds of the birds and the water cascading into a natural pool convinced me the Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To camp would be the perfectly serene place to put up my tent. 

Extraordinary hikers Bopit and Punisher greeted me on Day 6, June 28.  They started hiking north at Key West, Florida and intend to start the Continental Divide Trail southbound after finishing the AT in a few days.  Their YouTube channel is Bopit Hikes: https://youtu.be/vW-X2AJLS5Y

Whitecap Mountain was the best view of the surrounding area on Day 7, the first of several summits before reaching Monson, the first trail town on my journey. I stopped for the day at Logan Brook Shelter which has a wonderful stream cascading from above.  The area near the stream is lushly surrounded by trees.  The rain showers and subsequent hotbsun brought me back to the island of Borneo, a tropical island in Indonesia where I traveled to for my job once.  There and along the AT the songs of many birds filled my senses.  Earlier that day near Crawford Pond I heard the beautiful call of a Loon, which are commonly heard but rarely seen.

Feeling good physically I looked forward to the the challenging range of mountains ahead.  After leaving my solo streamside camp on the cloudy, steamy morning of June 30, the steep  ascent toward Chairback Mountain became my first “WTF” moment when I encountered numerous steep and exposed boulder climbs and descents.  One area near Chairback had a sign labeling the area as “The Rockfall”, although I was more concerned with preventing the Human Fall, as in me!  Rain showers added to the drama.  In the persistent heat short sleeves and shorts kept me warm enough while I persistently kept my cool on the rocks.

The steep, bouldery ascents and descents continued as I made my way past Columbus, Third and Fourth Mountains. The experience was draining for this 67-year old hiker.  As my friend, Marmot, told me, “Maine is the hardest state on the AT,” and so far I will agree, but the next state, New Hampshire, will be judged, too.

Upon arrival at Cloud Pond Lean-To, adjacent to the tranquility of Cloud Pond,  I dropped my pack with the little strength that remained and met fellow SOBO thru-hiker Thundercat, an Army veteran (thank you, Thundercat!) and invited myself to fall asleep in the dryness of the shelter at the precise moment a heavy rain shower convinced me to brave the possibility of shelter mice during the night.  Oh, by the way, I hate mice and would rather sleep in grizzly bear country!  By nightfall there were three of us sharing the shelter designed for six, and our cleanliness inside discouraged the mice to stay outside. 

The terrain on Day 9, July 1 was exactly the opposite of the previous day (4,150 feet descending compared to 4,060 ascending the previous day).  A couple of summer camp groups with brave, young backpackers greeted me as I very cautiously lowered myself down more boulders.  I believe those kids will achieve tremendous personal growth as they hike the entire 100 Mile Wilderness.  

The fatigue in my legs-and-lungs complex was simply a sign I was gaining strength and not enduring anything worse than other hikers on the AT.  One AT northbound thru-hiker encouraged me to listen to my body, soak my feet in water, and not try to do too much too early. I stopped to rest often, consumed many calories (better in my body than in my pack), and looked forward to a full one and a half days in Monson at Shaws Hiker Hostel.  It’s an amazing place to stay!

And…Greg in Wild hikes on!