Oct 2

The end is within sight

So this is day three in the Wilderness, and I've only covered 25 miles.  Not good.  No matter what the terrain, what the obstacles, and what the weather, I have to start churning out some big miles to make it out of here.  We had alarms set, and were up at 5am.  I was on trail at 6:30am, walking along the ridge line of Chairback Mountain to beautiful views.  The sun has just started to rise over the mountain tops.  This is a magical time of day to be hiking.  The trail dropped sharply down from Chairback, several hundred feet, over a jumble of rocks and boulders.  It was slow going, as the rocks were still slick.  I made it to the West Branch of the Pleasant River, and I was now at the exact 2100 mile mark.  A staggering thought.  Only 84 miles left.  It looked like today was going to be beautiful and sunny.  I took a break beside the river and washed out my muddy socks.  

BooBoo crossing the West Branch of the Pleasant River.

The ford across was knee deep at most, but the river was really wide, and had a strong current.  We all made it across with no trouble.  For several miles, the trail gradually gained elevation, winding along beside multiple streams, full of pools and cascades.  We made it to the Carl A. Newhall lean-to for lunch.  Ten miles by lunch.  Awesome!  We talked to some other hikers who were out doing a section here.  They filled us in on some really bad news.  Apparently, a couple of days ago, our fellow thru-hiker friend, Kokopelli, had fallen on the trail near here.  He hit a rock, shattering his knee cap.  Some other hikers helped him hobble down a side trial for several miles to get out of the Wilderness, where he was able to get picked up by a rescue crew, and taken to a hospital.  Not only is there the intense physical pain that he went through during that ordeal, but I can't even imagine what it must have been like, being this close to the end.  It's all over.  Just like that.  Heartbreaking.  I'm so thankful for the safety I've been granted so far.  After lunch, we began climbing Gulf Hagas Mountain.  It was a joy, thanks in part to some beautiful stone steps along the way.  It was the first real climb of the day, but more would follow.  

Fall colors around Gulf Hagas Mountain.

Next up was West Peak, with more great steps, topping out a little higher than the previous summit.  More stairs led up to the top of Hay Mountain, where the summit was a little higher still.  More stairs along the way up White Cap Mountain.  Bear wasn't kidding, this section that they had helped maintain years ago was amazing, and so well kept.  Around 4pm, I walked to the summit of White Cap Mountain, where the elevation was just over 3600 feet.  I felt victorious.  I've hiked over 15 miles today, and left four mountains in my dust.  I was with Old Tomato at the summit, and we stopped for a break.  We took a small side trail to the left and I saw the most beautiful mountain I've ever seen.  As we stepped out of the small fir trees, onto the edge of a rocky slope, there it was in the distance.  Katahdin!  He was able to get a signal on his phone, and made a few calls home to let everyone know what was going on.  Meanwhile, I was running and jumping around on the rocks, pointing at the mountain, giggling hysterically.  I heard Yogi talking, coming up the trail, so I yelled out for him and BooBoo to hurry up and come see this view.  Below us, looking toward Katahdin, the landscape was dotted with ponds and lakes.  The forest was ablaze in a cloak of orange.  Katahdin majestically rises up from the flat landscape.  Lingering clouds kept us, and most of the surrounding terrain, in the shade.  But like a beacon, the top of Katahdin was perfectly illuminated in sunlight.  A breathtaking sight.  I hiked on, cackling like a madman, following the trail as it wrapped around the north side of Whitecap.  The trail was totally open and rocky path which provided a continuation of the views of Katahdin.  I passed by the next shelter, in no mood to stop.  After crossing a brook, I entered a beautiful pine forest.  The trail was mostly flat, and littered with soft pine needles.  Lush mosses covered grey boulders, and spread along the trail as well.  Yellow leaves of birch trees provided a wonderful contrast to all the green.  After 20.7 miles, right at dusk, I made it to East Branch lean-to, where we all stopped for the night.  Today was incredible.  Full of both literal and metaphoric, ups and downs.

View of Katahdin, from the trail on Whitecap Mountain.