Appalachian Trail - Day 143 - Gulf Hagas Mountain to Cooper Falls Lean-To

Day: 143

Date: Thursday, 14 September 2023

Start:  Gulf Hagas Mountain (AT Mile 2121.6)

Finish:  Cooper Falls Lean-To (AT Mile 2138.7)

Daily Kilometres:  26.4 (Ascent 3048', Descent 4551')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3467.3

Weather:  Mild with some fog and an early shower then mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals, pop tarts.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Early in our day's hiking we met some hikers going the other way, a couple and then, separately, a man, all of whom warned that the crossing of the East Branch Pleasant River that we had coming up during the day was very difficult and that they had heard the authorities were recommending by-passing it using an alternative route.  The man said that he had spent a very worrying 20 minutes with his foot caught between two rocks beneath the surface in the rushing river before being able to extricate himself.  This all happened yesterday before the hours of torrential rain we had last night, likely meaning the river would now be even higher.  Although we worked out an alternative route, it would have meant spending most of the day road-walking so we decided to chance the river crossing.  It was quite intimidating when we arrived - loud and rushing fast with the heavily tannin-stained water making it impossible to judge depths.  Making use of some nylon cord strung across the river between two trees, we both made a successful crossing, but it certainly had the adrenaline pumping at times.

Lowlight:  Very soon after the river crossing described above we encountered a huge puddle on the trail and Dave slipped on a wet log while trying to get around it and fell into the deep water, saturating half his body and pack.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It rained torrentially for 3-4 hours after we went to bed and eventually some water seeped into our tent and some things got damp, but nothing too bad.  When the alarm went off at 5:00am, Dave, who had had a bad night, firstly with the after-effects of yesterday's wasp stings and then the heavy rain during the night, said he didn't feel up to trying a 20+ mile day as Plan A required (see previous posts) and suggested reverting to Plan B with a shorter mileage for the remaining days on the trail and having an extra hour's sleep.  Julie agreed so now we will finish the trail on Monday instead of Sunday.

After the extra hour's sleep, at least it was light enough to pack up without headlamps and we began hiking around 7:20am on a cool morning.  We were immediately climbing steadily to reach the first of three summits, West Peak, followed by, with descents preceding each, Hay Mountain and White Cap Mountain (3644'), the highest.  The latter had an open treeless rocky summit and we took a breakfast break and spread out the tent fly and other gear to dry.  The views were spectacular.  Soon afterwards we were joined by a "trail family" (or "tramily"), a group of six young hikers we have got to know quite well who also spread out all of their wet gear to dry.  It was an amusing sight.

From the peak we had a long descent during which time we decided to attempt the river ford coming up (see above) rather than take the bypass route.  The ford was challenging, but we made it across and had a lunch break on the other side.

Supposedly the AT is much easier in Maine once you get past White Cap Mountain, but it wasn't as easy as we hoped, with many large puddles and bogs, along with the usual rocks and roots.  But, at least, it wasn't raining and we made reasonable progress along the sun-dappled trail through pleasant early autumn deciduous forest.

We climbed and descended another mountain and passed by a large pond as the evening approached, eventually reaching our target campsite just before 7:00pm, by which time it was dark.  We found a good tent site and set up camp by headlamp, hoping that we can finish a little earlier tomorrow now we are on Plan B.

Appalachian Trail - Day 142 - Barren Mountain to Gulf Hagas Mountain

Day: 142

Date: Wednesday, 13 September 2023

Start:  Barren Mountain (AT Mile 2101.9)

Finish:  Gulf Hagas Mountain (AT Mile 2121.6)

Daily Kilometres:  26.2 (Ascent 4268', Descent 4478')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3440.9

Weather:  Mild, foggy in the morning and mostly overcast with occasional light rain.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles plus some wasp bites (see below); Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  None really 

Lowlight:  While looking for a place to cross a stream, Dave disturbed a wasps nest and was stung many times, mostly on the legs but also on the butt, groin and back.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It rained a lot overnight as was evidenced by the huge deep puddles on the trail when we began hiking at 6:00am.  They were very difficult to negotiate, along with plenty of bogs and the usual rocks and roots, and the hiking was not enjoyable.  It was hard to see how we would cover the distance we wanted for the day when it took 3.5 hours to cover the first 4.5 miles.  We were in the cloud/fog and there were no views even though we were quite high.

From comments on our crowd-sourced navigation app, we were aware that there was an alternative trail that took us down off the mountain and reconnected with the AT in seven miles, missing the last section of the Chairback Range, so we took it.  We weren't going to miss anything in the weather and the trail conditions were so difficult we were unlikely to stay on schedule if we kept to the main trail.

Down the mountain the trail was better walking and our pace and mood improved.  Then there was some road-walking back to the AT which included finding our way across a raging stream where a bridge has been washed out and was being replaced.  While looking for a place to cross the stream, Dave disturbed a wasps nest and paid the price (see above).

Once back on the AT, it was easier walking until we reached the West Branch Pleasant River which had to be forded.  The rain of the past few days had the river running fast and wide and the ford was a little nerve-wracking, though we both crossed safely, getting wet to mid-thigh.

The trail then entered the Hermitage Preserve of the Gulf Hagas wilderness passing through some old growth forest and then climbed steadily following Gulf Hagas Brook upstream.  Conditions alternated between good and the usual rocks, roots and bogs, but we made reasonable progress and decided to push on over Gulf Hagas Mountain to a campsite on the other side which we reached at 6:30pm.

The tent site was much better than last night and we were congratulating ourselves as we washed before eating dinner when it began to rain, and is still raining steadily as the blog is written.  We ended up eating our dinner in the tent and are happy that nothing got too wet.

We've had enough rain, rocks, roots and bogs to last a lifetime.

Appalachian Trail - Day 141 - ME Route 15 to Barren Mountain

Day: 141

Date: Tuesday, 12 September 2023

Start:  ME Route 15 (AT Mile 2083.7)

Finish:  Barren Mountain (AT Mile 2101.9)

Daily Kilometres:  27.0 (Ascent 4534', Descent 3117')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3414.7

Weather:  Mild and overcast with almost continuous rain in the morning and an occasional sprinkle in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cooked breakfast 

  Lunch:  Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Pop tarts

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported 

Highlight:  None really

Lowlight:  Wet, muddy and slippery trail.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We again enjoyed the hostel's big breakfast at 7:00am and were shuttled back to the trailhead in a packed van with about seven other thru-hikers in light rain at about 8:15am.  The hostel co-owner and driver, a former thru-hiker (and English Lit teacher), gave us a spiel about the 100 Mile Wilderness and a few short poems about the trail and how life-changing it can be.  Impressive!

For our last 100+ miles to the trail's end on Mount Katahdin, we have a Plan A, that sees us finish in six days on Sunday, and Plan B that sees us finish in seven days on Monday.  Plan A is relatively aggressive, but we really would like to finish on Sunday so for today our goal was 17 miles which we knew would be challenging given our late start and knowledge that the first two days of the 100 Mile Wilderness were reputed to be difficult.  If we can stick to the schedule for the first two days our confidence will be high.

For the morning we decided to hike non-stop the six plus miles to Little Wilson Falls which took us the best part of four hours.  The trail was tough with ups and downs, bogs and slippery roots and rocks.  In particular, the wet slate was treacherous and we had to take great care.  At the first creek crossing Dave slipped and fell half into the water which made him very unhappy.  All the while it was raining with varying intensity and as we leapfrogged some of the other thru-hikers we joked about how much we were all enjoying ourselves.  Misery loves company, and it was good to know that nobody was having a good time.

For the next section, there was an alternative route of about the same distance, including a long roadwalk, that avoided two significant fords and we decided to go that way.  A number of the other thru-hikers we met during the day made the same choice.  The roadwalk was along a quiet forestry road which was pleasant but the linking track that took us back to the AT had long stretches of extremely boggy and unpleasant trail.

We rejoined the AT about 4:00pm and made the choice to try and get over Barren Mountain and to a shelter/campsite on the other side before stopping for the night.  This would be a couple of miles beyond our target for the day, but there was no water in between (and we didn't want to add water to the weight of our already heavy packs for the climb) and it would likely be dark by the time we reached there.

The climb proved slower than we hoped and provided just one hazy view.  By the time we reached the summit of Barren Mountain (2670') it was almost dark and we decided to camp without water or cooking dinner rather than continue on the difficult trail in the dark.  We found a barely adequate space for a tent near the summit soon after 7:00pm, set up the tent and crawled in, still very dirty from the muddy trail with only some wet wipes to clean ourselves before getting into our sleeping bags.  Not a good start to our last five or six days, and more rain forecast for tomorrow.

We passed the 2100 Mile mark today.

Appalachian Trail - Day 140 - Day Off in Monson

Day: 140

Date: Monday, 11 September 2023

Start:  ME Route 15 (AT Mile 2083.7) but staying at Monson.

Finish:  ME Route 15 (AT Mile 2083.7) but staying at Monson.

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here and here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her walks around Monson today.

Total Kilometres:  3387.7

Weather:  Dreary and overcast with occasional rain.

Accommodation:  Hostel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cooked breakfast and pancakes.

  Lunch:  Ham & cheese rolls.

  Dinner:  Pizza, brownie & ice-cream 

Aches:  Nothing to report.

Highlight:  A relaxing day at the hostel contemplating, with fellow thru-hikers, our last week on the trail.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

At 7:00am we joined our fellow guests at the hostel for the cooked breakfast for which the hostel is renowned.  It was good and filling and some of us sat around for a while afterwards chatting about this and that.  While most of the 20+ people staying here are thru-hikers, there are also several cyclists as the town is also on a long distance mountain/gravel-bike route.

We then picked up the large box of food we had mail-ordered to the hostel from Walmart just in case they didn't have what we wanted for the next 5-6 days and repacked it for hiking.  After that we walked down to the volunteer-run Appalachian Trail Information Office in town where a very patient lady explained everything we needed to know (hopefully) about the 100 Mile Wilderness ahead of us, including problematic river/stream crossings, and the somewhat officious process for getting approval to camp near the base of Mt Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and approval to climb it.  Weather could always be an issue for the latter.

For the rest of the day, Dave spent time on admin, planning and reading while Julie went for some walks locally.  Of all the hikers staying at the hostel, she is the only one who had any interest in doing such a thing on her day off.

For dinner, we bought some take-out from the nearby gas station cafe and afterwards finished packing for our return to the trail.  After breakfast tomorrow, there is an 8:30am shuttle back to the trailhead.  Sadly, a lot of rain is forecast for the coming week.  Internet coverage will be sparse, so it may be a week before the next blog updates.

Appalachian Trail - Day 139 - Bald Mountain Pond to ME Route 15

Day: 139

Date: Sunday, 10 September 2023

Start:  Bald Mountain Pond (AT Mile 2065.8)

Finish:  ME Route 15 (AT Mile 2083.7)

Daily Kilometres:  30.0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3387.7

Weather:  Mild, overcast and showery.

Accommodation:  Hostel 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Bacon cheeseburgers & fries apple crumble & ice-cream.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Reaching Monson, the last town near the trail for northbound thru-hikers and the start of the 100 Mile Wilderness.

Lowlight:  A couple more falls for Dave, but no damage done.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 5:00am and were hiking by 6:00am on a cool calm morning.  During the first half hour the sun emerged over the pond to our right and shafts of brilliant orange sunlight angled through the forest creating a magical effect.

We were on a mission again today, with 18 miles to go until ME Route 15 from where we intended to go to the village of Monson and stay in a hostel for two nights.  The hostel ran shuttles from the trailhead every two hours and we figured that if the terrain wasn't too bad and we didn't mess around we could be there in time for the 4:00pm shuttle.

Our first challenge for the day was to ford Bald Mountain Stream where we both got at least one foot slightly wet despite taking great care.  Knowing there was another ford coming up across the Piscataquis River where the water was likely to be thigh-deep, we decided to keep our feet dry and took a suggested alternative roadwalk that was slightly longer.

As the morning progressed the sky became ominously grey and it began to rain while we took our first break, though it didn't last too long.  The majority of the roadwalk was along a traffic-free forestry road that wasn't very interesting but, on the plus side, we made good time.  We reconnected with the AT around 11:30am, having done about 12 miles in total and stopped a mile further on for a lunch break.  Although the roadwalk was a welcome change from the trail, it was nice to be back on the trail which, generally, was pleasant walking despite the occasional sections of rocks, roots and bogs.

Our last five miles for the day involved a gentle climb over the shoulder of Buck Hill and a heavier rain shower which made us glad we were staying in a hostel for tonight.  Rain showers are forecast to continue overnight and into tomorrow.

We reached Route 15 around 3:20pm and, after checking by phone with the hostel that we would have until 4:00pm for a shuttle, decided to try hitch-hiking and were picked up about five minutes later for the four mile drive into Monson.

After checking into the hostel, which seems to have a lot of hikers in residence (20+?), we were shown to our room and later had showers and did the laundry.  For dinner, we walked down to the local gas station and bought some take-out, eating it back at the hostel.  A few late thru-hiker arrivals included Matthew and Christine and some other hikers we know, and we were also introduced to an Australian girl from Sydney who is also staying here and on the final leg of her Appalachian Trail hike.

We were both tired and had an early night, satisfied with how the day has turned out.

Appalachian Trail - Day 138 - Caratunk to Bald Mountain Pond

Day: 138

Date: Saturday, 09 September 2023

Start:  Caratunk (AT Mile 1047.0)

Finish:  Bald Mountain Pond (AT Mile 2065.8)

Daily Kilometres:  30.5 (Ascent 4400', Descent 3694')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3357.7

Weather:  Mild and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Continental breakfast 

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported 

Highlight:  It's not often that the last four miles of the day are a highlight, but today was an exception.  In serenely calm and clear conditions we climbed over Moxie Bald Mountain (2629') as the evening sun sank low and enjoyed stellar views in all directions from the vast open rock slabs on the summit.  We could easily see the Bigelow Range that we had traversed a couple of days ago along with many other mountains we may have also climbed but couldn't identify.  Ahead were other mountains we may yet have to climb.  Closer below were the mirror-like ponds and lakes of all shapes and sizes surrounded by forest and mountains.

Lowlight:  Dave had a bad morning, falling three times and filling the air with curses.  No harm done apart from some minor cuts and abrasions, but it reinforced his desire to have done with the trail.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke, finished packing and were ready for the continental breakfast at the inn at 6:30am when it opened.  Like everything else at the inn, it was well-organised and good quality and we ate our fill.  The inn provided a shuttle back to the trailhead, which we took along with three other thru-hikers, and were hiking by soon after 7:30am.

Our plan was to reach Bald Mountain Pond, about 19 miles away, by evening which seemed a little ambitious given we hadn't hiked that far in a day for a while (it also seemed ambitious to the three middle-aged thru-hikers with whom we shared the shuttle), so we were a little apprehensive.  However, the trail through the early autumnal forest wasn't too bad and we averaged the two miles per hour we needed.  There were the usual rocks, roots and bogs, but the gradients weren't too bad except for our two mountains of the day - Pleasant Pond Mountain and Moxie Bald Mountain - which slowed us up a bit, but weren't too technical and both offered fantastic views from their open rock slabs summits (see above).

Otherwise there wasn't much remarkable about the day apart from the beautiful ponds we passed and the Moxie Pond ford which we managed safely without getting our feet wet.  We may not be so lucky tomorrow with two more fords coming up.

We reached Bald Mountain Pond just before 7:00pm and were surprised to find no one else there, either camped or staying in the shelter.  It was an absolutely beautiful evening and we regretted not having been a bit earlier so we could enjoy the sunset over the pond.  We found a very nice tent site close to the pond shore and set up camp, washed and ate and were in bed by 9:00pm having had a very satisfying day.

Appalachian Trail - Day 137 - Carrying Place Stream to Caratunk

Day: 137

Date: Friday, 08 September 2023

Start:  Carrying Place Stream (AT Mile 2040.1)

Finish:  Caratunk (AT Mile 1047.0)

Daily Kilometres:  11.0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3327.2

Weather:  Overcast and humid in the morning with some light rain, then very warm and humid and partly sunny in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Bunk room in Inn

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Pizza pockets/Hot meat roll.

  Dinner:  Meatloaf burger & fries, ice-creams

Aches:  Dave - the usual; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Crossing the Kennebec River by canoe, another major milestone on the Appalachian Trail.  Back in 1986 when Dave first hiked the trail, you had to ford the river but, after a couple of drownings and more near-misses, the Appalachian Trail Conference arranged for a canoe crossing to be available and deemed it to be the official route.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The night was marked by thunderstorms with some lightning strikes seemingly very close, and quite a bit of rain.  We woke at 5:00am to a very wet tent fly but at least it was not raining.

We were hiking by 6:00am in the faint hope of reaching a hunting and fishing lodge three miles away where we knew hikers could get a good pancake breakfast, though you were supposed to book it in person the night before (it is close to a shelter/campsite on the AT), that only a limited number of hikers were allowed and that it started at 7:00am.  We didn't have our hopes up and just as well as we missed out on all counts - hadn't booked, were too late and exceeded the permitted numbers.

Just before we reached the very rustic lodge at 7:30am, it began to rain, so we ended up eating our pop tart breakfast on the covered verandah of the lodge and chatting to Matthew and Christine who had made it to the lodge breakfast.  They then left for the four mile walk to the Kennebec River and we soon followed as the rain let up and the humidity returned.

The four miles was not particularly easy walking after some of the better trail of yesterday, but we also knew they were our last miles of the day, which often seem to drag.  We reached the river around 10:00am and waited a short time to cross, two at a time plus the boatman, with us split between two trips.  The river was impressive, subject to fast rises and falls depending on dam operations upstream, and an AT milestone (see above).  We do feel like we are in the home stretch now.

We had booked two bunks in the bunkroom of a B&B Inn which goes out of its way to cater to hikers.  They picked us up from the trailhead near the river crossing and a few minutes later we were checking in and had our showers and laundry done by lunchtime.

We have a couple of days hiking to the hamlet of Monson from here and then tackle the 100 Mile Wilderness which takes us to near the end of the trail on Mt Katahdin.  We will need to carry food for 5-6 days for that last stretch, so spent a bit of time after lunch today making up a parcel of gear we do not think we will need for the remainder of the hike to lighten the load (a very little).  Julie then walked to the tiny Caratunk Post Office (run by one of the two guys who run the Inn) and mailed it to ourselves care of a post office in Boston where we will pick it up post-hike.

The balance of the afternoon was spent on admin and reading on the lovely big verandah of the Inn on a very warm breezy afternoon.

Later we took a shuttle to a pub a few miles away where we had dinner with Matthew and Christine before returning to the Inn and an early night.