Day: |
101 |
Date: |
Monday, 11 August 1986. |
Start: |
|
Finish: |
|
Daily
AT Miles: |
16.0 |
Daily Other Miles |
1.0 (0.5 relocation, 0.5 to Shelter). |
Total
AT Miles: |
1944.5 |
Total All Miles |
2001.0 |
Weather: |
Cloudy and rain at first, clearing and warm
later. |
Accommodation: |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink. Lunch:
Biscuits and peanut butter, health bars. Dinner: Rice and
shrimp creole sauce, pop tarts. |
Aches: |
None bad (feet look mouldy). |
Animals Seen: |
Grouse, squirrels. |
People Seen: |
24 overnight hikers. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
We got up at 5:30am to intermittent
rain. The Trail did not look inviting, but we set out at around
7:15am during a lull in the rain. We first climbed Saddleback
Mountain and reached the summit in a little under two hours. The
weather steadily improved on the way up and actually cleared briefly
as we reached the summit. John and I running up the last 100 feet
or so in full packs to get some views must have looked amusing. We
did get some views, which were better than nothing, of vast tracts
of forests, mountains and lakes. For a while, the Trail followed
the bare rocky crest, before descending. En route, we climbed up
the North Peak and Saddleback Junior, both demanding, before
following an easier, though still boggy, ridge. It began to rain a
little at 11:45am, 15 minutes before we reached our planned lunch
stop at Poplar Ridge Lean-To. There we ate lunch and talked to the
“born-again” “Wayfaring Man” who was hiking parts of the AT, and a
mother and son hiking team, both knowledgeable on mountain
climbing. We left there just before 1pm with 7˝ miles to go to our
planned stop of Spaulding Mountain Lean-To, but conscious that there
was a new “relo” (trail relocation) which purportedly added miles
and was tough going. We met a number of hikers headed towards
Poplar Ridge Lean-To for the night and we joked that our target
shelter would probably again be full of French-Canadians. The
“relo” was hard going, but paralleled a beautiful waterfall and some
lovely brooks as well as passing through pretty forest. To our
surprise, we reached the Lean-To turn-off at 4:50pm and, despite a
very rough trail, reached the Lean-To at 5:00pm. It was full of
French Canadians! We had a good dinner then rested amidst the
babble of French voices. John found it a bit wearing, and it
certainly wasn’t quiet. We went to bed at 8:45pm as the noise
gradually subsided. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|