Day: |
111 |
Date: |
Thursday, 21 August 1986. |
Start: |
|
Finish: |
|
Daily
AT Miles: |
21.9 |
Daily Other Miles |
0 |
Total
AT Miles: |
2138.1 |
Total All Miles |
2196.1 |
Weather: |
Mild, mostly sunny. |
Accommodation: |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink. Lunch:
?? Dinner: Hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni cheese, apple pie,
chips. |
Aches: |
Left Achilles sore. |
Animals Seen: |
Moose, chipmunks. |
People Seen: |
1 AT Thru-hiker (southbound), 6 overnight
hikers, 4 day hikers, many others. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
Got up at 5am to what promised to be a
beautiful day. We packed up and left our lovely spot at 6:30am and
hiked upstream to a nearby lake. As we walked around the shore in
the early morning sunlight, Jerry spotted a big bull moose out in
the middle of the lake which was covered on the surface by a light
mist. It was a beautiful scene and I wished I had the zoom
lens. We took some pictures and walked around the shore on the
Trail getting quite close before he heard us and took off. It
seemed a good omen. We pressed on along the Trail, which was never
easy going – always twisting and turning, going up and down small
bumps and hills, covered by exposed tree roots and rocks, and
occasionally boggy. It was a real test for the legs, ankles and
feet. It passed along the shore of Rainbow Lake for five miles
before climbing up on to the Rainbow Ledges. It was a excellent day
and we had good views in all directions. The crest of Katahdin
still had a cover of cloud, however. The descent from the Ledges
to Hurd Brook Lean-To was tortuous. We had a break before
continuing on more tough trail. We were both wishing it was
over. At about 1:30pm, we reached Abol Bridge Campground and its
small store. We bought a big lunch and sat outside in the sun
eating and watching the logging trucks roll by. We decided to buy
some extra food for our last night on the Trail and got some hot
dogs, baked beans, chips, cans of drink, fruit pies and cookies. We
left at 2:30pm for the last 7½ miles to our target of Daicey pond
Campground. The Trail was easy at first, following old logging
trails and some flat land upstream along thePenobscot River, which
was quite wide. We saw a couple of big rafts with tourists floating
downstream. The Trail then left the river and followed a large
stream upstream and became more difficult. The stream was pretty,
with a number of big cascades and flumes and inviting swimming holes
on a warm afternoon. We were both tired and looking forward to
getting to the Campground. The Trail crossed a number of
tributaries on testing logs and saplings, but neither of us fell
in. We reached the Campground at 5:30pm on the shores of a
beautiful pond with Katahdin in the background (top still
cloud-covered). We paid for a shelter and had a very pleasant
evening eating our goodies, chatting with a southbound, by sections,
AT Hiker, and reflecting on the trip. Rain was forecast overnight,
clearing tomorrow. We went to bed at 8:30pm after deciding to go
tomorrow, regardless of the weather (Katahdin weather can be very
dangerous, even in summer). Almost as soon as we went to bed, it
began raining. There were mozzies and mice in the shelter. |
|
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