Date: 2003-10-03
From: Caratunk, ME - Monson, ME

To: Caratunk, ME - Monson, ME
Miles today: 36.7
Weather: few clouds

Caratunk, ME - Monson, ME36.7 miles (2058.1 total miles)It was a chilly morning in the Caratunk House on day 184. Paul made us an amazing breakfast of eggs, pancakes, potatoes, muffins, and oj. We did a little resupplying there, since there is no store in Caratunk. Then we headed out at about 9:30. It was cold out. The first 5 miles were easy, and we cranked them out in no time. We had lunch at the Pleasant Pond shelter.We heard from several sources that the ascent of Pleasant Pond Mtn was steep, but the descent was gradual. It was almost like some kind of cruel joke that everyone was in on, because the descent was a rocky up-and-down ridgewalk. It took forever, and was made more annoying by our easy expectations.The trail finally flattened out, and came to Baker Stream. There was no bridge. So I put on my sandals, and stepped out into the cold water. It was October in Maine, and to celebrate 6 months on the trail, I was wading through amazingly cold water. At least the drizzle had taken a break. I got across, reshoed, and did 5 more miles to the shelter. We got in just before the rain started again. No one wanted to leave our sleeping bags on day 185. But the sun was slowly warming things up. We started with an immediate gradual climb to the top of Moxie Bald. It was a great climb, and a beautiful view from the top. There was a layer of clouds above us, and pockets of clouds in the valleys.We descended and stopped briefly at a shelter. Because of the minimal resupply in Caratunk, I didn't have as much food as I should have. I was hungry. It was a flat walk out, but I was dragging. I had to stop again and eat. The trail was rocky, bringing back memories of Pennsylvania. There were huge mud piles, and trees across the trail. It was slow going for such easy grade.We got to a stream that was a little too big to hop across. We took our shoes off to ford. We put our shoes on and hiked less than a half a mile to the west branch of the Piscataquis. It was a deep ford with an island in the middle. I took my shoes off and stepped in. It was so cold! I walked across, and it got deeper. Finally the water soaked the bottoms of my shorts before I reached the island. I climbed on it, and waited for the circulation to return to my legs. Then I finished up the other half of the ford.The trail followed the Piscataquis for about 3 miles. The riverbank went up and down, so it was not an easy hike. We got to the shelter, and debated for 20 minutes if we should go on or not. Finally, for no particular reason, we decided to stay. Within 5 minutes the dark clouds rolled in, and there we thunderstorms overhead. It was a very good decision to stay.It was another very cold morning on day 186. We forced ourselves out, and walked a mile to the east branch of the Piscataquis. It was another ford. It was only 45 degrees out, and the river was colder. It was hard just taking off my shoes. I knew I had to make a run for it. I took a deep breath, and splashed in. I tried to be as careful but quick as I could. It took a few steps before the pain hit me. About halfway through, I got nervous. My legs felt like popcicles, about to snap. I just focused on taking a step at a time. It was deepest as I got to the other end. I got to the bank and staggered to a rock. I was so glad to be out of the water.We put on all our warm clothes, and hiked out imediately to get warm. We started uphill, which helped. The last 8 miles of the day were mostly easy, with a few hills to keeps us in check. I took a nasty fall on a slippery rock just feet before the road. I got up and shook it off. We could see the road to town. There was a rock ledge staircase leading down to it. I half-jokingly stuck my thumb out to a passing truck on my way down. And before I could get off the trail, she pulled over. That was perhaps the easiest hitch ever. We got to Shaw's Boarding House before noon. We did our chores and ate well. I got a ton of food in my mail drop (thanks, Carolyn!).Tomorrow we head into the Hundred Mile Wilderness. That is a 99.4 mile section of tral with minimal road crossings, no towns, or places to resupply. I hope the weather holds out. My foodbag is so heavy! The first half is rather mountainous, but the second half is supposedly fairly easy. There is no phone from here until the end, so this may be my last journal entry until I am done.I am happy and sad to be finishing my adventure. I am ready to be done hiking, and ready to be done living outside when it is this cold out (and only getting colder). But it will be sad to leave my friends. I will miss the atmosphere, where everyone is helping each other to meet our common goal. I will miss the trail magic, and the spirit behind it. What an experience this has been. Only 114.5 miles to Katahdin!