Date: 2014-09-22
From: Rainbow Stream Lean To

To: Abol Pines campgrounds
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Rain started at 5:30. Was a drizzle when we awoke at 5:30. Stayed in my bag till 6. Rod n Reel and Rowdy were both up early. Actually a warm morning. Packed up and had my cereal. Hit the trail at 7:15.First challenge was crossing the creek in front of the shelter. There were two logs crossing the creek but were wet from the rain. Decided to lengthen our poles to the full length to reach the creek bottom. This worked really well and could have help in our other fords. The trail was tedious running along the stream. The rain had stopped so we took off our rain gear. Got to Rainbow lake Dam at 8:25 which was a good pace considering the rocky terrain. Left heel was really hurting as was my back from being rubbed. Wrapped my fleece around my waist to give me some extra padding. The trail continued to be rocky along the lake. Saw 2 loons on the lake.Got to Beaver Pond at 11. Pace was good but I felt really bad. My foot hurt on every step and my back was still getting rubbed. I was not enjoying the trail or my hike today. Just pressing on to get it over.Had a 500' climb to Rainbow Ledges - an easy gradual climb. Arrived at 11:55 so we did well on our climb. Call my wife to confirm when she will be coming. Could see Katahdin from the ledges but it still was partially in the clouds.The trail was on bald rock and had a steep descent with rocks. Slowed down quite a bit with lots of roots. In addition to the difficult trail I just wasn't enjoying myself which was crazy since I'm so close to finishing. It was a real effort and I wasn't have fun.Got to Hurd Brook Lean To to write my last shelter entry. Was really tired and felt drained. Had a major emotional let down but not sure why. Whether it was the foot pain, the end of the trail or what. But I pushed on.The trail went down with more rocks and roots. We were doing 2 mph and crossed the bog bridge. On the last one Rowdy slipped and one foot went into the bog. Got to Golden Road then Abol Bridge Campground at 4. Registered for a campsite.Hard ground for the tent plus it was extremely windy and the temperatures were dropping. Set up our tents but the wind was so strong it was blowing our tents sideways.   Rowdy went to the Kiosk to sign us up for the Birches tomorrow. My foot hurt too much to go another 2 miles. I went across the road and checked out the Abol Pines campground. This was a Maine site. This was $8 vs. $28. There were 2 shelters and the tent sites were in the pines with less wind.Got some snacks at the store then waited for Rowdy to return. He got back at 5:10. Told him about the alternate site and decided to move. Took our tents down and packed up. Rowdy got a refund on our campsite. Found 2 good spots in the trees. Rowdy went to the store for sodas and water while I started dinner in the shelter. Had dinner at 6 - another of my dehydrated meals which was okay.Talked about our plans and if I will be hiking tomorrow. We figured we could sleep a little later possibly till 9 since we only have 10 miles on a trail people are calling easy. Temperatures are to drop to the 30s again tonight but will warm up in the next couple of days. In tent by 7;30A very bad day for me. Foot and back just got worse with every step. Did not enjoy the day or the trail. It took a major effort to continue hiking today. I think I may have pushed too hard the last couple of days plus the extra weight of the food didn't help. I have probably 3 extra days of food which was too much.Without the right attitude I don't know if I should summit in 2 days or take a zero and give the foot more rest. I will probably hike tomorrow since it is suppose to be easy. When I get to the park then I can decide to rest or summit. The end is near and I am feeling sad about it. It's been a long 6 months with daily ups and downs but I will finish.