Date: 2021-09-20
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: Kathadin Stream Campground
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I purposely woke up in the dark at 4:50 a.m. I had to get an early start. There was a possibility of having to hike 22 mi. It's a strange system they have there in Baxter State Park. If you're one of the first 12 to arrive and can't afford $30 to stay at the purchase at the base of Kathadin, then you can arrive there the afternoon before, which would set you up for a leisurely 6 mi hike to the summit the next day. However, you don't know if you could be one of those 12 hikers to sign up until you arrive at the bridge just beyond the end of the hundred mile wilderness. I packed up in the dark, had a quick breakfast and got on the trail before 6:00. It was nice and quiet. It was nice watching the sunrise over rainbow springs lake. The lake must have been 6 miles long. I hiked 3 miles up in yesterday and 3 mi along it this morning. The train was relatively flat. The peacefulness of the waters relieved any stress and that my body had absorbed from the long day before. After 5.5 mi I arrived at a small summit called Rainbow Ledges. I was told to call the hotel from here so I did. I arranged for my pickup for tomorrow afternoon. they confirmed that they would pick me up between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. Time to start the hike down from the ledge. I'm optimistic that I'll be able to arrive at the bridge in time to sign up for the reservation. If not it will be relatively short 12 mile day and a relatively long 22 mi day tomorrow to finish off my hike. After an hour of hiking I made it to the last shelter on the AT. I had just 3.5 mi left to go. I finished the rest of my breakfast snack. I caught up to Clyde at this shelter. He was just packing up and leaving. I hope to see him one more time before he departs back south to New Orleans. Maybe if I get really lucky he'll play a tune or two on his guitar. Off to do the last section. Wish me luck. I'm feeling very confident.I arrived at the end of the hundred mile wilderness shortly after 11:00 a.m. ahead of schedule. Shortly after was a short road walk to the general store. There I got enough resupplies for dinner breakfast and a snack from going up and down the mountain tomorrow. I'm off to hike possibly the longest half mile to trail. It's a half mile road walk to the kiosk. There I will find out if there's availability at the birches campground. If so I get to hike to the base of Katahdin this afternoon and set me up for a leisurely summit tomorrow. If not I've got a hike back here camp here near the general store then hike the 10 plus the summit tomorrow so. I felt good hiking this morning carrying a much lighter pack. The wet clothes from the previous rain storm were dry. And I was completely empty of food. So my pack was the lightest it could possibly be. I said goodbye to Clyde and wished him luck getting back to his home in New Orleans. I was very happy that I was the fifth hiker to register to stay in the park tonight. Thank God! Now I just need to endure a 9.5 mi semi rugged hike to the campsite I'll probably get there around 5:00 p.m. Sufficient time to setup camp, cook dinner and get a good night's sleep before waking up and submitting the beast that's rising from Baxter State Park, Mount Katahdin. The first six miles of this stretch went along side rivers and a large brook. There were several waterfalls, each more beautiful that the last. The largest falls was called great Niagara falls. It must have been at least 50 ft from the top of the falls to the bottom. I took several pictures and video of the waterfalls coming up they are absolutely beautiful and made my day pitch perfect. Now I'm taking a break just 2.5 mi from the campground. After 20+ mile and 10 hours of hiking I arrived at the Kathadin Stream Campground. It was about a quarter mile hike to the ranger station to register, followed by a quarter mile hike to the tent area. It's about 4:40 now. Time to set up camp and prepare for ranger Pete to come up and give us the talk. I am so looking forward to winding down my longest day on the trail and summitting Mount Kathadin starting around 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and finishing by 2:00 PM, Lord willing. Shortly before dusk two hikers arrived with a plethora of treats for us. We stoked up the fire pit. It was a beautiful fire pit with benches all around custom made. The nicest one I've ever seen on Appalachian Trail. We put the grill on the over the fireplace and cooked hot dogs and s'mores. They also brought up some beer but I didn't like that flavor so I did not have any. We told a few stories and retired about an hour later. It was the end of a near perfect pre-summit day. Good night.Ascent: 2231', Descent: 2211'