Date: 2011-07-24
From: Stratton Maine (Stratton Motel Hostel)

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

August 1 ¢ I¢m adding 2 journal entries today, July 24 & 25. Tomorrow I will enter July 26, and then once Alan is home we will add the final entries including Katahdin. ¢ MaryToday was an absolutely fantastic day. Mammoth, Afternoon Delight, ?, and I went out for breakfast at the Stratton Diner where I had some great blueberry and banana pancakes with bacon and a couple cups of tea. We didn¢t rush, but managed to get on the trail by 8:30 after getting shuttled back. We knew we were in for some big climbs today, but the weather was absolutely perfect; clear, dry, and cool. We climbed up over the Horn, where we got our first stunning views and then went down to the pond to eat lunch. Then it was back up to West Peak where the views were spectacular. I would have to say the views rival those of Franconia Ridge and the Presidentials, especially on this clear day. We stayed at the peak for some time, eventually meeting a soutbound section hiker. As we admired the views we started to look where Katahdin would be. Mammoth¢s GPS said it was 85 miles to Katahdin as the crow flies. As we looked in the distance we could see a mountain that was big enough and the right shape, but had heard that you could not see Katahdin until White Cap. We thought it was Katahdin, but couldn¢t say for sure. As we left I remembered a story about Myron Avery¢s Machete that was supposed to be attached to the rocks on West Peak, a southbounder at the hostel also said he had seen it, so I decided to look. Mammoth was skeptical, but I went looking anyway. Sure enough, I found it without much trouble and we both took some pictures. Soon afterward we met a ridgerunner as we were heading to Avery Peak. He confirmed it was such a clear day that you could in fact see Katahdin. It was a special moment when we could see our final destination and we knew that in about 14 mile we would be crossing the 2,000 mile mark. We took our time crossing the rest of the ridge with great views around every corner. We picked blueberries up on the ridge and I found myself looking at the horizon and Katahdin for as long as we were high enough for it to be visible. It really drives home that the end is literally in sight. We made the shelter about 5:30, both of us commenting on how this was a perfect day. A woman who had thru-hiked in ¢98 and goes by ¢Mother Nature¢ was out doing a section of trail. When I asked if she had seen Enzed she said she had seen her at Pierce Pond Lean-to on Friday. I was a little sad because that means she is 3 days ahead of us, and she also skipped the Bigelows. I had commented to Mammoth that I was glad she had seen them because they rivaled Franconia Notch, and I know she had missed hiking that area. Oh well, maybe she will wait before she summits. I¢m tenting tonight because there are lots of mosquitos, but I¢ll sleep well because it is cool and dry. Actually everyone is tenting tonight and no one is in the shelter. As of now the plan is 3 more days to Monson, re-supply, 6 days to the Birches Campground at the base of Katahdin, and then summit on the 3, 4, or 5, depending on the weather.