Date: 2015-09-26
From: shelter

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 24.2

At 4am I was wide awake. I knew from my nose that it was COLD-in the 30s- outside. It was dark, it was cold, but the air was very still. I decided to get ready to go. I wanted to cover 24 plus miles today, if possible, and sleep in Millinocket. I decided that today would be my last wakeup in a tent, my last visit to a privy, and my last meal was about to be cooked on the trail. I put on my headlamp and headed into the dark to get down my food bag, high in a tree. It was SO cold that I decided to live dangerously and cook from my tent and sleeping bag. I rolled up the vestibules, found a sturdy rock to brace my stove, got back in the bag and fired that baby up. The flames from my little beer can stove were beautiful in the darkness and the coffee tasted extra fine in the simple quiet cold. As I sipped my coffee, I removed the final page from my AWOL data book. The last page. My eyes filled and I was a little overwhelmed for a minute. I thought-Wow. I am going to make it. I think it was the first time I thought I would actually do it, without reservation , hurling myself to the idea that I would be a thru hiker.I visited what is easily the very nicest privy on the entire trail, another trick to make me remember only the good. I'll never forget using the no walls privy directly next to the trail. I had risen very early in the morning (so I could avoid anyone passing by) While I was doing my business, I was cheerfully greeted by a hiker as he ambled by. I. Was. Mortified. But I said hello. I'll never forget the holes in the woods, the experimentation with comfortable squatting positions (sitting on a log is my fave) and all of the other bathroom challenges to solve. Walking deep into the woods for privacy and realizing as hikers approached that I just walked from one point at the end of a curve in the trail to a point at the beginning of the curve. Hikers say Hi BonBon! Laughter. Mortification. It is something to think about when you plan your thru. Humans go to the bathroom A LOT. It is worth consideration and practice, just like cooking and other tasks of the hike. Women-I recommend the P-Style. It will change your world. I plan to continue to carry it in my purse at home. No more squatting over disgusting toilet seats. Pee like a boy! Hurrah! And you need never leave your tent in the middle of the night if you are armed with a p-style and a wide mouth gatorade bottle. Yep. Sounds gross but it is heaven to not have to stumble around in the dark outside of your tent on a cold and rainy night. Or any other night. It is indoor plumbing.I packed up all of my gear and hit the trail at first light. My earliest start yet. The trail was oh-so-quiet. I had all of my layers on and started stripping them in the first 20 minutes. The hike started with a climb, up Mt Nesuntubunt. There was a side trail to a view of Katadhin and I took it. The scene was a beautiful lake down in the valley, steam rising from it dramatically n the early morning cold, and the range of mountains behind it. Mt K looked large and uncompromising. I could see from here, a 17 mile line of sight, that it would be a rugged and challenging climb. It is easy to think about skipping up that last mountain, hyped up on adrenaline, but seeing it in this way brings home the difficulty. I got a little turned around up on that part of the trail and was not sure which way to go. I used the compass on my phone and headed off in what I hoped was the right direction. The trail was NOT flat and easy here- there were climbs and descents, although nothing horribly strenuous. Lots of rocks and roots, lots of muddy bogs with walks on log foot bridges. I decided to listen AWOL's book about the AT on the last day of my hike. It was fun to listen with the perspective of been there-done that, and the story was a shared experience now. I was surprised on this second reading, about a year and a half later than the first reading, how much the book referred to injury and pain. Somehow my brain glossed over those tidbits when I was reading it with my I'm Gonna Hike The At goggles. Interesting.The trail passed by glassy lakes, the trees on the edge reflected perfectly in them. I captured the beauty in my phone camera. I wanted to stay and gaze for long periods of time at these serenity spots, but I also want to summit on Monday. So I hiked on, enjoying the sights for only short moments.I stopped for lunch at Rainbow Spring Campsite and ate what I hope will be the last pack of tuna to ever cross these lips. I walked down to the spring and collected cold clr=ear water, piped directly form the source next to the lake. I wanted to say the hell with it and drink without filtering, but I have made it this far without Giardia soI decided to bite the bullet and filter. What a beautiful campsite this is. I want camp here whenI come back with D.No and C.Shell and my husband. Because I want to come back and do this section again! I hiked up a beautiful section of trail to Rainbow Ledges. The views were gorgeous, rocks sat alone as though posing on vast granite slabs. I admired them in turn. The path became almost like a sidewalk that you could rollerblade on, smooth exposed granite. It was about 4:oops and I had 6.1 miles to Abol Bridge. I hiked on, feeling hopeful. At 4:59, according to my phone, I passed through a deserted Hurd Brook Lean To. I hesitated- should I stop or keep going? I had just under 4 miles to hike. The trail was easy-isn, but not completely flat. I decided to go for it. I am not a really fast hiker so I have to think about these things.I hiked on and the trail was kind to me. I made it to the road at 6:30. I turned and started walking towards Abol Bridge. The moon was coming up beyond the bridge, one night shy of being full. It was beautiful and poignant. I made it to the bridge then stuck my thumb out. Nobody picked me up. The road was gravel and most cars that went by had canoes on the roof or boat trailers. A van with guys with lots of facial piercings and facial tattoos came by. they stopped and said they had some business tot make care of by they would pick me up in a few minutes. My gut was telling me something about this, so I went to the campground store to see if any shuttles were available. They told me best bet was to hitchhike. I went back out and got a ride form a Millinocket Firefighter/EMT. He gave me a ride all the way to the AT Lodge, introduced me to Ol Man- the owner, and went on his way. Nice guy! Katwalk was there and we were very happy to see each other! I took a shower and we headed over to the restaurant to eat. I was really glad to bumb into Slider, Grey Goat, and English Bob at the restaurant. They had summited the day before and were feeling really great tonight.Tomorrow I will hitchhike back to Abol Bridge and hike the last 10 miles to the base of Mt. Katayhin. Summit on Monday.From My husband (he wrote this while I had no internet for a few days)BonBon has been making her way through the 100-mile wilderness and has found it hard to come by a signal so she has asked me, her husband, to post her mileage between Saturday, September 19th and Thursday, September 24th. Bonnie will fill in the details after she summits Mount K on or about September 28th. This will be very soon, since I am writing this late on Saturday, September 26th. For anyone keeping score this is the 187th day of her hike which means that BonBon has been gone for just over 6 months. BonBon thought it would be a good idea, if I talked about what it has been like at home without her - a topic that I suspect is of far more interest to her than anyone following her journal. People don't come here to read about tax payments, fire marshal inspections and parent-teacher conferences, so I will be brief. You can thank me in the comments. BonBon owning her own business meant she didn't have to ask anyone's permission to take 6 months off, but she did have to convince several of her employees that her leaving was a tremendous opportunity. If it brings to mind Tom Sawyer's whitewashed fence, you are getting the correct picture. Her managers, the accountant and myself have really enjoyed getting to know each other.At home, BonBon took a similar approach explaining to me that her absence would be an opportunity for me to experience the joys of being a single parent which she described as involving far less consultation and deliberation than a dual parent household. By and large, I have found this to be absolutely true but, I do suspect that my daughters would view this as a bug and not a feature of BonBon's absence.