Date: 2005-08-12
From: Antlers Campsite

To: Nahmakanta Lake Campsite
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 12.911.0 AT miles + 1.9 miles of side trailI woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. and took my time eating breakfast and packing, finally hiking out with Opa at 6:40 a.m. At 7:50 a.m., I'd covered 3.5 miles to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to, which I like to call "Potato Wedge" Lean-to. I stopped for a 20 minute snack and rest break before continuing on.At 8:30 a.m., I saw a sign at Pemadumcook Lake that said "View of Katahdin." I walked down a short side trail though only saw flat hills across the lake. The sky was perfectly clear, so I was initially confused until I looked to my left. There it was. The mountain that I'd been traveling nearly 5 months to see was finally in my line of sight. I was very excited and had Opa take my photograph with Katahdin in the background.Hiking on, I reached Mahar Tote Road at 9:10 a.m., which led to White House Landing, the last hostel available for NOBOs. It was 0.9 mile off the trail, though I only had an 11.0 mile day planned, so I asked Opa whether he wanted to hike in for lunch. He was game, so we took the side trail and reached a boat dock at 9:35 a.m. There was a sign stating to give a short burst on the air horn hanging from a tree and to wait patiently for a boat. At 9:45 a.m., Bill from White House Landing arrived in the boat and took us across Pemadumcook Lake.Lunch wasn't being served until 11:00 a.m., so I sat down with a pint of Chunky Monkey and read for a bit before taking a 20 minute nap in the sun. Once the grill was open, Opa and I each ordered a 1 pound cheeseburgers. Talk about a messy sandwich! After lunch, I sat around reading until I heard the air horn sound, which meant that Bill was going to be heading back across the lake. I was back at the dock at 12:40 p.m. and hiked back to the AT, arriving at 12:55 p.m.The customer service provided by Bill at White House Landing was less than desirable and this was also noted by a couple of other hikers. Bill seemed more interested in parting hikers from their money than actually helping them. There was a pair of hikers that had resupplied but had planned to hang out for a couple hours, though Bill rushed them off once he had their money. At one point during my visit, he let it be known that it was possible to drop me off at a dock much closer to the AT, though he would only provide that service if I stayed the night. While the food was decent, I honestly cannot recommend White House Landing unless one needs an emergency resupply. 0.1 mile after returning to the AT, I rock hopped a branch of Nahmakanta Stream and went into "the zone," where I just hiked and carefully watched my footing. I stopped at one point to water the bushes and drank a liter of water, then felt very sluggish, primarily because of the weight of the burger I'd eaten. I continued on and reached the South end of Nahmakanta Lake at 2:40 p.m. Despite my weighted down feeling, I'd covered 6.0 miles in 2 hours flat.Opa's daughter, Sasha, and her boyfriend, Brian, were on site, as well as Michael and Sean. I was treated to a crisp apple, then took a dip in the lake, after which I relaxed in a folding chair. Sasha and Brian made dinner for our group, which consisted of fruit salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, and hot dogs. After dinner, I sat around and chatted with all present before settling into my tent to read.Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may be doing a 21.9 mile day, which will be the last 20+ mile day of this hike. With only 40.8 miles between me and the summit of Mount Katahdin, this trip will soon be at an end, which stirs up a number of different emotions. Pride, relief, and sadness are among the dominant feelings I'm currently experiencing.Bedtime at 9:00 p.m.