Date: 2014-08-16
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Appalachian Trail Lodge via Golden Road
Miles today: 14.7

And now only 15 ish miles remain - ten to Katahdin's base, then 5 to the summit! The journey is almost over and it is hard to believe that only such a short distance separates me from being a hiker to being a true thru-hiker! A separate entry will be made later summarizing my thoughts and feelings about the trip - look for that in the coming days!Planned on sleeping in but as soon as I heard people moving around nearby I woke up - guess it it time to hit the trail to town! One of the last to leave the shelter but I quickly caught Boston Chris and Mr. Jingles on the trail. A lot of walking today around Rainbow Lake and up and down through nice trail and muddy trail - yay Maine!Even with the mud and slippery stuff I was still making good time on the trail - almost moving at three miles an hour! I passed by the lake and then climbed up the Rainbow Ledges - Mama Katahdin had her summit in the clouds so I didn't get a good view of her today but she is ever nearer! Supposedly the ledges are also full of blueberries but I didn't see them - either I had some blinders on or they have been picked by all the thru-hikers! Looking at the sky from the ledges it seemed like it might rain again so I kept on moving to the last shelter in the wilderness. It never ended up raining but it was good to keep on walking and getting closer to completing the 100 Mile Wilderness! At the last shelter I ran into Listen and Squirrel and we walked to the road together ish. A very deep entry in the shelter log from Easy Rider and I took some photos to remember it - it was really good!Before the road I passed the sign telling hikers to carry ten days of food with them - I reached the northern end of the 100 Mile Wilderness! It was pretty cool walking through the wilderness even though the rain made the walking damp and tougher - lots of nice lake views and views of Katahdin and so many fords!At the road I had a most unexpected surprise - trail magic! First time for trail magic in a long time - and so close to the end it was awesome! Walking Man had just dropped his wife and her friend off to do the 100 Mile Wilderness and he was running support for them and helping out hikers. He and his wife thru-hiked in 2010 and they had all the hiker goodies - soda and Gatorade and candy bars - even a chair to sit on! I sat with him for a bit until Listen and Squirrel showed up and then sat with them all enjoying the trail magic - nice to sit and relax! We were talking about our plans for the next couple of days and since I had to wait some time Walking Man offered to drive me into town - easiest hitch ever! So I waited with him until Mr. Jingles and Boston Chris partook of the magic and then we headed into town. He chatted of his adventures on the AT and was a very knowledgeable friendly fellow!He took me to the best place for hikers in town - the Appalachian Trail Lodge. Luckily when I arrived they still had room in the bunkrooms so I quickly took a spot for the evening. A fellow hiker-turned-assistant Plan B showed me around and even let me use her phone to call my folks - it was good talking with them! Finalized plans for the most part for the next several days and excited to see them tomorrow afternoon - they are currently enroute to Springfield, MA!After helping the owners clean some chairs and getting laundry started I finally settled in and started running into old friends. Cowboy, Cornwall, and Captain had summited the mountain today and were staying at the hostel for the evening. They asked how Big Dawg was doing and congratulations were exchanged. Trip the Light also summited yesterday and will be hanging around town waiting for his wife to come in - I think he is doing some more leisurely hiking with her nearby.At the Appalachian Trail Cafe I ran into even more people - Politician, Shroomer, and AZ all summited today and were enjoying a meal with family and fellow hikers - glad to see them before they headed out and ready to see my own family again! They all left and I enjoyed a delicious meal at the cave - good portions for hikers and a nice place to eat! Thru-hikers sign ceiling tiles for record keeping and I can't wait to get my name on the ceiling!Returned to the hostel for the evening to relax - a great hostel! Clean, well organized, friendly staff and everything a hiker needs after climbing Katahdin (or even before). Cape finally caught up to me and had also decided to stay at the hostel - Hass and DFI's plans were unknown to both of us.The waiting is the hardest part but the rewards will be so much more when celebrating it with family - so I will wait and rest and prepare for the last big climb of this trip!