Date: 2017-08-12
From: Carl Newhall Lean-to

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light rain

8/12East Branch Lean-to - tented10.8 milesI'm so glad my journey doesn't end at Katahdin. I'm nowhere near ready for this to be over. A little time at home will be good, yes. But I'm not ready to let go of this experience. This morning dawned damp and gloomy. I took the time to make hot coffee and held off putting on yesterday's wet clothing until the last minute. I set out into the drizzle a little before 8. I need to send the Maine Appalachian Trail Conference a note. Between my hike in 2011 and now, a whole lot of trail work has been done. Some of the stone steps on Gulf Hagas Mountain look like they were finished yesterday. It's good solid work and should be serviceable for decades. Kudos to them! It's skilled, heavy work. They must have some very dedicated members. Also on Gulf Hagas was more moose poop than I've ever seen in one place. It was in drifts along the trail. It was like a giant hamster cage that badly needed cleaning. Truly a remarkable amount of excrement. And still no actual moose in sight. Whitecap Mountain was fogged in when I summited, just like last time. I suppose I'll never see the view from there for myself. It was drizzling, cold, and windy at the top. I beat feet out of there rather than taking advantage of probably my one chance to contact JD before I leave the wilderness. It wasn't worth risking water damage to the electronics. Nor was it worth hypothermia. Not that I put much thought into it until I was out of the danger zone. I'm in my tent because the mosquitoes were out when I got here. They're gone now but I'm already settled. No point in moving now. I hope it doesn't rain again, though. My feet are in rough shape. New shoes combined with wet feet from rain and frequent fords means pretty bad rubs. I did some trail laundry tonight and washed my socks to see if it will help. I don't have great hope, but it can't hurt at any rate. My trail laundry consisted of water I boiled mixed with straight river water so I could do a warm water wash. I put a few drops of concentrated soap in a ziplock along with the warm water and a sock, and shook it vigorously. Four rinses later the water in the bag stayed considerably clearer after I shook it so I called it good. I wrung them out and the socks are hanging in my tent, where I don't really expect them to dry. Perhaps if the sun comes out tomorrow?The long days of hiking in the damp have done a number on other areas of skin, too. So far it's not bad enough to make me quit early in the day, although I could foresee that happening. I was looking at the calendar today and I think I did the math wrong at some point. I think I'll get to Baxter State Park a day earlier than I planned. I really like my idea of going down to Roaring Brook after I summit Katahdin, but it isn't a reasonable plan unless JD is there to pick me up. I'll have to figure out what to do about it when I get closer to Abol Bridge. I could always spend a day at Abol Bridge or find a way in to Millinocket for a night, I suppose. I guess that's a problem for later. For now, there are still miles to walk.