Date: 2005-09-11
From: Cooper Brook Falls Leanto

To: Mahar Tote Rd. (Whitehouse Landing)
Miles today: 13.8

Cold night last night so I slept in my fleece. This is comfortable enough to ratify my decision to bring my 3-season bag - my winter bag would have been too warm for most of this hike.I¢m the first one up. This shelter has many large rocks in front where one can cook from and do other things so I was able to move out and pack up without disturbing my sheltermates.   None of the young guys are planning to spend tonight at White House Landing so I wonder if I¢ll be alone there.Today¢s hike is easy and I¢m glad because with my poor night¢s sleep and 18 miles yesterday, I need a break. The terrain for much of today allowed me to look out over the woods and admire the trees (some of which appeared to be old growth) and mosses. I¢ve been pleasantly surprised with the generally good maintenance by the MATC in the 100 Mile Wilderness where I assumed the remoteness and distance between roads (gravel at that) would limit trail crews.   There were frequent bog bridges today and even blowdowns had been removed. My lunchtime destination is the sand beach of Jo-Mary Lake 9 miles away. En-route I passed many other ponds; despite its name, the celestial blue waters of Mud Pond were quite scenic. At Jo-Mary Lake, I spent 45 minutes eating lunch, wading in the lake, and drying my groundcloth in the sun over warm rocks. The only ascent of the day up Potaywadjo Ridge barely registered on the body. LiveStrong and DandyLion lunched at Potaywadjo Leanto. They¢ve moving beyond Whitehouse Landing tonight and planning to summit September 14, one day before me so we wished each other well. I¢ve noticed from the register entries that I¢ve drawn closer to Vapor and Yard Sale but it¢s unlikely I¢ll catch them before summitting. Draggin who I met on my first day is also closer now - from being 5 days ahead, he¢s slowed his pace considerably. Meanwhile, I eventually arrived at Pemadumcook Lake which buoyed my spirits for 3 reasons: (1) it was scenic, i.e. another picturesque Maine lake; (2) it featured a view of Katahdin from a well-marked side trail (thanks, MATC); and (3) it meant I was nearing the turnoff for White House Landing. It was 2:45 when I reached Mahar Tote Rd., turned on the well-marked side trail, and found myself at the pickup dock in 20 minutes. Sounded the horn once and I saw movement on the other side. Soon Bill was motoring over to pick me up. I was quite hungry at this point but had to wait until 5 for dinner so I settled in the Shore Cottage in a semi-private room, met Jim & Julie, a recently retired couple from western North Carolina sharing the cottage, showered, and attempted to wash my shirt and shorts in the hand washer. Put my blue shirt through the wringer - only it caught in the end and shredded. So now, that shirt will be my sleeper. Also finished drying my tent.5:00 finally arrived and we descended on the main house where we stocked up on supplies (protein bars, granola bars, and junk food which at this point I could eat without remorse) and ordered our dinners. A one pound burger. I never eat red meat at home. But this is the Trail! And I had no problem putting it down along with 2 12 oz cans of iced tea. And some homemade brownies didn¢t hurt.Bill tells us the weather forecast calls for possible rain tonight with a warm front moving in followed by hot humid weather. I can¢t believe this is Maine in September. Better than pouring rain. In addition to Jim & Julie, 3 other solo hikers rounded out dinner. Zack, a SOBOer whose fiancee is serving the Peace Corps in Madagascar and thus was interested in hearing about Alicia; Eric another SOBOer who had stayed last night and was moving on after dinner; and Cheshire Cat, a fit older guy (62) who was about to complete his third AT end-to-end.What was probably the most gorgeous sunset of the entire hike greeted us as we walked back to the cottage where gas lamps provided our only lights for reading and getting around. But that¢s part of the charm. We all brewed tea in the fully-equipped kitchen but none of us stayed up late as we¢re looking forward to a good night¢s sleep.Heard loons again tonight for the first time in about 2 weeks. I thought about how, as this hike winds down, I¢ve experienced everything one expects summertime in Maine - the mountains with their strenuousness, the lakes & ponds, moose, loons, birches, maples, evergreens, blueberries, mosses, the solitude, the clean air, the ambience of small off-the-beaten-path towns, and now one of the fabled wilderness camps with its rustic facilities not unlike 100 years ago. What a gratifying experience!