Date: 2005-08-31
From: Abol Bridge

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I don¢t think I described Abol Bridge, but I expected something different; a little more touristy. Abol Bridge is simply a bridge across a road. You cross it and there are campgrounds there. Very modest campground there with a very modest store. Power lines running by it and you walk into the woods again. Basically, it is very straightforward. No frills.It started raining last night or early this morning about quarter to three and it never stopped. At five thirty I went ahead and started packing up. Got all my stuff together inside the tent and got it in waterproof bags and into my backpack. Then I took the tent down in the rain and took everything into the bathroom to reorganize my pack and get ready to hike.Then I went up to the store and sat out front there in the rain waiting for them to open at 7:00 so I could get some coffee and a couple of their cheeseburgers. That¢s all they had; microwave food. I got a couple of microwave cheeseburgers for breakfast and one of the Hershey's chocolate milkshakes.While I was there, all the other thru-hikers that had all hung out together last night started showing up, getting ready to hike too. Ten Bears and I walked off in the rain together; first ones out down the Trail.The Trail from Abol Bridge to Katahdin Stream, especially the beginning part, is extremely nice; very pedestrian, very smooth, no rocks. Then you start hitting some rocks and some roots. But still, very easy Trail. What made it more difficult this morning was that it was underwater almost completely the whole way. I kind of figured that was going to happen this morning, so I didn¢t even bother to put on my trail shoes or my socks. I put on my water/camp shoes. I took off everything unnecessary. No socks, no underwear. Just a pair of shorts and my Gore Stopper top is what I left on and just walked off into the rain. Actually, splashed off into the rain. I didn¢t mention this before but yesterday, when we walked into Rainbow Stream, when it was also raining, the trail was also very flooded. Some places, it was raining so hard, it was actually a river; rapid water. Several, four or five inches deep running down bare rock. It was quite challenging. Especially since at that time I was trying to keep my feet dry.This morning was more of the same. Completely submerged Trail. Walking through the puddles nearly ankle deep. Every now and then you¢d hit a puddle and think it was solid ground, but the Trail had turned to mush and at one point my foot sank down almost to the knee into the Trail. It was pretty crazy. Regardless, it was once again, an enjoyable walk in the rain. I actually enjoyed walking in the rain this morning for a couple of reasons. One, because it was a beautiful walk, and because I was prepared for the rain. Also because of the history I have with this Trail now. I think everything has a reason. I just think there¢s reasons why things happen, and I was meant to walk in tremendous amounts of rain that we got in 2003. We got almost a hundred days of rain. It was a very trying thing. And I was meant to fall short, and have to rehike this Trail this year. Because of that, I have a real appreciation of what a gift this year was, in terms of weather, for all of us out here. I¢m very lucky to have hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2005. Others got worse days than I did, but for all intents and purposes, I only walked in six days of rain and two days of snow. That¢s a very good thing. Being only thirty miles from Katahdin, where I know the end is in sight, I¢m willing to walk through anything.We got to Katahdin Stream Campground. There are no signs here for the Birches, which is the shelter for thru-hikers. You can only stay there one night. You have to sign in ahead of time at Abol Bridge and then you have to leave and go somewhere else. We did our sign-in thing back at Abol Bridge figuring we were set. We got here to find out that the Birches is quite a distance off away from the trail and it¢s quite a distance away from any water. There was a little bit of a hike up the road to get to it. I was kind of getting irritated by that time because it was still raining like hell. Ten Bears and I were kind of wandering all over the place trying to figure out where the hell we were supposed to be going. We ended up on the trailhead to Katahdin. Had to turn around and come back. Then we ran into Roz. Then we hiked back to the ranger station. We just happened to catch one of the rangers, Jody, who seemed to be in a little bit of a hurry at first until she found out that we were thru-hikers. She was extremely nice to us. We ended up registering at the little, tiny huts they have over here in Katahdin Stream Campground, much closer to the Trail. The three of us, and then later on some other south bounder who just summitted today, got into the shelter next to us; they each only hold three people. Matt and Trip showed up later and took up the following shelter.Bad things are afoot though. What¢s the saying? "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." It doesn¢t look like we¢re going to summit tomorrow. I was really hoping that since it was my birthday, September 1st, that would be a present to me to finish this Trail. After talking to Jody, and then later to Toby, who is the ranger in the station here, it doesn¢t look like we¢re going to be allowed to summit tomorrow. They¢re going to call it a Class 4 day. All the rain is creating flooding and it looks like it is going to be a very dangerous day tomorrow, so they might shut down the mountain.What¢s doing this all is the remnants of Katrina, the hurricane, that we just found out this morning, destroyed New Orleans, is passing up our way and dropping all this rain on us. The second hurricane now this year that we¢ve had to walk through the remains of. It¢s complicating all kinds of things. Everyone of us, all five of us, that are thru-hikers right now, only carried one day¢s worth of food because we were planning on summiting in the morning; getting the hell out; and getting to Millinocket. Now it looks like that could be delayed by days. So, we¢ve come up with several plans of action here, first one being that, if he calls it off tomorrow, we can turn around and walk back to Abol Bridge using one of the Blue Blaze trails. That¢s 4.2 miles there. Get food. Walk back here. Resign in at the Birches at Abol Bridge so we can stay there and then stay again the following night and try to summit on Friday.The other option, which appears to be what we might end up doing, is to go ahead and if he closes the mountain tomorrow at 7:00, that we may just have him call a taxi. It¢s going to be expensive; 41 bucks to get to Millinocket; we¢ll go to Millinocket; spend the night there; maybe spend a couple nights there; turn around; get a taxi back; and then try to summit on Friday. It¢s all getting complicated. Right now, just sitting here trying to eat; finish this journal; and figure out what the hell I¢m going to do. I¢m hoping this is my second to the last entry that I have to make. Maybe not.To be continued.5:00I went ahead and moved from Katahdin Stream Campground over to the Birches Lean-to, mainly because the Park put me, Roz, and Ten Bears in the same shelter over at Katahdin Stream Campground. They¢re tiny, little shelters. Three people is pretty crowded and very shallow so your head is almost sticking out of the shelter. Seeing how I do have a possibility of snoring, and how there¢s two really nice six person shelters completely empty here at the Birches, I just went ahead and said ¢Screw it.¢ I put my raincoat on and walked over here. I¢ll sleep here and that way everybody sleeps in peace and I get a shelter all to myself again.It is still storming badly. It feels like I¢m still back in Florida and a hurricane is about to move in. That¢s about what¢s happening; the remnants of a hurricane. The wind has really picked up and it¢s blowing the trees all over the place. The rain comes in waves. It stops for a few minutes and then it just comes down hard. I would say there¢s absolutely no way that I¢m going to be summiting tomorrow. They¢re going to close the mountain down.I¢m sitting here looking at the map and I¢m thinking that I may change my mind. I think I may not go to Millinocket after all. I might just walk back to Abol Pines Campsite. Blow the day going back there. Eat and come back here with some more food. This time a couple days worth in case I get stuck here for a while longer. But, it¢s something to do. I¢ll be hiking a new Trail. It will drive me out of my mind but I¢ll find something to do. I¢ll sit here and read or maybe I¢ll just go hike around in the rain, as silly as that sounds. But I am in Maine and I am in Baxter State Park, one of the most beautiful places to be in, so I guess I should take advantage of it, rain or shine.Haven¢t told the guys yet. I just made the decision. I don¢t know what else to do at this point. It sure sucks to be stuck here. We¢re all itching to summit and go home. The weather isn¢t going to cooperate. And the worst thing is, it looks like the best day is going to be Friday, two days from now, and even then its 30% chance of rain. After that, it¢s going to deteriorate again. It doesn¢t look like we¢re going to get good weather this week entirely. Next week is Labor Day. I do not want to be here for Labor Day. That will just totally suck.Anyway, I¢m bored out of my mind already. I¢m going to pull out this book here that I¢m reading, Hell¢s Kitchen and try to pass the time away.