Date: 2021-07-18
From: Potaywadjo Spring lean-to

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 21.82
Weather: overcast clouds

I heard Iceberg stirring in his tent around four as I lay in my hammock dozing, so I got up as well about 4:30. He was hiking by 5:15 but I lazed about some as Lamb¢s Ear and Quiksilver starting breaking camp next to me. I meandered out at 5:45 with just shy of 22 miles to hike. We all agreed to meet at the Rainbow Springs Campsite later in the day, so it was ¢hike your own hike¢ day. I¢ve been a little surprised at how the 100 Mile Wilderness hasn¢t been as wilderness-y as I had imagined. The forest is more open and lacks the density I had been expecting. There are also many ponds with side trails and road access.  I passed a lakeside campsite this morning with a few families set up there with big tents and screened eating areas. The conga-line of SOBOs continues unabated, I probably passed a dozen today. I chatted with a guy who was filtering water from a lake (I¢d only do this as a last resort and there were plenty of stream crossings) and he warned me about how tough the upcoming 900 foot climb was. I thanked him for the info, and then internally dismissed it. If a SOBO tells me a trail section is easy, I believe them. If they tell me something is difficult, I tend not to rely on that assessment. And the climb was steep, but not arduous at all. At the top I took the side trail to a viewpoint and was rewarded with a view of Mt Katahdin, 12 miles away as the crow flies, 35 miles by the AT.I saw two section hikers I knew at the viewpoint - Nines and Short-shorts. They were booked into the Whitehouse Landing lodge for the previous night, but upon arriving at the dock on Pemadumcook Lake for their pickup by boat, they were told the owner changed his mind and wasn¢t renting to hikers until Wednesday. Not cool. They then set up their tent at a nearby site when a Bull Moose wandered in and walked right towards them. It stood about 6 feet at the shoulder and came within 25 feet, staring and snorting. They bugged out and hoped the beast would move on, but he just stayed there.  After 45 minutes is moved around their tent and stood again, only this time with a downed tree between it and the tent. Short-shorts quietly went over, grabbed all their gear, and they hustled away.  The hiking went well, even with a constant light rain that began about 6 am. I got 10 miles in by 10 and 14 by noon. There were lots of wet roots to contend with but I only had two slips on the day. Around 2:30 it started raining harder and when I got to the campsite at 3:15 it was a steady shower. Thankfully, I didn¢t have any issues with my set up, hanging my tarp first to create a dry zone then setting up my hammock underneath. The rain is going to continue thru midnight and I might be able to pack up in the morning without any rain. I¢ve got to say: my tarp and hammock setup is pretty sweet. By using my trekking poles to raise one side of the tarp into ¢porch mode¢ I have a lot of dry space at my disposal and avoid the claustrophobic feel of a cinched-down tarp. If I were dealing with strong storms or heavy winds, I¢d batten down both sides to keel everything dry.I did end up eating dinner sitting in my hammock for the first time on my hike - something I¢ve avoided to this point due to bears and critters.  Then I saw Nines and Short Shorts taking a break nearby, talking to Iceberg. They were going to hike on a few more miles and stealth camp, but I¢m talking to them earlier, I knew they were low on food. I gave each of them a probar to help tide them over until they reached the camp store the next day. Iceberg also gave them some of his ramen he had cooked and they gratefully and quickly scarfed it down. So we have 11.5 miles left of the 100 Mile Wilderness, ending at Abol Bridge campground just outside Baxter State Park. We¢ll go to the park kiosk a half mile further and check the sign up sheet for The Birches campground. If we can secure four spots, we¢ll hike the extra ten miles (well, after hiking back to the camp store for ice cream and cold drinks) and plan to summit on Tuesday, the 20th.