Date: 2006-09-17
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Spring Leant-to
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: clear sky

0917East Branch Leanto to Potaywadjo Spring Leanto19.5 MilesToday was the best! Last night it got cold. Down in the 30s I think. Since I switched to a 1 person tent, I just drapde the rainfly on over top. This traps air inside and helps keep me warm when Kathy¢s not around. Got things going and Berkinstock and I broke camp a little early. I noticed some writing in the privy this morning a Southbounder had scrawled. It read ¢thanks Maine Appalachian Trail Club for the screens you put on this privy. The black flies are so bad I have to spend the night in here¢. Just another reason not to hike south in the summer. Berk and I climbed Little Boardman Mountain. This (we hope) is the last of the climbs till Katahdin. I also surmised if one can make it over this hill you might as well keep going since now you are closer to Abol Bridge than Monson. It¢s those stupid little things you have plenty of time to calculate when you are walking. It was pretty easy going the next 7 or 8 miles down to Cooper Falls Lean-to. Met up with Moe, Ponch, and Berkinstock and had lunch. Mountain Jam showed up. I had met him at Gull Pond back in Rangely. He discovered a dog pack hanging on the side of the lean-to. Looked like someone forgot it. Inside were some doggy treats and a hydration bladder. The treats looked tasty and smelled like beef jerky. I read the ingredients and it was all stuff humans eat. Mountain Jam decided to try one, then Ponch, then me. It smelled good but tasted awful. Mountain Jam went on to eat another 2 since he was low on food. When we were getting ready to leave I happened to glance at the deep pool in front of the shelter and saw 2 fish swim by. Told everyone else I¢d see them later and proceeded to assemble my flyrod. My second cast landed a nice 10 inch brook trout. Landed a second one about the same size a couple minutes later. Feeling pretty good about finally catching something worth talking about I packed up and walked another few miles to a spot where the brook took a sharp turn and spilled into a slow stretch of water. I was gonna keep walking but decided it was worth a try considering how nice things were not far upstream. While assembling my rod I noticed tons of little insects landing on my pack. I had been using streamers the past few days since I had not seen any fish rise and figured they were down deep where the water¢s cooler. This time I played my hunch and tried to ¢match the hatch¢ as it were. Russell had given me a variety if dry flies and I picked the closest resemblance. Climbing through a marshy, muddy (nothing new here) area I made my way up close to the rapids and tossed my line out. BAM! A strike. I wasn¢t ready and fell over in the mud. When I recovered, I picked my rod back up and still had the fish on. A nice brookie about 13 inches. I continued to catch one right after the other. When I switched to a sinking fly they were hitting not the fly but the strike indicator! It was nonstop action for more than an hour. Even better, I realized I had extra vodka since Kathy had sent me the bourbon the other day. So I had an afternoon cocktail and fished till about dusk before packing it in and getting back on the trail. Practically skipping the remaining 6 miles to camp I rolled in after dark with a grin on my face (and a little buzz from doing a couple shots on an empty stomach). Today was the best day I have had in awhile. It made carrying this rod and everything all pay off. I think I might just make it.