Date: 2014-09-30
From: Rainbow Lake Campsite

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: few clouds

I woke up this morning at 6:00, it seemed a little like Christmas Eve morning. Most of my thoughts are on tomorrow, not today. I will be completing my 6 month journey and I'm getting pretty excited about going home. We had some light drizzle last night but once again the weather has been great in Maine. Carson walked down and got us water from the spring and I took down the tent and made coffee. We had a cold breakfast of poptarts and bagels and left a little after 7:00. Amy Stardust had camped just below us and had already left. We hiked past a nice private camp on Rainbow Lake and I took some pictures. We had a short climb up to Rainbow Ledges, there were blueberries everywhere and we ate a few of them. We also saw 5 birds, we think they were grouse. One of them was a male and he was trying to court the 4 females but I think that they were more interested in the blueberries then him. We took our morning break at Hurd Brook Lean-to, another shelter with a baseball bat floor. They really aren't baseball bats just logs. We had a bog to cross with the usual bog bridges and then we finished our first half of the day. Perimeter Road takes you across the Penobscot River at Abol Bridge. From the bridge you get your best view yet of Katahdin but the top was covered in fog. The river view was nice with lots of trees showing off their fall colors. Just past the bridge is the Campground and General Store. We had planned on getting deli sandwiches there but the restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday. We bought some junk food, sodas, candy bars, fruit pies, and stuff we really didn't need. We were able to charge up our electronics and get water though. I used their phone to call Meghan and let her know that things were going as scheduled but it cost $1 a minute so we didn't talk for long. I fixed lunch out on the picnic table and we took a long break. I went back across the bridge and was able to get some clear pictures of Mt Katahdin, the fog had dissapeared. Before we left the General Store Miss Janet pulled up and came over and visited with us. She had dropped off some hikers at the parking lot across the road. We took pictures with her and then we got the idea that maybe she could slackpack us the last 9.9 miles to Katahdin Stream Campground. She was more than happy to do it and even left our packs at the shelter in the park. Miss Janet, you made us all enjoy our afternoon hike through the park that much more enjoyable. The first few miles were easy walking along the river and then we were following streams . We didn't have to use the high water by-pass and were able to cross both forks of the Neswadnehunk Stream without taking off our shoes. We did the first 5 miles in 1 1/2 hours and didn't even break a sweat because we weren't carrying our packs. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the pine trees scent was in the air. Just before getting to the campground we stopped at a pond that had a nice view of Katahdin. You could look up at the mountain or enjoy the reflection of the peak in the still surface of the pond. It turned out being one of the nicest afternoon hikes of the entire trip. We stopped at the ranger station to get registered for our hike tomorrow and to check in to the campsite. I was number 728 for the year and the ranger said that they are expecting up to 200 more through hikers this year. We picked up a couple of day packs,one for Carson and one for Meghan who will be hiking up with us tomorrow. I am going to use my mail bag for my day pack. We walked down to The Birches and set up our tent, it was starting to get dark. Meghan showed up after dark and said that she had a lean-to down by the stream and parking lot where she would spend the night. No Rush's friend Dean also came and was going to stay at a campsite in the same area. No Rush took down his tent and went to spend the night with his close friend. We fixed double dinners this evening and even gave some dinners away to other hikers. It has been 6 months since I started my hike in Georgia, it has been a long but rewarding journey. Still, like most hikers, I'm ready to go home. We hung our packs and foodbag in the shelter in case of rain and went to bed about 9:00. A lot of hikers are hanging around the camp fire tonight and will be finishing their hikes tomorrow also.