Date: 2008-08-10
From: Sidney Tappan Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

[Trail Boss: Unknown Hiker made it to the Abol Pines Camping Area (at Abol Bridge) on 8/14. He called in his journal entries (for 8/10, 8/11, 8/12, 8/13, and 8/14) from the pay phone there. He is on track to arrive at the "Birches" on 8/15 and climb Katahdin on 8/16].[Trail Boss: This initial entry for 8/10 is being made to re-calculate the total trip miles shown. Previously the total trip miles shown were about 10 miles over that listed in the guidebook]. Another great weather day ¢ only a very light mist fell, and only for part of the day. The sun was out most of the time. As I came across the various streams I noticed that their water levels looked to be receding. That was indeed good news.Each of my next three mountains to climb were a bit higher than the last. The descents to each gap were not too bad (it has always been those slick descents that worried me the most). West Peak was next, at 3,250 feet, then Hay Mountain at about 3,400 feet. However, there is about a 700 foot climb from the campsite I stayed at to West Peak. And the climb took place in only about a half mile of trail.On top of both West Peak and Hay Mountains the wind was pretty strong. I hadn¢t even felt any wind down at the campsite and was somewhat surprised. I got into the some mist near the top of Hay Mountain. There the wind was howling so loud above me that it sounded like a jet engine. There were a lot of pine trees on Hay Mountain and they helped block the wind. But West Peak Mountain was expsoed. This was one of the few times I regretted having sent my rain pants back home. They would have made a great wind blocker for my legs. But my Marmot bike pants did help with the wind. For a while I even had my fleece hat on.I didn¢t think that Whitecap Mountain would be protected from the wind ¢ and it wasn¢t. But climbing up, the rocks were marked clearly and the visibility (given the mist) wasn¢t an issue. Yet the wind was so fierce that it was actually hard to lean forward into it. For a very brief period on the top of the mountain it felt like the mist was turning into a light sleet.I was impressed with all the work (the Maine AT Club?) did installing all the rock steps on both sides of Whitecap Mountain. They used gray slate, gray granite, quartz, and some type red rocks that I had no clue about.White Cap Mountain has tremendous views in every direction, including Katahdin, on clear days. I was hoping for the weather to improve and some of the mist to go away. When I reached the top of White Cap Mountain the sun began to appear. The clouds began to thin but I still was unable to see Katahdin. Did see some of the closer peaks, though. As I had hoped, I got cell reception on the summit and called Trail Boss at work to check in and let her know I missed her. I also called home and left several days of journal notes on our answering machine. She will transcribe them into Trail Journals later.The top of Whitecap was pretty much steep jagged rocks with a very rocky summit. Although the mist had stopped and the sun was out, it began to get very humid. That wasn¢t a problem when you were in the wind, but later in the day the humidity had a impact on me.The fifth (and final) mountain of the day was Little Boardman. The footing here was more "tedious" than "rugged." It was an improvement over the previous ascents. There were fewer rock slabs and verticals than I've had recently. There was still a lot of slate here, along with granite.The wind did dry me off and felt good during the day, but it felt that way only on the summits. White Cap Mountain was the last major mountain with a significant elevation until Mount Katahdin. Now it was downhill to Logan Brook and the shelter.The Logan Brook Lean-To is one and a half miles from the Whitecap. Usually my day-time breaks are only about 15-20 minutes to eat a snack. But at the Lean-To I decided to take a full hour off to rest up and celebrate the completion of climbing the mountains. I remember that StorminNorm and Water Bear used to always take a 45 minute to one hour break every day. That went against my logic of taking three or four brief breaks during the day. But there are times indeed when a longer break really was nice.I returned to the trail and continued north to the East Branch of the Pleasant River. Surprisingly, this was a pretty difficult crossing. I had lulled myself into thinking that the water levels were receding. But not here. Due to the boulder like rocks, uneven bottom, and the current. Forded across very carefully and managed to make it without slipping or falling into the water. Got my socks and boots back.While putting my boots back on, I got a good look at the soles. They were getting worn down pretty smooth. These were only the second pair of Lowa Renegade Boots I have used on the hike (switched pairs back at Harpers Ferry). Up to now I hadn¢t had any of the stitching give out and the uppers looked fine. But the soles now had very little traction. That¢s probably why I had been having difficulty with the wet rocks during climbs and descents. But at this point it¢s too late to even consider switching them out, so I¢ll use them to the finish. Two pair of boots in 2,100 miles. Not bad when you consider that Lowa only ¢rates¢ them for 400 miles each.By now the increasing humidity really began to hit me. Every step of this hike today had sweat pouring off me. My pack was even partially soaked. The sweatband I was wearing couldn¢t keep up with the perspiration coming off my face. My glasses kept slipping down my nose ¢ a maddening thing. The lenses were coated in perspiration and after a while I didn¢t even try to wipe it off. On the good side, there was plenty of water available and I would fill up and carry two liters of water continuously.After I had crossed the East Branch of the Pleasant River, the trail began to get very steep, gaining around 500 feet in a quarter of a mile. Then it leveled off. I came to Mountain View Pond and decided I really needed a break and decided to get in the water for a bit. It was great ¢ cooled off and got all the sweat off of me. I just left my shirt and shorts on and they got somewhat clean from being in the water.As mentioned earlier, going up and over Little Boardman Mountain was not that difficult compared to Whitetop earlier. Crawford Pond came up soon and it was a real sight to see. It had a very nice sandy beach. At first I regretted having taken the earlier break at Mountain View Pond. But there were only two more miles to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To (my home for the night) and a good place to swim there.It was interesting going through the various ¢ecological areas¢ all day. On the mountains the winds influenced the plant life. Down in the valleys the humidity (and I guess the lack of winds) determined what grew there. There is a portion of the trail before you get to the East Branch Lean-To that has a lot of bright green moss. It covers the ground, the rocks, boulders, and just about everything else.I got to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To shortly after 6pm. The humidity was still way up there. There were a couple of hikers already there so I left on my shorts and got into the water. It was nice to cool off in the water. But what was even nicer was knowing I was through hiking for the day and wouldn¢t be getting hot again. Just before it got dark I heard and saw three more hikers show up. Before they even got to the shelter the dumped their gear and immediately got into the water. Only after about 30 minutes did they get out, get their gear, and settle down in the shelter for the night. I think they had their priorities pretty well figured out.Crawford Pond & Beach