Date: 2021-06-19
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to (mile 30.1)

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to (mile 48.3)
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to rain pattering on the metal shelter roof around 4. It sputtered on and off, then gathered strength. The Wolf had gone to tent to escape the mosquitoes, but that looked like a questionable trade-off now. The skeeters are holed up elsewhere so for now I'm dry and unpestered.The trail crew returned at 7:30. They all have extensive hiking experience. One bags peaks in the Whites. Another hiked 880 miles across the dry trackless canyons of southern Utah. Yet another has hiked the Gila river in New Mexico. They headed out with ladders and buckets into the rain to finish the job. As they left, a group of nine friends on their first backpacking trip hiked in. They made breakfast and seemed in good spirits despite the rain.I passed the trail crew quarrying and placing rocks on the steep sides of a gully. The youngest guy said they'd moved 84 cubic feet of rock. That must weigh at least several tons? "It's enough that I feel it today!" he answered, indicating his arms.On Crescent Pond a couple was fishing from a rowboat. My attention was then grabbed by a cow moose browsing in the water near the shore. I circled her on the trail to get some pictures. She looked at me once or twice, then slowly ambled into the trees. On the far shore I passed an overturned aluminum canoe. A couple dozen dragonflies roosted on its hull, soaking up the reflected heat.Relatively easy trail continued to a viewpoint over Nahmakanta Lake with Katahdin on the horizon. A fiftyish woman named Elizabeth was resting. A SOBO, her daughter had, according to her, talked her into attempting the hike. She sounded less confident and seemed to want to talk and be reassured, so I tried to pep her up. Said she helped a woman climb down Katahdin and was told her name should be Savior or Trail Angel. I suggested the less loaded name Florence Nightingale but she didn't like it. Another hiker later suggested Karma which she seemed to like because she considers herself a yogi. She complained she was carrying too much food and tried to give me her oatmeal. I demurred but took a fruit bar that she said made her constipated.Two NOBOs raced past as I ascended Nesuntabunt Mountain. One's girlfriend was slackpacking them between logging roads. Pretty good deal. The humidity wore me down over Nesuntabunt, and the bugs were active today. Thankfully there's been no more rain since early this morning. Also on Nesuntabunt I crossed paths with an older woman lugging a huge backpack and leading a Benji-type dog. They've hiked from Monson and she was still smiling. An older gentleman a few minutes back was not with her, but had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on her.At Wadleigh Stream Lean-to I stopped for lunch and water. White-haired SOBO Gordon, from Seattle, came in for water. He's hiking halfway to Georgia. So far Maine feels like the Pacific Northwest to him. I found my entry in the shelter log from last October. It was the day I got trail magic in the Wilderness. Hot coffee and freshly-made donuts on a camp stove from two brothers who fish the area. Most surprising trail magic I've ever gotten.Soon after leaving the shelter I went for a dip in Nahmakanta Lake. The sun was shining now. Butterflies congregated on a small rock, so close they jostled and climbed over each other.I caught up with Gordon. He's a schoolteacher hiking over the summer. Moved to Seattle 30 years ago and loves it, except for how expensive it's become, and the major homeless problem. We encountered Joker and Julia resting nearNahmakanta Stream. Julia forced a smile and said she's holding up well, but they look a bit spent. Fortunately they have a food drop at mile 60 so no need to rush.Took a break at Nahmakanta Stream Lean-to where Jacob, a thirty-something Brooklyn native schoolteacher, was having trouble lighting a fire due to the damp kindling. He's also on the summer vacation hiking plan, but hopes to piece the whole trail together eventually. This is his first hike since an injury seven years ago, so he's taking it easy.I took a side trail to Mahar Landing to see if I could spend the night at a fishing camp called White House Landing, one of the few hiker stops I've never visited. But when I got to the shore there was no sign for the boat pickup. There is service here and I called, only to be told that after being closed last year they now require reservations and a two-night stay. Not a hurdle most hikers on trail can clear! Disappointing. I was looking forward to their famous one-pound burger. The Guthooks hiker comments from 2019 agreed that the owners really cared about hikers. Plan B - I hiked another 2.5 miles to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to over easy trail. The trail's been easy all day, with only a few small climbs. Lots of rocks and roots of course, some of which were wet and slippery. But I noticed all the improvements to the trail like rock steps, bog bridges, stepping stones and the like. The trail could be much harder. I imagined what crossing Maine without a trail, or only a deer path, would be like. At the shelter I found Henry, last seen at Katahdin Stream campground, already in his sleeping bag. He's been here since 3 waiting out a possible thunderstorm. Thunder has rumbled on and off this afternoon but nothing came of it. A half hour after I arrived though it showered for about twenty minutes.Henry's seen five moose already, but he told me how one blocked the trail and, when Henry left the trail and hid behind a tree, the moose followed him. It shadowed him for twenty minutes until Henry started singing a silly old camp song about a moose drinking juice. That's when the moose decided to leave.After the rain a trio of hikers walked in and began setting up tents. It was a father with an adolescent son and daughter. They're finishing a northbound thruhike. Even more impressively, this is the end of their Triple Crown. They hiked the PCT in 2018 and the CDT last year.Without a stop at White House Landing I need to manage my food to stretch it through the remaining 66 miles. For perspective, I'm only on mile 48 after 4 days, although I've hiked 65 including off-trail miles. Still, I need to average 22 miles a day to finish in the three days for which I estimate I have food. Today I struggled for energy at times thanks to the humidity and possibly not drinking enough. The trail will be tougher ahead. Time to dig a little deeper.