Date: 2009-07-22
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I almost beat the sun today. Big Boots and I decided to get up early and start hiking at 6. This is early for me but not so much for him. It rained the entire night but stopped this morning.   There were just low clouds in the area.   It was only a three mile walk to Abol Bridge; the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness. Our goal was to hitch a ride into Millinocket to purchase some champagne for the summit tomorrow. There is a camp store at Abol Bridge where I purchased an orange juice. Fruit tastes amazing when you haven't had it for quite some time. Hike the trail and you'll find out too.I was a little skeptical of our ability to get a ride into Millinocket since traffic on the road was all but absent. Plus, the town is 19 miles away. Big Boots stayed dedicated to the task and eventually a marine in a truck pulled over for us. He wasn't going all the way to town but was able to take us 12 miles down the road to Millinocket Lake Campground. There was another camp store there and surprisingly they sold champagne. I decided champagne was too heavy for me to hike up Katahdin so I decided against it. I had another idea in mind.   Millinocket Lake Campground also sold pizza. I asked the woman behind the counter if she could heat the oven for us even though it was 9 a.m.   Luckily, she was more than happy to do so. You can't go wrong with pizza and strawberry milk for breakfast.Afterward, Big Boots and I stood by the road for a half hour to get a hitch back to Abol Bridge. Again, with only logging trucks for traffic, it was tough to get a ride.   A nice couple from Maryland with a packed four door sedan made just enough room for us to get in and put our packs on our laps. Back at Abol Bridge, we purchased food for today and tomorrow. I also bought a few victory cigars and a couple tall Pabst Blue Ribbons for the celebration on the summit.The 10 miles we had left to Katahdin Stream Campground were celebratory in my opinion. It is like the last day of the Tour de France as the riders enter Paris. Yeah, you are still racing (hiking) but it is really just a glorification of the end. We walked into Baxter State Park and followed another river upstream. There were two fords that Big Boots and I switched into crocs for. The water was flowing quickly but the water levels were no higher than just above the knees. The sun came out when I reached Katahdin Stream Campground which was welcomed as the hours before were mainly cloudy with a few showers. As I opened the door to the Ranger Station, there was Easy Strider! It was really good to see him. It was also sort of a surprise. I didn't know he was going to be there until I got a text from my sister when I turned on my phone at the Millinocket Lake Campground. He booked a lean-to so I was able to stay with him for the night. He also brought some trail magic for Carolina, Big Boots and I. Beer, Subway, soda, carrots, and almonds hit the spot. An extra special treat, Easy Strider drove us into Millinocket for dinner at the Appalachian Trail Cafe. I ordered the surf and turf special. Then, all four of us ordered the Summit Sundae. It had 14 scoops of ice cream, candy bars, whip cream, chocolate sauce, cherries, blueberry muffins, and M&Ms. At the end of the night, I was full. I don't think there was an empty cubic centimeter in my stomach. Katahdin tomorrow! This is ridiculously surreal.