Date: 2018-08-26
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to/Mile 2091.5

To: Stealth site/Mile 2106.4
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

Gbolt and I were up, packed and hiking by 6:30. Immediately we had a steep, rocky climb up Barren Ledges. Then we had a relatively hike for an hour until we had to climb up to Barren Mountain. That was average in difficulty but the descent was steep, rocky and required very slow, cautious going. Then it was right up 4th Mountain and Third Mountain ¢ each time having to descend some and then climb back up. These are part of the ¢Chairback¢ Mountains and were relatively easy despite the constant roller coaster. Before Third Mountain was a climb up The Ledges. This started turning the day more difficult and unpleasant and stressful. The climb appeared to be a simple .5 but the terrain required climbing over rocks and ledges and each time we gained elevation the next section would give it all back while it called for some tough hiking/climbing/descending.The descent from Third was steep, rocky and time consuming. Then it was right up Columbus Mountain, which had a perfected graded and relatively easy trail to the summit as well as down ¢ a pleasant surprise. Then we had to climb Chairback Mountain. The climb was reasonable, except it had numerous mini climbs followed by mini descents that wore us out as we would work to gain elevation and then be forced to give it back. The views at top of Third were spectacular (as they were at Third), but the descent was horrendous ¢ among the most difficult, most dangerous, most ridiculous requirements of the entire trail.Once we had dealt with the descent from Chairback Mountain, we thought most of the hard work for the day was done, but we still had four miles, which proved to throw numerous mini climbs and pointless descents at us, and then a long, steep descent (although that trail was pine needles and roots rather than rocks and roots. (The mud throughout the trail was minimal because three or four sunny days had dried most of it.)We finally descended most of the way to the West Branch of Pleasant River and found a stealth site. We were both very tired from an unusually difficult 15-mile day. Mostly we were thankful we had put a major obstacle (the ¢Chairbacks¢) behind us. We passed by the 2,100 mile marker in the afternoon. We are both tired and ready to finish. Sometimes in the day are spirits are high and sometimes we¢re frustrated, tired and mostly thinking about being done. I was in great spirits in the morning but the descents and terrain (and trail routing) got the best of me after lunch. I¢ve always said, we had three business days (the first three) in the 100 mile wilderness when we had the difficult hiking to get through and then we had three pleasure or vacation days. If nothing else, the weather has been good and we¢re on schedule to have our ¢vacation¢ days ¢ just need to get over the last (Whitecap) mountain ¢ tomorrow!BHMHow to follow RTK:Blog:  http://www.rtkchallenge.com/bl...YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channe...Podcast:  http://returningtokatahdin.lib...Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rtk_...Please consider joining the "RTK AT Challenge":  https://fundraise.appalachiant...