Date: 2021-06-21
From: Carl Newhall Lean-to (mile 78.6)

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to (mile 95.3)
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

After yesterday's 30 miles my feet were scolding me this morning. I told them, Tough, we're getting to Monson in two days so suck it up. I was the first one out around 6:30.Today's goal is a more modest 16 miles, but it includes most of the challenging Chairback range. It started with an easy five miles down to the Gulf Hagas area and the West Branch of the Pleasant River. Here I saw a woman with grey pigtails approaching. She asked if I was Valley Forge. I didn't know her, I hoped nothing was wrong. Turned out she recognized me from my trail journal last year. She introduced herself as Robin from Colorado, now a ridgerunner for the Maine ATC. She was headed up to check out the shelter I'd just left. I mentioned the first aid kit and Sawyer filter plunger I'd found on White Cap mountain and taken down to the shelter last night. The Pleasant River was calf high and was so wide it had to be forded. I took off my shoes and socks and leaned on my trekking poles to navigate the bed of slippery rocks. The climb up to Chairback mountain was more difficult than I expected. Lot of ledges. Two women sectioning coming down told me it would rain tomorrow and they were concerned about wet footing. Was White Cap as bad as what they just went through? Probably not, I suggested. Turns out I was right. After struggling through another mile of boulder and ledge scrambles, I made it to Chairback Gap Lean-to where I found SOBO Green Bag. He's hiked the Wilderness before, but is taking his time. This is day 9 for him, though he zeroed after climbing Katahdin. From the shelter I climbed over Columbus mountain and into a gap with a side trail to West Chairback Pond. Several canoes and fishing boats were stored on shore. I waded into the pond but the bottom was deep, muddy and uneven so I just dunked myself and got out. The wind whipped up, drying everything quickly. As I sat watching the pond and journaling, the wind caught a small bird which collided with my right hip. It sat up and stayed next to me, only inches away. I stroked it and examined it to see if anything was broken, but I'm not much of an avian doctor. It opened its mouth several times like it was hungry. After a few minutes I snagged an ant to see if it would eat, but just then it flew off to a bush a couple of feet away. Perhaps it had simply been stunned.The afternoon was rough going. I averaged little more than a mile an hour over the steep rocky descents and ascents. Even in the "flat" areas frequent ledges required scrambling up or down 5 or 10 feet. This may not be the most physically difficult section of the AT, but it's in the top five. For southbounders this is their biggest challenge yet. Nothing in Georgia or North Carolina compares. Compared to these constant jolts and changes of direction, trudging 2000 feet up well-groomed switchbacks is easy. NOBOs got nothing to complain about. Met a guy named Lone Star carrying a huge pack he christened Lieutenant Dan, like Forrest Gump carrying him off the battlefield. Lone Star carried in two weeks of food and hikes about seven miles a day. Says he's eating very well, and seems quite content. His younger friend was a short ways ahead, studying one of the many insanely steep rock ascents when I caught up to him. After what seemed like a very long and sweaty afternoon I made it to Cloud Pond. It's a beautiful setting, full of bullfrogs, peepers, and numerous birds, dragonflies and other critters. Green Bag made it too, and we set up tents on an outcropping into the pond. I took a dip, but the water was shallow and the bottom rocky and muddy so I didn't stay long. A steady breeze should have dried clothes out quickly, but the humidity has gotten too high. After eating the rest of my dinner and lunch foods I retired to the tent and it began to rain. I have lots of granola bars left, but that's about it. If I don't get to Monson tomorrow I'm gonna be an unhappy camper.