Date: 2018-09-06
From: Sidney Tappan Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1

DAY 184Up fairly early despite the misty, foggy weather. We feared it would be noisy last night, however the large school group quieted down and we never heard a peep from them in the night. Had tea and breakfast in our tent due to the weather.Mary started up the trail and I went to top off our water bottles as there are no water sources until we are up and over White Cap Mountain. Started up over West Peak and soon we had our rain jackets on as the mist soon became a wind blown rain. We were lamenting the fact that we couldn't make it over White Cap yesterday as we were hoping for good views, and with the rain it was not looking promising for any views at all. The trail was steep, but the footing was good and we were making decent time. Somewhere between West Peak and Hay Mountain we saw a pile of gear in the woods off the trail. As we got closer we realized it was a tent not set up (no poles) with someone in it. Just when we were thinking about checking it out we saw movement. Not sure if they slept in it last night with no poles, or were just getting out of the rain. It was a strange sight.We reached the summit of White Cap and decided to take a break despite the rain. It was quite windy, and as we were having our snack and sharing one of the Pepsi's the clouds started to dissipate and we started to see some views down into the valley. We quickly made our way to the spur trail to see if we could catch a glimpse of Katahdin. Amazingly enough, the clouds parted and there in the distance was Katahdin! When we went back out to our packs, Yelp, Handstand, Luke and, Ewolf were just arriving at the summit. We mentioned to them that it had been really raining when we arrived, but in the brief 10 minutes we had been here we got a view of Katahdin. We all headed back to the spur trail to see if Katahdin was still in view. We all got pictures and video as Katahdin came in and out of view. While on the summit we received a text from April with weather updates. Our planned summit date of Tuesday is now looking like 90% rain, and Monday is looking like it will be a better day. Completely opposite of what we thought when we left Monson. We may need to revise our plans as we won't go up Katahdin in the rain.We started the long descent, over 2,500 feet in about 4 miles. As we came around one corner we were startled by a Dalmatian sitting up on a large boulder. Upon further examination, we realized it was a statue (possibly wooden) that someone had placed there. Took a brief break at Logan Brook Lean-to for a stretch and a snack.When we made it to Logan Brook Road we found a log beside the road to sit on and have lunch. Next to the log we found a large piece of birch bark that someone had scrawled "Need ride for Cheeseburger" on it in black sharpie. We wondered if that person ever got their burger. There was also a resupply bucket beside the road that we mistook for trail magic. The bucket was mostly empty except for a liner or something left behind.Before making it to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to you have to get up and over Little Boardman Mountain. Another mountain Mary stated had a chip on its shoulder and was trying to keep up with the bigger mountains with its steepness. Once we got down off Little Boardman we couldn't resist taking a dip in Crawford Pond. When we arrived on the beach we found Yelp, Handstand, Luke, and Ewolf had the same idea. They had already been in swimming and were just getting ready to leave. The air was starting to cool down, but the swim felt really good.Nice flat 3 miles to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to. When we arrived we encountered a large school group already set up in most of the tent sites. We made our way down to the shelter where several hikers were already set up and starting to cook dinner. Additional tent sites were limited, and we set up on the hill above the shelter in a spot that was too small and very rooty. Hopefully it won't rain, because I couldn't stake out my vestibule as there was a couple of Spruce trees that I have to climb through to get into the tent. We cooked dinner on a rock down near the shelter, where we met Ball Flap, another NOBO hiker who was chatting with some day hikers and a SOBO hiker. Yelp, Handstand, Luke and Ewolf are here tonight camped down below the shelter closer to the river. There is a beautiful swimming hole out in front of the shelter, but it is too cold now for another swim.Tomorrow we meet Bev and April for our final resupply at Jo-Mary Road. We had hoped to go to White House Landing, but depending on the weather we may have to skip it so that we can make Katahdin before the rain.Off to bed, hope we can get some sleep in our cramped, rooty, quarters.