Date: 2007-08-06
To: Katahdin Stream, ME
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Katahdin Stream, ME5.2 miles todayI've started my sobo walk!! :-))It got off to a slow start though. I woke up John Galt at 5:30am.I hadn't seen him yet. He got in about midnight last night and I had been asleep for a couple hours by then.I met him and Donna at the Appalachian Cafe for breakfast. We were too late though because a group of 35 had decided to eat there this morning and the place was packed.I wasn't in any big hurry because my plans were to climb Katahdin and walk to Abol Bridge for the night.We finally got to eat breakfast, but it was almost 8 before we were done.I waited for John to take Donna's dog "Sam", to the kennel, then we all headed out to Baxter State Park.My mind was made up for me about which Trail to climb to the summit of Katahdin. The Roaring Brook side of the mountain was already closed, so we headed to Katahdin Stream to climb the Hunt Trail.I signed in as a thru hiker and we headed up the mountain.It was a cool morning compared to what it's been like up here lately. I think it was about 70 degrees by the time I started walking though.I signed the Trail log at about 9:30am and got to use my first smiley face. :-))I walked slowly, but steadily. It felt great to be walking again!!I did feel a little pain in my right foot, but I think it's from pedaling the bicycle so long. The pain was right in the front of my foot where the bike pedal spent so much time. It seems like the kind of pain you can walk through and it will get better, so I just didn't push off as much while I was walking.I was walking along and caught up to 2 young guys that were just starting a sobo hike. Their names are Cliff Hanger and Base.It started getting windy above tree line and the clouds were rolling in. I could see that most of the mountain was already in a heavy fog. I knew the forecast was for thunder storms this afternoon...an 80% chance, so I kept walking.I had walked on ahead of John Galt and Donna, figuring I would see them at the summit. I wanted to make sure I got there today.I ran into a nobo by the name of Many Names who had just finished his thru hike.I was just up to The Table Lands and ran into 2 more hikers going down the mountain. One was a nobo by the name of Eleven who just finished his walk. The other was Jiff '01.I kept walking in the heavy fog. I even had to stop and put my rain coat on as a windbreaker because it was getting cold.I was almost to the summit when I ran into Big Dog, a section hiker who knew me through WhiteBlaze.net. He was walking with 2 nobos that just finished by the names of Diablo and Dice.I got to the summit, but just before I got there, I saw those 35 kids from this morning get there from the Saddle Trail.I waited while they took about 20 group pictures at the summit sign.They were an orderly group and after they finished taking the pictures, the counselor rounded them up and they headed back down the mountain on The Saddle Trail.It got quiet up there in a hurry. :-))I got the guy that was taking their pictures to take a couple of me at the summit sign with my camera.I took more pictures after he left, then hung out for another 10 minutes before I decided I'd better get going.I had walked about 20 minutes when I came up to the 2 sobos that I'd walked by earlier. I wished them luck and headed on. I was almost to the end of The Table Lands when I saw John Galt and Donna coming at me in the heavy fog.They decided not to go all the way up to the summit because of the weather coming in, so they turned around and we all started walking down the mountain together.It started raining before we got off The Table Lands. It was very windy and cold and the rain kept getting heavier.This is the first time I've been on Katahdin in bad weather. I was not looking forward to going down the steep rocks since they were now slippery and wet.I was going slowly and even sat on my butt to slide down a few of the steepest rocks. That's the first time I've ever had to sit down to make miles on a Trail. :-))I had gotten ahead of John Galt and Donna, so when I got to the steel bars where some of the steepest parts of the decent were, I got out of the rain under a big rock overhang and waited on them.I helped Donna down and let John Galt do his own decent. :-))We got out of most of the wind when we finally got to tree line. It was still raining though and there were rivers of water coming down the trail.I got to Katahdin Stream Falls and waited on them to catch up again. I had waited about 20 minutes and was chilling down, so I started back up the hill to see where they were.I only went about 1/10 of a mile before I saw them coming down the mountain.We walked another 1.5 miles and got to Katahdin Stream Campground.This was the point where I had to make a decision....do I walk on and sleep at Abol Bridge, with everything soaked, or do I catch a ride back to Millinocket with John Galt and get a room and eat at a restaurant?I asked myself....self, what would Mrs Gorp do in a situation like this??I got in the car. ;-))Mrs Gorp has WAY more years on the Trail than just about anyone I know, so I try to learn from her. Ha!!I got a room, went out to diner and had a very good calzone for dinner, drank a Katahdin Red brew to celebrate the beginning of this adventure, then went back to the room and crashed.I've said it before....I love these days when you live every minute of the day to the fullest. This morning seemed like such a loooooong time ago. :-))Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-))