Date: 2005-09-10
From: Sidney Tappen Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Leanto
Miles today: 17.1

On the foray required by my body at 3AM, I witnessed a sky of magnificent starlight. This is one of those times when I wished I knew more about constellations and such but then again, I didn¢t want to take the time. Also true to my prediction, the tent fly and groundcloth were already soaking wet. But I had a good night¢s sleep despite what¢s becoming a increasingly nagging problem; every night when I lie down, my ankles throb such that I can¢t get to sleep right away. Guess I have to keep pumping the Vitamin I.The hardest thing about arising this morning was the knowledge that I¢d have to pack a tent and groundcloth whose condition was such that it might as well have rained. But what can I do? With nearly 18 miles facing me today - the longest of this hike - I could hardly afford to wait 2-3 hours for the expected drying sun. Hey, who cares - that¢s life on the AT. I¢ve had such wonderful weather in the 3 plus weeks that I have no right to carp.So I¢m up a little after 5 and on the Trail before 6:30 with an immediate steep ascent, an ascent which would prove the longest of the day in terms of elevation gained. The ultimate ascent for the day is Whitecap Mountain but more elevation is gained in this first ascent up West Peak; no surprise with 700' in .7 mile. For the second time in this hike, I wore my rain parka at the outset in response to the morning chill.   Made it up West Peak in good order and continued on to an easier, more gradual Hay Mountain. After passing the White Brook Trail and shedding my parka, I began the Whitecap climb. Steep to be sure but manageable especially in knowing that I had already gained most of the day¢s elevation.For the first time since Moxie Bald, I¢m on a mountain with a fully open 360 degree summit as I emerge from treeline and like all such Maine mountains, everything was gorgeous. Another perfect weather day yielding views of lakes in the valleys and the mountains to the south. After photos and linger-time at the summit sign, I continued to where I¢d round a bend and see Katahdin.So as I¢m making my way to the bend with the wind picking up, I saw another hiker approaching southbound. As we get closer, I see it¢s a young woman. Nice to see someone else up here at this still-early hour (9:15). As we talked, I felt there was something familiar about her but I didn¢t recall meeting her. Then we exchanged names. Hippie Longstocking. ¢Hippie Longstocking - I have to take your picture! I¢ve got some hiking friends that you know!¢ She hiked much of the Trail last year and in so doing, met Northern Harrier, Wildcat, and Scarf. I remember Scarf had told me how much she and Nails enjoyed camping with Hippie on top of Max Patch last year. Well, Hippie brought that up - she had fond memories as well. She¢s hiking SOBO for a while so maybe we¢ll run into her in November.The descent from Whitecap to Logan Brook Leanto runs 1,200' in 1.4 miles. Despite that daunting statistic, I found it easier than comparable descents on this hike. Having stone steps in places helped and there were very few instances where I had to decide ¢let¢s see, how do I get down this rock or around this array of roots?¢ Stopped to snack at Logan Brook, talked with some SOBO section hikers, and continued.   During the last mile-and-a-half where the Trail was relatively flat amid a dense evergreen forest (lots of roots to contend with), I heard voices behind me and was passed by 2 young NOBO thruhikers LiveStrong and DandyLion.   They stopped at East Branch Leanto while I moved on to lunch at the East Branch of the Pleasant River after rock-hopping across (designated a ford but no ford was required). It felt good to dry my tent fly in the sun, draping it over bushes. Met 2 SOBOers - Brian who¢s intending to hike all the way to Springer and Chuck, a section hiker who works for the anti-trust division of the Department of Justice and of course is a neighbor of mine, residing in Rockville, MD.LiveStrong and Dandylion came by, rock-hopped across, and moved on. Although the steep mile after the stream was not welcome, I felt in good shape time-wise to make it to Cooper Brook Falls Leanto before 6 and thus ensure my ability to reach Abol Bridge for my rendezvous with Northern Harrier - only one more steep climb, right? Well, aside from the inherent flaw in that premise (Maine maps can be misleading), I managed to make it one-and-a-half.Because after the steep ascent up Little Boardman Mountain which at least featured some views in a few partially-open areas of rock, the Trail wound to the right but a side trail went straight. I took the side trail but it was short with an obvious end and an arrow painted on the rock directing the hiker back. But in going back the 100' to the AT, I turned the wrong way and headed back down Little Boardman the way I came up. Before long, I became suspicious but I suppose being also in a state of denial, I kept going. Fortunately halfway down, I met Kaboos. ¢Hi - you thruhiking?¢ ¢Yeah.¢ ¢You know, I can¢t believe I¢m still meeting southbounders.¢ Perplexed expression. ¢But I¢m going northbound.¢ I kept calm and thanked him profusely for being an unwitting Trail Angel by being at the right place at the right time.So it¢s back up the steep slope, burning time as well as calories. Kaboos awaited me at the top. ¢Is this where you went wrong - I think the Trail goes this way¢ He was kind in acknowledging that the top was somewhat confusing. Actually, thruhikers are more tolerant and empathetic - I think they all have their wrong-way stories.One more thought crossed my mind as I ascended Little Boardman - this was easy by Maine standards. Obviously I didn¢t chug up like it was a level dirt path but still it wasn¢t bad. But by most people¢s standards, it was steep. I thought ahead to the planned hike for November in NJ, NY, and CT. This routine ascent up Little Boardman was tougher than any ascent I¢ll face on that hike. Puts Maine in perspective.At least the terrain was easy after the picturesque Crawford Pond so I reached the shelter at 6:17 to cap off nearly 12 hours of hiking.   In addition to LiveStrong, DandyLion, Kaboos, and other hikers, there¢s a youth group camping but enough people are tenting that there¢s room in the shelter. I talked with Nomega, a middle-aged woman who thruhiked in 1994 and was taking a leisurely reprise of her Maine hike this year.I had cooked a hot dinner at the East Branch so tonight¢s supper was cheese, tortilla shell, peanuts, and hot chocolate. My night¢s sleep was bothered not by the crowd or the roar of Cooper Brook Falls but my throbbing ankle and still-sore ribs.