Date: 2016-08-17
From: West Branch Pleasant River - Mile 2,104.9 

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To - Mile 2,129.4
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a weird weather day. It rained most of last night so the trail was really wet. I got up before dawn to try to dry my tent. I soon learned from a sleepy Suds that Subman saw my light and got her up because of me being up and about. We were hiking by 6:00 a.m.. We had to ford the Pleasant River. The water was cold and the river bottom was slippery. To save weight, I had just given Beth my camp shoes so my trailrunners were soaked early. The trail no longer consisted of rocks and roots and instead had patches of dirt. We moved pretty well early on. I started the day hiking with Subman and Suds but they moved on when Blues Brother caught up to us after a few miles. He had me lead because his ankle is still giving him trouble. I'm slow enough when hiking as fast as I can to hike at a pace that allows him to not strain his ankle. We got caught up with each other about lots of subjects and fell into the familiar banter that reminded me of hiking with him many miles ago. I feel so lucky to be hiking with friends as this journey ends.There were a bunch of climbs today. None more than 700 feet but climbs that didn't seem to end. The climb up White Cap Mountain ended with us coming out of the trees into wild conditions. Blues and I talked about having lunch at White Cap's summit but once we got there all we wanted was to get out of there as fast as we could. The wind was ferocious. It knocked me around. My glasses became obstacles as they were filled with a foggy mist. Hiking on this rocky summit was no fun and I was lucky not to fall. White Cap is noted as being the last climb before Mt. Katahdin. It was memorable and sharing it with Blues will be something neither of us will forget.We made it to a shelter below the summit and caught up with Subman and Suds. We all spoke of how that climb and summit were challenging and were grateful that we all made it safely. It was a shame not to be able to see fantastic views that included Mt Katahdin. Patriot arrived and spoke of how much fun White Cap was; I love the youthful perspective and how it differs from an old one like me. Patriot said the sun was coming out this afternoon but that wasn't enough for me to put on a coat layer. I realized how I haven't needed a coat for a long time - so lucky and spoiled. The sun showed up just minutes after leaving the shelter. It became way to hot to wear a light layer and soon I was wishing for the cold summit winds.Suds wanted a big mileage day today in order to have fewer miles to hike tomorrow when we are scheduled to stay at an oasis in the 100 Mile Wilderness called White House Landing. It became a long day. And I wondered aloud how the climb up Little Boardman Mountain wasn't considered to be a substantial climb. Blues Brother gave voice to Fresh Ground's "last climb of the day" saying at a perfect time to bring smiles to our faces and to shut me up to accept hiking whatever is in front of me. The trail played peekaboo with Crawford Pond. Crawford Pond was gorgeous and it was a shame that we didn't stop there or tent alongside the trail in one of the stealth spots we passed by.We finally came to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To. Subman reported that Stripe was here. What a pleasant surprise that was and I attempted to give him back some of the ribbing he'd given me for my "Big Wilson". I told Stripe that any hiker who hiked as leisurely as he did today had lost the right to criticize my hike.I barely had daylight to get all camping chores done but had a great dinner with Stripe. When we first met, Stripe said that he had read my journal to learn of trail conditions he'd be heading into. He said he wanted to catch up but couldn't because of the big miles I was hiking pre-Lyme. Then my time of recovery came and Stripe was passed me. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with Stripe. Wish we'd had spent more miles together but find myself grateful to be finding another friend so late in this hike.Miles. They are coming to an end. There's serous conversation about weather in the coming days. We all hope for a good weather day to summit Mt Katahdin. Including the 33 miles I'll have to hike after Katahdin, I find that even for me there's less than 100 miles to go now. We were all enjoying the information provided by two women at the East Branch Lean-To. Patriot told me of how they said they were lucky to soon be overcoming today's problematic weather because they'd be ending their outing in a few days. With a smile on his face, Patriot said that he'd soon be leaving the trail too.