Date: 2004-10-12
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Lean-to
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I finish today smiling. Its 12:20 a.m. and we just arrived at our destination, past midnight for the second day in a row. I¢m just happy that the rain has cleared and neither of us has hypothermia. Today was more a test of endurance than difficulty. We made it! Both Sunshine and I are set on summiting on the 15th. After we shodilly set our tents last night it poured. I awoke, wet, at 6 a.m. with a flooded tent. I gathered my gear and dried out as beset I could at the shelter. There I found Mickey, Mallory, Blackfoot, Butterfingers, Wideload, Magnet, and Bob. The first 6 have been hiking as a crew and Bob is a section hiker. We all joked and Bob shared his assorted nuts with us. Their crew was so cool and made me smile despite the rain. I performed ¢The Restaurant Cheer¢ for them and we talked. The crew was considering zeroing at the shelter to avoid the rain. Bob said he would be leaving Millinocket for Philadelphia on Saturday. ¢Leaving Millinocket on Saturday¢, I replied. After a few moments I had an awesome ride opportunity to within 3 hours of my home for the day after I hope to summit. The only problem is that I still needed to summit on the 15th, the morning was getting late, and we planned on 23 miles. Half exhausted and half excited I went to wake up Sunshine. His tent was also massively flooded and he was less than eager to start hiking in the rain. Still we packed up.Sunshine¢s disposition was opposite his namesake as we prepared to go. It was 11 a.m. when we finally hiked out onto the soggy path. To our surprise, the rain let up and the trail was relatively flat. Within a few minutes our despair turned to excitement to be so close to our goal. We were carried by that excitement for 3 miles to the first shelter: only 20 miles to go :-). The rest of the day is a blur. The rain and wind resumed as we left. I was so cold I had to walk faster to stay warm. I told Sunshine I would meet him at the shelter 8 miles ahead. I walked as fast as I could through wind and wet. With most of my gear soaked, I knew I could not stop for but a moment or hypothermia might be a legitimate concern. To further the situation, my pack cover has disappeared so my pack continually became more soaked. Thank heavens for zip locks. As I walked I was exhausted. I crossed ¢Little Boardman¢, the last 2,000 foot climb prior to Katahdin. I managed not to die on the slick rocks or roots, and I kept pushing. The once beautiful leaves only served to make me wetter. The usually gorgeous lakes I passed only made the wind and wet worse. I prayed that God would help me though, and somehow my body kept moving until the shelter 11.7 miles in. There I cooked dinner early and took a nap in the warmth of my sleeping bag. Sunshine roused me from my nap almost an hour later as he arrived. Despite the miserable conditions we agreed: 11.4 more miles. Half in despair, but determined, we left at 6:30 into the night. For the second time today the rain let up, but this time the sky stayed clear. Minus an occasional stream crossing the trail was perfectly flat. The stars even emerged in full array. Suddenly the night was pleasant and we walked and talked like best friends for 4 miles. We talked about home, girls, jobs, and life. The central theme of our talk was this: We both love it out here and yet we both are preparing for the shock of going home. No matter what, we do not want to lose what we have found out here. As night wore on we both struggled to push. The ground was sopping from the day of rain and twice I stepped shin-deep in mud. At least the sudden cold served to startle me awake. It¢s tough to hike 2 nights in a row. We both were near staggering when we saw a sign: 3.3 miles to the shelter. Knowing we had covered 8.1 miles in the night already gave us a sudden burst. Our last head rush slowly waned, but we made it to the shelter at 12:20 a.m. Fortunately, there were 2 spots still available on the shelter floor. In exhausted stealth we set up our sleeping bags and found solace from the wet. We both are beat but we made it. What scares me is that 3 nights from now we should be in a hotel room in Millinocket finally becoming official ¢through¢-hikers. The 100 Mile Wilderness is supposed to be a time of beauty and reflection. Lately it has been a time of massive rain and a quest for survival. Still, with every mile we¢re closer, just like before. Likewise I know that God must be carrying me for me to survive these conditions. ¢God carrying me¢ is probably the theme of my hike, so maybe this is a suitable end to my hike. Tomorrow, if it stays clear, there should be more time to reflect on the beauty. We hope to do 22 miles, and maybe even finish before midnight :-). The trail may seem tough but I¢m hiking with a cool friend and I have a Savior who loves me.I¢m so pumped to be where I am. I may even have been blessed with a ride home today with ¢Bob¢. Either way I¢m not worried. I¢ve learned to keep going one step at a time out here and trust God with the rest. Today each of those steps were wet, but I¢m now 48 miles from Katahdin¢s peak. So at the end of my 212th day on the trail:Goodnight,BEATBOX   ttt