Date: 2009-09-11
From: Carl Newhall Leanto

To: Chairback Gap Leanto
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

In the morning as I started out I soon met Lisa, who is almost a triple crown young woman. She did the PCT, then the Continental Divide Trail (Montana/Canada border through the Rockies to New Mwxico/Mexican border.) and now the AT. She was nice to chat with. She made me think I might consider doing the CDT when I finish AT and PCT. I don't know if my body will last that long for hiking but it is always fun to dream.I also met Desert Fox, Schooner & Ferdie in the morning. I think I meet more hikers than I name in my journal. There are just too many for my poor aging brain to hold until I get them writen down. My apologies to those I miss. I know sometimes friends and family look in journals to find mention of their friends and do try to include all I see but I know I have missed some due to failing memory and the number of hikers I meet.At the trail to Screw Auger Falls, I met a young woman ridge runner who crossed in her crocs. She said she gets teased about not trusting the log bridges. Hey, to each, his own. There is no problem with wading. Perhaps it is more sane. I did, however, go over that log bridge.Screw Auger Falls was quite beautiful and well worth the .2 mile detour. It is part of the Gulf Hagas Loop, another popular short backpack/hiking Loop. I, at least, went as far as the falls before retreating to the AT.I met Sound Track there who had gone farther and he said the falls was the best part.As I further descended I met Blessed, and then Gail from Gold Bar, Washinton. She is an older woman who has done the PCT at least twice as well as the AT. She was fun to meet, even if briefly.Kathy Preble was at the ford of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. I took off my shoes and socks and brace and waded across the river slowly, using my poles for balance. It was not very deep, only mid-shin level except for one spot that was close to my knee. Not bad at all.I got my food drop and had a good time talking to Kathy while I ate my lunch. She does like to talk to all the hikers and told me a number of tales. I am grateful that she does food drops as it made the hike much more do-able for an old lady who moves slowly.I packed up then and started up the next mountain, Chairback. I shortly loaded up with water from a stream as there is no water at Chairback Gap Leanto or on the way past this brook.While straining up the hill with a full 3 liters of water and fresh food, I met Ltrain and Sawman, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza and 6-7 others on Hard Core, I had met at least 3 of them before but I must admit I did not recognize them although they recognized me. Many of the faces of the young hikers blur together in my memory, bright and young faces of women with short hair and most of the guys have grown beards.(Hard Core is an organized affair on the AT on at least a weekend in the spring and a weekend in the fall when thru hikers are recruited to to trail maintenance or to do work on shelters.)A bit later Paul from Millinocket, Pipe Smoke from White House Landing and Gentle Ben also came by. Again, I failed to immediately recognize Pipe Smoke although I did recognize Paul. But Pipe Smoke's broad smile at seeing me was a gift.Chairback Mountain is named because of a very steep slope of cliffs and large blocks of talus fallen from the cliffs. After ascending for a thousand feet it is sort of level with small ups and downs over continuous rock ledges until you come to the chair's back.Yep, the little white rectangles that mark the AT go straight up the talus boulders. It is rock/boulder climbing with all fours until the top of the mountain, another 250 ft.Coming down the talus slopes toward me were, ?, Solar System, Prarie Dog and Angry Beaver and then MijAfter enjoying the view from Chairback, I picked my way down to the gap. After crossing a small bog in the gap there is a sign announcing that the shelter is 150 ft ahead. Ahead is straight up and as I peer up the steep hill I see the shelter roof and wafting smoke.So, it is up I go. And at the shelter I meet Bullet and West. These two young men were nice sheltermates. They were a bit crazy though. They told me they had forded the Kennebeck River. There is a canoe there and they were late and forded anyway. It is NOT recommended as the river can rise without notice at release of water from a dam upstream. Hikers have died doing what they did. They were lucky. I'm taking the canoe when I get there.Ricola and Craig, SOBOs came by as we were settling in but they had to go a mile and a half more as they had brought no water.I was glad to be here, happy and content to have eaten and be ready for sleep as it got dark around 7:30. And life is good.