Date: 2015-08-18
From: Antler's Campsite, ME

To: Hurd Brook Shelter
Miles today: 33.2
Weather: moderate rain

A sticky, combined with the pain of raw feet, would lead to a restless night. Fortunately the weather stayed north of our location and we remained dry. With ~30 miles as the day's goal, we were up at 5:00am and on the trail just before 6:00am. I held back for about 10 minutes, standing in the ankle-deep water of Jo-Mary Lake, as the sun rose from the east. The water, aside from a few dancing bugs on the water's service giving the appearance of raindrops, was like a mirror. The large, orange sphere of the sun rose from behind distant pines, illuminating the water as I stood and watched. I splashed several handfuls of water on my face, hair, and exposed limbs - a bath, if you will - before hitting the trail.Within minutes of beginning my hike, I knew the day was going to be a tough one after feeling a sharp pain in my left leg. Glancing down I noticed a wasp stinging me. I swatted it off before soon feeling faint, collapsing, and experiencing labored breathing. I looked at my skin, taking on a yellowish hue, and then heard the sound of ripping clothes. I looked back towards my lower back and, instead of seeing where my butt might usually be, I saw a large stinger. RAWR - Wasp Man was born! Joke. What really happened was, after swatting the wasp off and repeatedly stomping it into the Earth like the puke it was, I was attacked by its unseen friends and family nearby. I was only able to escape their venomous stings, like piercing swords of fire, by jumping into the nearby lake. Ok, it's obvious I had too much time to think today. In truth, I was stung, cried a little on the inside while cursing the fact that it took 142 days for this to happen, and continued on. With miles to put on, the throbbing pain soon dissipated to a minor annoyance for the remainder of the day.The morning, and day in general, would pass in a blur. And by blur, I mean one where every agonizing step was felt, but which I choose to forget. With my feet almost entirely covered with yellow duct tape, I hit the trail behind the guys and we'd begin chipping away at the miles. The majority of the day would be spent trekking over relatively flat terrain, albeit covered in roots and rocks, with the occasional bump of several hundred feet. Hpus were spent walking along the shore of meandering lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. The 100-mile wilderness really looked the part today as the USS Bennington made its way through dried river beds, towering forests, and along streams with crystal clear water. I also found it an entertaining day as far as place names is concerned such as: Tumbledown Dick Stream, Pollywog Stream/Gorge, and Donut Pond.We were treated to our first real in-your-face views of Mt. Katahdin from the summit of Nesuntabunt Mountain before noon and from Rainbow Ledges just before sunset. I decided that part of me must be into big girls because Katahdin sure had me at first sight. Towering above the surrounding forests, she rises like an immovable object, beckoning hikers in for 1 last challenge. Soon enough, big girl. Soon enough. Aside from the big miles, the addition of warm temperatures and lack of caloric intake would take its toll on Yoohoo, Huey, Rabbit, and myself. With only a candy bar here and a pop tart there, I could feel my body slowly giving out as the day progressed. My early evening I'd be down to my final pack of pop tarts and, as I write this journal from my tent tonight, I'm currently out of food completely. Rabbit also ran out earlier today and bought a $1.50 bag of peta bread off of 2 SoBo's for $5.00. No worries, though, for food awaits in only a few miles tomorrow.On our last big mileage day, we challenged ourselves to see what we had left in the tank. Though maybe not the smartest move, physically or mentally, we pushed ahead through a difficult day and put ourselves on pace to summit on Friday. Today was the biggest day for both Rabbit and I and what I will say is that I'm glad knowing it's now behind me. My feet hurt, I'm soaked in sweat and grime, I'm hungry and dehydrated, but I'm also very happy. I successfully concluded my last big day on the trail with a group of great guys who helped motivate one another in the process - even offering what little fold they have remaining to whoever might need a little boost. We reached our destination a little after 7:30pm and, using what little energy remained, threw up our tents and climbed in. The ever-so-kind Rabbit volunteered to fill up everyone's water, even bringing me an extra bottle despite already having a full one. He's the man. The world is dark around me as I sit in my tent, the red glow of my headlamp illuminating the small area I'm able to see. The guys are working on trying to fall asleep nearby as they squish and squash atop their air mattresses. (I wish those damn things would pop already.) It'll be another sticky night so sleep may come at a minimum, but the thought of this possibly being my next-to-last night makes it not so bad.The plan tomorrow is to sleep in a little, say 7:00am or so as compared to 5:00am, before covering the ~3.5 miles to Abol Bridge. Once there we can get access to food, a limited resupply (snacks for summit day,) and even a shower. We plan to relax a little while there and then cover the final ~10 miles into the Birches Shelter & Campsite, aka Katahdin base camp, at the foot of the mountain. The Birches only allows so many hikers to stay each night so, if full, we'll figure out a backup plan then. For now, barring any unforeseen issues, we plan to be summiting the following day, Friday. For now, though, sleep will do.Here's to lake sunrises, staying the course, and t-minus 2 days.