Date: 2004-08-03
From: Abol Pines Tenting Area, Abol Bridge, Maine

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

15 miles todayTenting at Rainbow Stream Lean-toI slept great last night. I didn't wake up until 7am and then I walked over to the campstore at Abol Bridge Campground. I bought a cup of coffee and some jelly donuts. I took the donuts back to where we camped and I had one and everyone else had one. Hippie stuck a candle in Coughdrop's donut and we all sang Happy Birthday to her. She is 25 today and gets to spend it entering the 100 mile wilderness and hiking with John Galt, Hippie and me.Hippie had bags under hers eyes this morning from either getting too much sun or too much wind yesterday on top of Katahidin. She asked if anyone had any hemmoroid cream that she could use to make the bags go away...leave it to Hippie to think of using hemmoroid cream on the bags under your eyes.I made me another cup of coffee and then packed up and went back over to the campstore. I bought some cheese to go along with some salami and crackers for today's meals. I also bought a coke to pack out. I tried sending in my journal entry over the pay phone...it didn't work right for pocketmail. I tried twice, but failed each time. I then read on the pay phone that it is a cell phone and pocketmail doesn't work on some cell phones. I wasted $2.00 trying, so if anyone has any friends that are going through there, tell them not to waste there money and time.I sat at a picnic table and talked to Treat, a section hiker that is done with this hike.I hiked on into the wilderness after I saw everyone was about ready. It was about 10am. I ran into a nobo by the name of Cowboy just as I was going into the woods. He should summit tomorrow. I got to Hurd Brook Lean-to and sat down to take a break. Everyone caught up there. John Galt and I hiked on and met the girls on top of Rainbow Ledges.It was getting overcast and I could hear thunder in the distance. We all ate lunch up there and Coughdrop and I picked a bunch of blueberries. I must have eaten enough to make a small pie. There were more blueberries than I've ever seen in the wild up there and they were delicious. After about an hour, we all hiked on together.There hasn't been too many mosquitos yet. They are bad in patches, but nothing like last year. At 1:30pm, it started to rain and the thunder was getting closer.We hiked to Rainbow Springs Tentsite and took a 40 minute break. I drank alot of water. I still felt a little dehydrated from all the sun and wind yesterday. We ate a snack and watched some loons out in the pond.I was going to go swimming, but after drinking all that cold spring water and sitting in the cool breeze, I started cooling down.About 1 1/2 miles past where we took our break at, I saw a deer through the woods at the edge of a pond. I worked my way back by the pond and the deer just stood there to see what I was up to. I was able to get a nice picture of it.I caught back up to the group. Hippie was the last of the three, so I started walking behind her. We were making our way through a muddy area and I got to see Hippie's foot vanish in the mud. She was wearing her new hiking shoes. They don't look new anymore. I avoided that spot and stayed dry.We got to Rainbow Stream Lean-to and I set my tent up and John Galt set his hammock up not to far from me. Hippie and Coughdrop found a spot about 75 yards away. This is the area where a good friend of mine got his trail name back in'96. His name is Rainbow Slick and he got the name because he slipped off the slick log coming across the stream.There's alot of section hikers around tonight. I'm not used to staying by the shelters and being around this many people. The group that I'm hiking with want to stay in the shelter areas though. The rain from earlier this afternoon didn't last more than an hour and it's been sprinkling lightly here tonight.Another great day on the A.T.