Date: 2005-09-03
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Carabassett River Campsite
Miles today: 13.3

Red Wing:   We set our alarm early this morning so we'd get a good start on the day and hopefully meet some friends from home before before 3PM. Again today, we were very fortunate to have Pappa Razzi hike withus. He's a faster hiker, but he always waits for our bathroom breaks and slows down his pace to allow us to keep up. We appreciate his company and wacky sense of humor.   For me, today was the first day where I've had energy at the end of the day since early in the Whites. Both climbing and descending, I felt good, and my body fell into synch while hiking. Unfortunately, while Hopeful did keep up, she wasn't feeling as well, and the day took its toll on her.   One highlight of the day was climbing Sugarloaf Mtn. From the summit, we were able to see Mt. Washington to the south, and Mt. Katahdin way off to the North (in all, we could see 1/6 of the Trail). This was our first glimpse of Katahdin and gave us both a sense of satisfaction as we finally saw the finish line. We felt a new shot of adrenaline with the encouragement that comes from seeing the goal within sight. There is a sadness as well, knowing that the end of this journey is in sight, literally. Admittedly, Katahdin is still very far away (196.1 trail miles), but none the less, the mere sight of it begins to conjure up these thoughts. We also realize that our next couple of days will be in the Bigelow Mountains, and after that, the Trail drops to the lowlands, and skirts a lot of lakes, which equals a much flatter hike (although it's all relative!) from here to the end.    Another highlight has been hanging out with Dan and Janelle Schillinger, friends from home. Dan and Janelle are on vacation in Maine and have made time to come see us while out here. They had hiked south toward us from a road below, and we met them near the summit of Sugarloaf Mtn. (a 4,000 + footer), and went to the top with them. They are truly burly for making it to the top not just once, but going up a second time after they met up with Hopeful, Pappa Razzi and me. We wandered around the top, including the "Sugar Shack", a ski shelter open to hikers in the off season. Esoteric Ninja and Two Trackin' were up there as well.    After climbing back down the mountain, we forded the Carabassett River. This would have been a really wet feat a couple of days ago, but the water level was down enough this afternoon to be able to jump from rock to rock without getting soaked, if you were very careful. We found a beautiful campsite, set up tents, and started a campfire, just in time. Minutes later, others came looking to camp in the very same spot. We broke one of own rules by camping near a road crossing, and on Labor Day weekend. It was the close to Dan and Janelle's car, and they needed to get going early tomorrow morning for their white water rafting trip. For not learning our lesson, we have neighbors tonight with five dogs and loud voices. They men needed made at least 5-6 trips each, with loaded arms, over the 1/4 mile to the road. We watched as they went by with tents, coolers, dogs, firewood, lanterns, crates, linens chairs, radios, food and drinks. Anyway, despite the fact that it may be a little loud for awhile, the roar of the river is great buffer, and we've had a good night catching up with Dan and Janelle, whose friendship means a lot to us. Our only regret is that we can't spend more time with them. It's nice to know that in a few more weeks we might be able to get together for dinner and board games back in Michigan, and talk about our trips to Maine.