Date: 2014-07-20
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Monson, ME (Shaw's Lodging)
Miles today: 109.3
Weather: clear sky

Since we didn'the have much cell service after our first day until we got out of the 100 mile wilderness I'll try to remember and provide a recap of the last several days including our daily mileage and starting/ending points (Bear with me, it may take a couple of days to get everything updated). Needless to say we have endured many trials and joys but are still loving every minute of the trail and what it (and the people we have met) have provided for us thus far! We are truly amazed how when we are in need someone's or something always provides for us. It is truly a blessing!7/9 Katahdin Stream to Abol Bridge Campground (9.9 miles) - After recovering from our Katahdin climb we hit the trail in the morning through Baxter State Park and continued to be stunned how many rocks and roots we had to maneuver in order to make any forward process! Dan quickly realized that his trail runners were not going to provide enough support through the rough terrain and was already looking forward to getting a new pair of hiking shoes at the closest outfitter (my salamon trail runners were working well for me). We were dragging by the end of the day and we're relieved to secure a lakeside tent site at Abol Bridge just before the office closed at 7 pm (we got there at 6:45) and bought an ice coldCoke and a couple of "tall boys" to reward ourselves for the past 2 days!7/10 Abol Bridge to Rainbow Lake Campsite (11.2 miles)- Today we officially walked into the 100 mile wilderness section of the trail and we're nervous and excited to see if this section would make us or break us. Many say that this is one of the hardest sections of the trail (not necessarily because of the terrain but because of the length of time it takes before seeing civilization again). We felt a bit relieved when we had to register at the trailhead just in case something went wrong they would know where to send the search crew...and boy we sure had a close call not too far in..When we reached the Nesowadnehunk stream we saw the high water bypass sign that would redirect us around the roaring rapids we would have to ford but we instead naively thought "how bad can it really be?" Well we are thankfully here to report that it CAN be that bad! I took a pretty good tumble on the slippery rocks and soon found myself in waist deep water with pretty strong currents trying to push me under. Luckily I had my trekking poles to jab into the bottom to secure me and my footing until I reached the other side. After watching this all unfold Dan knew to be extra careful during his attempt to cross. Unfortunately the slippery rocks got the best of him mid crossing and literally swept his feet out from under him and he floated down the stream about 20 feet before grabbing a tree branch to pull himself upright to finish crossing. We both got some bumps and bruises but thankfully no serious injuries! By the time we reached the next ford we wised up a bit and crossed together holding hands and using our poles in the other hand to form a solid base and crossed with no issues. Lesson of the day: When there's a high water route option; TAKE IT!7/11 Rainbow Lake Campsite to Rainbow Stream Lean-to (3.8 miles) - We were feeling pretty zonked from the prior days and decided to make it a short day to recharge our energy. Our Campsite sat beside a waterfall and provided the perfect background noise to get a good night's rest!7/12 Rainbow Stream Lean-to to Nahmakanta Stream Campsite (13.9 miles) - We were feeling pretty refreshed from our short day and decided to push a higher mileage day to make up lost ground. We've gotten into a pretty good routine by now with our camp duties; Dan takes care of cooking and hanging the bear bag while I take care of getting our "home" ready for the night by setting up the tent and blowing up our thermarest sleeping pads and fluffing up our sleeping bags (what a homemaker, right?!)7/13 Nahmakanta Stream Campsite to Antlers Campsite (7.8 miles) - During our lunch break we met a group of NOBO men finishing up the last section of the trail and recommended we stay at Antlers Campsite for the opportunity to go swimming in the lake. By the time we got to camp we had just enough time to set up our tent before the rain sprinKles started...it would be our first night in the rain and we were happy campers in the morning when our tent kept us warm and dry all night long! It was even better that the rain had stopped before we had to get up in the morning.7/14 Antlers Campsite to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to (7.9 miles) - We were excited today to pick up our food resupply drop box that Phil (who picked us from the airport on day one) had left for us. After drinking a couple of sodas he graciously provided we both felt like the energizer bunny and quickly pounded out the miles to get to camp early to rinse our clothes (and ourselves) in the stream that ran from a waterfall in front of the lean to. We spent the afternoon chatting with Miss America and soaked up her knowledge of the trail (she started in Georgia walking north back in March and then recently flip flopped up to Katahdin and will now walk south to where she got off the trail). Dan and I both enjoyed her sense of humor and outlook about the trail...we really hope we get to see her again! In addition we also met another couple, Chugging Along and All Aboard, who would soon become our personal 100 mile wilderness trail angels! Their hiking experience and knowledge became a HUGE assest in getting us through the wilderness!!!7/15 Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to to Logan Brook Lean-to (11.7 miles)- Knowing that we had some bigger mileage to pound put we got up early at 430 am to get an early start on the trail. Our goal was to get as close to White Cap Mountain since this would be the biggest moutain we would have to climb since Katahdin. When we arrived at the lean-to the place was pretty pcaked and we had to make due with setting up our tent in a not so ideal spot a little off the trail. We retreated to our tent pretty early due to the oncoming thunderstorm. We would have to endure the night filled with lighting and thunder on a mountainside no less! I kept waking up throughout the night asking Dan why people were shining their headlamps at our tent...he corrected me that it was actually lighting that kept flashing in our tent. Believe it or not we simply said our prayers that we would be safe and slept pretty soundly through the storm (I think the fact that I had earplugs in helped me with blocking out the thunder booms)!7/16 Logan Brook Lean-to to Carl A. Newhall Lean-to (7.2 miles) - When we woke up in the morning the brunt of the storm was over but there was still some lingering fog and sprinkles that we would have to contend with while climbing White Cap (3650 elevation). The good news was that we were approximately already half way up the mountain. People staying at the lean-to who had climbed the moutain yesterday kind of freaked us out about how difficult the climb was going to be. I think because we had built it up so much in our mind the climb really wasn't all that bad. Sure, we had to take lots of breaks but we do that during all climbs. When we reached the summit we didn't hang out for long (and didnt take any pictures) because it was really windy and cold and we wanted to get off the top ASAP before any new storms popped up. At the end of the end of the day we were pretty pleased with ourselves that we had conquered White Cap! Maybe we were actually getting our hiking legs afterall...7/17 Carl Newhall Lean-to to Chairback Gap Lean-to (8.9 miles) - Today the weather was great and we took an extra long break at lunch to air out our tent, socks and other gear. As a result, we got to experience our first trail magic! As we were sitting at a road crossing a pickup truck drove pass us and then immediately reversed back to us. Low and behold it was Rocky The Flying Squirrel (a guy we had met the day before who was using two cars to hike to and from each day through the 100 mile wilderness). Rocky hopped out of the truck and quickly offered us 2 Moutain Dews. Mmmm good! While we sipped (or should I say inhaled) the sugary goodness we had an awesome chat with Rocky and learned more about the trail and about his motivation to be on the trail (he has already completed the southern section). It's always fun hearing about others' stories!! After our break we would climb Chairback Mountain which included a large vertical rock scramble to reach the top. We basically climbed up on all fours so we wouldn't fall off the side of the mountain. This was our favorite mountain on the trail thus far!7/18 Chairback Gap Lean-to to Long Pond Stream Lean-to (9.9 miles) - We knew today would be a challenging day since we would be climbing 5 different mountains all in one day. The repeated ups and downs definitely took a toll on our bodies (and spirit) but the picture perfect views and the top of each mountain quickly re-energized us! I don't think pictures do it justice and being from the Midwest we have never experienced the beauty of standing on top of a mountain above treeline and just standing in awe of everything! It really does take your breath away!!! At the end of the day we were even given some comic relief, at my expense though...we were running low on water and decided to collect some water from what looked to be an ankle deep bog. Well, it turned out to be a waistdeep bog and I know this because yes, I accidentally fell into the stinky sticky bog! Dan had to pull me out by the handle on my backpack and after seeing I wasn't hurt (just covered in the moose poop bog slime) we both had a good laugh for a good ten minutes! (Pictures are incuded in our photo album so you can have a good laugh too.) It was a good change of pace from our exhausting day!7/19 Long Pond Stream Lean-to to Leeman Brook Lean-to (12.1 miles) - Ever since meeting Chugging Along and All Aboard we had been keeping the same schedule and met up with them every night at camp. Seeing familiar faces each night was a huge reassurance for us knowing they would have our backs if we got into trouble. So we decided to push some long mileage with them to get as close to town as possible to give us an easy walk into Monson the next morning. I'd like to say that by now we were accustomed to big mileage but that just wasn't the case. Today was the first day that it felt more like a job to walk the mileage than actually enjoying the experience. I don't think Dan and I said more than a dozen words to each other all day...it was all business! We both felt pretty beat up and our bodies were definitely in need of some rest. Dan's feet had reached an all new pain level and he couldn't get to town fast enough! After eating dinner in the dark (way past our normal schedule) we vowed to sleep in tomorrow morning.7/20 Leeman Brook Lean-to to ME 15 (3 miles) - We kept our promise and slept in until 7am. Today we could finally put our feet up and relax at the end of the day (and not have to set up a tent)!! The walk to the trailhead was fairly easy and we called Shaw's (the place we staying at) the minute we got there. While waiting for the ride, we chatted with an older gentleman in the parking lot and after learning we just completed the 100 mile wilderness successfully he gave us 2 celebratory beers (nevermind, it was only 10:30 in the morning!) that we quickly drank. We couldn't believe we actually survived the wilderness all in one piece! We couldn't have done it without everybody's prayers and support for us!! Now it was time to shower and get some real food. Dan and Jen (until we get trailnames)