Date: 2008-09-24
From: Stealth site on side trail to West Chairback Pond,

To: Stealth -.1 bef West Branch of the Pleasant River
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, managed to stay warm yet another nite. It was a bit warmer last nite, and both Incessant and I had the best nite's sleep since entering the Wilderness. It was in the low 40's when I got up @ 6:00 a.m., which is as early as you can get up if you want any sunlight this time of year. Still no fun to change clothes though. I was crossing my fingers we'd see a moose, we were right by a bog, which in the morning sun became all misty. It was beautiful. No moose. Today was a bit different, I had to meet Kathy @ the West Branch of the Pleasant River @ noon to get our food drop, and had 6 miles to go, which included Columbus Mtn., Chairback Mtn., and a 1.5 mile descent off the ridge. I knew I needed to fly (for me anyways) if I was going to make it, so Incessant got her first shot at solo hiking today (gladly I might add). I gave her the steri-pen since I could boil water if I really needed to, and I kept the topos and gave her the map portion (this year, I cut the topos out and keep the map folded up in my pack). We were totally self sufficient now. I was all ready to go and stepped off @ 7:40 a.m. I knew if I could manage 1.5 miles per hour, I could make it. I really hate hiking under pressure, but it was just the way it worked out, so ya deal with it. First up was a 1 mile climb up Columbus Mtn. On the way up I met a man named Warren from Alabama. This crazy guy didn't even intend to thru-hike, but it looks like he's going to (he's probably in his 60's). Then, he is doing a 1400 mile bicycle ride back home after the hike! He said you can follow along online if you search for Finding Warren. He was the only person I saw today..while hiking. These Maine forests are a sight. Always beautiful pines, spruces, and hemlocks, green moss, large rocks, and an overall feeling of a mystical place. It was gorgeous this morning. I was up Columbus Mtn. in about a 1.5 mph pace, so that made me happy. Then it was a steep rocky down to Chairback Mtn. Lean-to. It was confusing here, no white blazes but a few places that could have been the trail. A little frustrating, only because I didn't have time to waste. I saw the sign saying "Spring" and someone had etched AT into it, so I took my chances and headed down a very steep section where I finally saw some signs telling you mileage to other places. I assumed this was right, so I drew a big arrow in the dirt with AT written next to it, up by the shelter. Annoying when you have to waste time looking for the trail. It didn't get much better @ the bottom, which went into a bit of muddy bog. I finally saw a blaze, so I made another arrow with sticks. I was mostly concerened about Incessantnot being sure about it, but as I'd find out, she was absolutely fine today. I forget sometimes..she DOES have a Ph.D.! LOL Next was up Chairback Mtn., which was steep, but the view up top was amazing. Every single day I'm seeing more and more fall colors in the trees, the sun was out and I think I could pick out Katahdin in the distance, but am not sure. I hated leaving but had to, and what awaited me....well, I'm nicknaming it the "Vertical Mahoosic Notch." I came around a curve and saw a massive rocky field going straight down. Oh man!!If it stays like this, I'll never be on time. ugh.... This was the literal chair back obviously. Luckily it only lasted for .2 and it was over. All I could think was Incessant going "Oh shit" when she got to it, but she later told me she was laughing all the way down, which is so her. I got down and the trail flattened out a bit, but had 3 major bumps on it, then a slight ascent to meet the side trail going down to East Pond. It was 10:30 now, and I only had 1.5 miles to go, so I knew I'd make it, even if I moved only 1 mph. I have gotten to the point where I sort of know what to expect here in Maine, depending upon the types of trees and elevation, so I was confident the descent was not going to be a rocky mess, and I was right. Matter of fact, it was lovely because it wrapped around the mountain gradually and parts were almost flat, and it was my favorite pine needle cushy trail. I couldn't have asked for a better situation. Next thing I know, I was at Katahdin Iron Works Rd., which is a nicely kept gravel road. There are parking areas near by for hikers to come in and hike up to Gulf Hagas, so they probably have to keep the roads nice. After this road, it was flat flat flat, the trail folowing a stream that eventually fed into the Pleasant River. It curved around and went down a bit and then I saw the signs Kathy told me to meet her at. It was 11:20 a.m.,,whew..early! Our plan today was for me to get the food, then find a stealth site for us, I'd set up camp and then hike back south with a daypack to meet up with Incessant. We didn't know if she'd feel as exhausted today as yesterday, so for safety, I wanted to go back. I looked around while waiting for Kathy, and like 2 minutes later here she was! Cool...she's early too. She had our stuff in a big plastic bucket and we sat down and chatted for almost an hour. She's been doing this for hikers for about 5 years, and goes to about 3 or 4 locations. I asked her what happens if the hiker isn't there, and she said she waits for them as long as possible, but if they don't show, she leaves the bucket and comes back to check if it's still there, so she knows if they've gotten that far. How sweet is that? She watches out for us, but she's also outspoken about people who make stupid choices, like a father and daughter who decided to hike out here some February, and the dad went over an icy cliff and it killed him. She doesn't believe people should be out hiking some of these mountains in a Maine Feb. I agree, except I know winter hiking with proper gear can be safe, and of course you should know what you're doing. So I gave her some $ and we said our goodbyes. I had seen a perfect camping spot back a little. You can't camp from the Pleasant River north for 2 miles, and I heard there's a ridge runner around, so I preferred to be legally camped. On the way back, I looked down and found a camera. Oh man, what a thing to lose out here. I looked @ the pics and recognized the people as the men who were getting water @ Wilson Falls after our first nite out here. One of them had left his camera that morning, back @ their campsite by Mud Pond. Guess these guys have a hard time with this. LOLSo I hiked back about .1 and found a great spot right by the stream, and I set up camp quickly. I hung our now very full and heavy food bags and packed my daypack. It was about 1:15 p.m. and I needed to eat lunch, so I crawled out on a rock and ate at the stream. So beautiful. I watched a leaf fall into the water and wondered about its life, and how amazing it was that I was there to see it fall at that moment. I finished lunch and headed back towards Incessant at 1:30 p.m. I really had no idea how far she got considering some of the terrain was so tough, but I ran into 3 hikers who gave me reports on her location, and she was further than I thought! I only ended up hiking about 1 mile back (it was back up, but it wasn't too bad with a day pack) and saw her coming down the trail. I'm so proud of her, because asking someone with no trail legs to come out and not bathe or eat real food for 9 days is a lot, and as usual, she takes it as it comes. We hiked back to camp and on the way she said she really enjoyed hiking alone, which is awesome in my book. She said she just took it very slowly, especially since her knee (as I suspected it would) has stiffened up quite a bit from yesterday¢s hyper-extension. My little bird is already wanting to leave the nest! So we've talked about different ways to hike our days, because I'm so much faster, so we're going to try hiking together some and then agree to meet @ a place, and I'll hike @ my normal pace, get there and journal while I'm waiting for her. This cuts down on the amount of evening time (when I SHOULD be sleeping) I'll have to spend on journaling. We got to our site @ 3:30 p.m., which is so awesome to be so early. She set up camp, and we both took bandana baths which felt great, but boy was it cold. Then we talked logistics. Kathy told me a cold front is coming in sometime Friday with rain going into part of Saturday. Well, I don't want to hike the 5 miles over the last 3 peaks (including White Cap) in shitty rainy weather, so we've decided to hike to around the Carl A. Newhall Lean-to tomorrow, then do a nero on Friday of about 2 miles over Gulf Hagas Mtn. and camp @ the campsite, and get there early to hopefully beat the rain. Then, if it's crappy on Saturday, we're staying put and zeroing @ the campsite. So this change in plans meant 2 extra days, so we needed to redistribute our food to last longer. We spread everything out on the ground as I dealt with a great deal of visual confusion because I have to write things down and I didn't have paper or pen. With help from Incessant, we easily reportioned our food without being in danger of eating too few calories. We both feel better about this, and I think a nero and zero would do some good for Incessant's legs. So that was settled, and she made dinner tonight while sitting in her hammock while I did my picture captions. Then, all of a sudden...POP...the ridgeline on her hammock snapped! Luckily it isn't load bearing, so you don't fall or anything, but without it, the bug netting is in your face. I looked at it and it was just a weak spot in the spectra that gave way (we bought her hammock used). No worries though, I was able to easily fix it with some extra cord we had and a small biner. I used the figure 8 knot and so far so good. Problem solved, but it was funny when it happened because she about went flying, but caught herself.We sat by the stream and ate dinner while enjoying the sounds of the water. What a beautiful place...I love it here. We left the food spread out on the ground to go eat dinner and I said, "Just our luck, a bear would show up right now." LOL We turned in on a warmer (48 degrees) evening. Tomorrow should be a nice day, it's all a gradual climb, but nothing significant. Tired.....gotta get some zzzzz's. ~Certain