Date: 2009-09-06
From: Sidney Tappan Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

The wind blew strongly all night and I didn¢t want to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning because it was so cold! But I got up, put on all my layers, and made some breakfast. Then, Sky King emerged from his tent! Someone had left their food and pots out on a little bench last night, and I thought it was the section hikers, but it turned out to be his. He brought a jar of peanut butter over there, opened it up, and returned to his tent. In the meantime, a chipmunk stuck his head inside the jar and began enjoying an unexpected treat! Sky King just laughed when he saw this.    Today was a big day. We would climb White Cap Mountain, marking our last big ascent before Katahdin, and we would get a nice view of our goal on top of this mountain. I left first, making my way up West Peak, and then Hay Mountain, before climbing White Cap. I saw Katahdin before I even got to the summit. While I took a break to make a couple of (possibly) my last calls before meeting Erik at Abol bridge, Sky King came along, asking where Katahdin was. I told him he had missed it, but we would probably get another view ahead.   As I rounded the mountaintop and came to the other side, I was stunned. There in front of me stretched a great valley, with Katahdin at the opposite end. This was all I had left! I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. There was Emerald City! I could see the path before me, and knew that after I reached this long awaited destination, I would click my heels and return home, realizing that everything I was looking for was there all along...      I took in the view and could not stop taking pictures. Then, I started the descent. In a mile and a half, I reached Logan Brook Lean-to, where I found a young man taking a break. He started out as a northbounder, but ended up flip-flopping. Sky King soon came along to make it a party of three. I went to collect water and discovered a wonderful cascading water source! When I returned, a young couple was making a visit to the shelter, bringing along a roll of toilet paper for the privy, and three apples for anyone that wanted them. We accepted them happily, and when Sky King heard about the toilet paper, he began professing his thanks, ¢I almost had a medical emergency¢ he told them, as he had just about run out. He quickly snatched up the roll and offered the girl a hug. Somehow, what you need, has a way of appearing on the trail...   We enjoyed a nice snack break, and along came another section (former thru) hiker that I had seen a couple of times over the past weeks. I made my way back out on the trail, and turned on my ipod. I was in a good mood! The hard part was over!    I stopped in at East Branch Lean-to for a break and saw a little bunny rabbit hopping around the area. I read through the registry and continued on, crossing more rivers and making my way through the woods. I had a goal of making it to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to, and ended up making it there as the light was starting to fade. I was tired!   I almost didn¢t have the energy to go down to the shelter, but I managed, and found a crowd of people there. I cooked my dinner and chatted with them, and then headed back up the hill to tie up my hammock in my own little area. I enjoyed the company and the fire, so I told them I might return if they were going to stay up, but most of them were just about to retreat to their shelters when I got back. So, I returned to my hammock and went to sleep.