Date: 2008-09-16
From: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to

To: Jo-Mary Road, Cooper Brook
Miles today: 22.6

One of the problems I have been having of recent times is the late get away from camp. I get caught in my bed just laying there looking out at the drizzle, lacking the determination to get up and going. In these more difficult states where the mileage is slower it is hard to make up for a late start and your mileage is set right back form the beginning of the day. It also might have something to do with my body just been really tired and not getting a chance to fully recover, the grind of it all has started to really wear me down. I never got that spring in my step and took off like other hikers ahead of me have. I have certainly got stronger; only have to glance down at the legs to know that. And my endurance has increased tremendously, but never really got the extreme levels of fitness I was expecting. On other long hikes which have been nowhere near as long as this one or as tough my fitness levels have increased quicker, and the end results have been better. I think it all has to do with how far I started behind what normal levels of fitness I normally possess. Over the last 3 years before this hike had started I had really let myself go, and to think back at how I carried my big guts up over those first mountains in Georgia is a modern miracle. It was time to get an early start, and at the crack of dawn I was ready to leave camp. I don¢t take a long time to get ready once on the move, in 30 minutes or less I am on my feet and hiking up the trail.It was a steady climb up to Gulf Hagas Mtn, passed Sidney Tappan Campsite where some lazy sole was still in his tent, up a further climb to West Peak, over Hay Mtn, and onto White Cap Mtn. For this morning walk have had stunning views mostly to the south, looking back at the mountains I have stood upon on the last few days in the mist and fog, no wondering I found it tiring, from a distance it is easy to see how much they climb and descend. Came up over the side of White Cap Mtn and there it was, the huge presence of Katahdin, I was stopped stunned in my tracks, there was no doubt this mountain could be anything but this elusive beast. Found the nearest rock and just dropped to my butt and took it all in. Let out some yells and HOHA, and whatever other inaudible stuff came flying out of my mouth. Not often in life I become this over come by emotion. I was feeling everything at once, awe, sadness, happiness, and no emotion would take true hold of me, so I just sat there feeling really numb, not really knowing what to do next. It is true what they say there is no other mountain like this one, for a number of reasons. The Appalachians are really a long chain of mountains connected by many ridges, and it is not just one mountain chain, sometimes it is just a single ridge rising up above the valley floors and farmland below, but usually it is a series of ridges all generally running in a north south direction. Standing on one mountain your views are usually obscured by the next row of mountains. Looking out from White Cap Mtn gives you something really unique, out to the north the mountains just seem to stop, and are replaced by flat land covered in woods stretching as far as the eye could see with the odd pimple sticking up on the horizon, and Katahdin sticks out like a sore thumb, it dominates everything you see in front of you. It is a single large mountain sticking out on a flat plain all by itself; there is nothing else around it to challenge it. It is very dramatic, steep sided, so steep that very few things are able to grow on the side of it, mostly just rocks and scree fields dominating its sides, well that is what it looks like from this distance. Between me and Katahdin lie numerous ponds, and they are very large, and in many instances will clearly block my path. Some of the ponds are huge; some are small, littering the landscape in all directions, for an Australian it is weird to see so much water laying around this far inland. Katahdin is only 30 miles away as the crow flies, but the AT takes 70 odd miles to get there, a one last fuck you from the ATC, at least it looks reasonably flat.It is so strange now to think about what the AT really means and why I decided to hike this trail, it may seam odd, but it is only now that I am beginning to think about it. I don¢t really have any answers, more just some feelings that can¢t really be put into words. For some time now I have been hearing about Katahdin, to be more precise for the last 6 months. It is mentioned on a daily basis out here, like some magical name, but something few people have ever seen much less walked upon. To finally see this mystical mountain is fabulous, for some time I have wondered if it really exist, just another AT rumor that turns out not to be true, like Virginia being flat. I feel really nervous looking out upon it, as I know it is going to be a huge challenge to climb it. I have butterflies in my stomach looking upon it, a strange sensation to fear a mountain when I have climbed so many, just hope my weary knees can hold out for one last big effort, but first I have 70 miles to get thru. I set out down the long descent towards Logan Brook lean-to, I catch up with Wookie at the bottom, and he has the same huge smile on his face as I do, few words have to be exchanged to understand the excitement that each of us is feeling. It was nice to have a familiar face that I could turn to and express my delight, as he is one who can truly understand the hardships and privations it has taken to enjoy this moment so much. The walking is really easy and the descent is pleasurable all the way down to East Branch Lean-to, some flat walking and then a nasty steep and nasty climb up Little Boardman Mtn, was it really necessary for the AT to take us up this, of course not, but it just does. Walk past Crawford Pond and I find Wookie lying out on the beach, lovely spot, just love these ponds. Some more flat easy walking and make it to a lovely spot, Cooper Brook Falls lean-to, fabulous swimming hole right in front. Even though this was a fabulous place to camp I decided to walk on a few more miles and make the most of the remaining light and set up camp in the middle of the woods.