100 Mile Wilderness, pt. 1: AT Days 129 & 130

Route 15 to Cloud Pond Lean-to, 19.2 miles

The zero day taken at Shaw’s was the perfect final town day experience; a day filled with canoe rides, hanging out with friends, and, of course, eating. As I was being shuttled back to the trailhead that next morning, I reflected on all of the town experiences I’ve had throughout my journey. Hanging out in town with other hikers at hostels is all part of the AT experience, something I never expected to be so vital to the overall experience of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian Trail community really is something special, and I am glad to forever be apart of this tight-knit group of strange, but like-minded individuals. We all may come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but we all share one thing in common, which is what makes this community so special, in my opinion. No matter how different I may be from my fellow hiker off-trail, we share very similar goals and values while on trail; finding the next water source, finding shelter for the night, rationing enough food to just get by, etc. Thru-hiking really breaks down a human to his/her most raw, primal self, and I believe this is how we learn the most about ourselves.

I could practically smell Mt Katahdin from Route 15 I was so close, but there was still one final push to be had, and I was ready to put my physical endurance capabilities and mental fortitude to the test for one final time. The one stretch of trail standing in the way between me and AT glory is the 100 Mile Wilderness; a 100 mile stretch of trail consisting of no major road crossings. The trail crosses the occasional gravel logging road, but it would be a very long ride out of the wilderness if one were to get hurt or run out of food, not to mention there is barely any cell service to call for help. The 100 Mile Wilderness is regarded as the wildest, most remote section on the entire AT. I was looking forward to the serenity that I believed I would achieve while hiking through the wilderness, and at 9 AM, I set off down the trail into the unknown, with 4.5 days worth of food in my pack.

This day was just like any other day in Maine. The elevation profile for the majority of the day looked flat, but the trail was very rarely entirely flat. I was constantly going up and down tiny hills, and the hiking was slow due to the amount of roots and rocks that covered the trail. One hiker said it best: “In Maine, if there isn’t rocks, then there’s roots. And vice-versa. Most of the time, there’s just both”.

I made my way through several pine and spruce forests, past plenty of lakes and waterfalls, and over several streams as the miles soon ticked by as I got in a good hiking rhythm. The one main challenge of the day was climbing up Barren Mountain, into the Chairback Mountain Range. This climb was much tougher than I anticipated, probably due to my heavy pack. I arrived at the Cloud Pond Lean-to at around 5:30, and Jackrabbit wasn’t too far behind. The shelter area was deserted, maybe because it was .4 miles off trail. Only one other hiker, Gun$, would show up that night. I went to sleep reflecting on a good day one in the wilderness, and excited to explore more of the wilderness that lie ahead.

Cloud Pond Lean-to to Carl Newhall Lean-to, 16.7 miles

I must’ve sat at the shores of Cloud Pond for a good thirty minutes early that morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of a moose going for a swim. Sadly, no moose were to be seen, and it was time to get hiking. The day started off with traversing the Chairback range, and overall this traverse was tougher than anticipated. The climbs to the peaks weren’t too steep, but the entire terrain was extremely rocky and rooty, making for a slow traverse. In a span of seven miles, I reached the rocky summits of Chairback Fourth Mountain, Chairback Third Mountain, Colombus Mountain, and Chairback Mountain before a long descent down to Pleasant River.

The AT crosses the Pleasant River, a wide, shin-deep river. There is no bridge across the river, so hikers must ford the river to continue on their journey North/South. I ate lunch, took my shoes and socks off, and walked across the river. The water felt nice, but the rocks on the ground of the river were rough on the feet. From there, it was a very long, gradual incline to the Whitecap Range. This ascent was so gradual it practically felt flat the entire time, and I was enjoying the scenic forest setting surrounding me.

As I was cruising along down the trail, headphones in, soaking in the moment, I was able to see two hikers from far down the trail, very quickly making their way towards me. I could tell they were men on a mission, so I stepped off trail to let them pass. Just as the first hiker began to pass me, we made eye contact and I instantly recognized the hiker. I was caught off-guard by this encounter, and the first words that came out of my mouth were:

“What the F**k? Scott Jurek?”

Scott laughed, confirmed his identity, and told me to walk South with him briefly. For those who aren’t familiar with Scott, Scott Jurek is a running/hiking legend, and one might consider him the Lebron James of trail running. In 2015, Scott completed the Appalachian Trail faster than anyone had ever done before, finishing the entire trail in 46 days. I asked Scott if he was just running the 100 Mile Wilderness, assuming he was out of the game. Scott hesitated, turned around and told me:

“Well, I haven’t announced this to the world yet, but I’m going for the speed record again this year.”

I had so many things I wanted to say in response, but the only words I could muster were, “Dude, what, that’s so sick”. I quickly snapped a photo with Scott, he congratulated me on making it this far, I wished him luck on his record attempt, and we went our separate ways. The encounter happened so fast, it took a bit to register what happened.

Almost immediately following my coversation with Scott, the skies opened up and then rain came poring down. I stopped inside the Carl Newhall shelter to wait out the rain, as I had another two miles remaining to reach the campsite I had in mind. Jackrabbit was already there and we agreed to push on once the rain stopped. But it didn’t. Hours passed and the rain continued to fall. We decided that we didn’t feel like getting wet and pitching tents in the rain, so we decided to call this shelter home for the night, knowing that those two miles would be easy to make up down the line.