Thru the 100 – Days 96 thru 100

Day 96 – North of Long Stream Pond Ford to East Chairback Pond

I was on a new sleeping pad last night. My inflatable pad, super comfortable, got a slow leak. A guy finishing a section hike traded his foam pad for mine. Foam pads don’t get leaks. Foam pads are only slightly better than nothing. I didn’t sleep great.

We woke to a beautiful morning. Our goal was to get to the pond, we were optimistic, however, that we could make it to Pleasant River. No such luck. Meriwether is still having difficulty with technical descents. I understand, falling hurts and falling on one of these downhills would hurt really bad.

The hike today was through beautiful pine forests and the sun always seemed to filter through in the most beautiful way. There were some views, excellent views. And, as always, there was a lot of mud.

We saw several SoBo thru hikers, some just doing the hundred mile wilderness, and a couple on a day hike.

We asked the couple how they got so deep in the woods. It turns out there is a lodge down a side trail with cabins, showers, and dining. Nobody told us about that, it could have made an interesting side trip.

Our campsite is gorgeous. We are just above the pond. The sun is shimmering on the water. There is a slight breeze attempting to cool the air. I am happy to be here.

It doesn’t get much better, until Antlers.

Day 97 – East Chairback Pond to Logan Brook Lean-to

At some point in the night I woke with a pretty bad headache. Hangover type headache. Ugh, dehydrated. Hopefully it will go away quickly in the morning.

Even with the headache and new sleeping pad I slept pretty well. Perhaps I was exhausted from not sleeping well the night before.

The headache persisted through the morning. Around noon I took an aspirin and it immediately went away. I have a Ziploc bag full of aspirin from when I had shin splints so many weeks ago. Glad to reduce the weight a bit.

Pine forests and great views ruled the day. On our last mountain before Katahdin we got a great, as well as our first, view of Katahdin. The top was shrouded in clouds.

Meriwether in front, perhaps Katahdin in the back.

We got to our planned campsite very early. Like 2:00 PM. We could have easily made it to the next site, but our resupply isn’t until late tomorrow afternoon. Hiking more miles today would mean waiting around longer for our food tomorrow.

A couple hours after we arrived two SoBos showed up. It was nice talking to them about what is upcoming. They were also just fun to talk to, something most thru hikers have in common.

We added a couple luxury items to our food drop. I’m really looking forward to my bag of chips and two ginger ales tomorrow.

Day 98 – Logan Brook Lean-to to Antlers Campsite 

The rain started in the middle the night. We are set up right next to a brook, Logan Brook, so the air is very humid. Periodically I could feel drops of condensation hitting my face. If drops of water are hitting my face, drops of water are hitting everything including our sleeping bags.

It was still raining when we got up, while we packed, ate breakfast, and got under way. I hate starting out the day wet. I also don’t like having a wet tent in my backpack. We have been so fortunate with the weather. Meriwether really wanted to be in the tent last night, I was pretty sure it was going to rain.

The hike today was beautiful. The sun teased us all morning as did the rain clouds. After the initial climb down the rest of the mountain the trail flattened out and was super cruisey. We made it the 15 miles or so to the resupply point by 1:30.

I strung a line between two trees and hung up the tent and my quilt. The tent was sopping wet, my quilt was not damp at all. An hour later, right as our food was showing up, the tent was bone dry.

In addition to our resupply, Long Shot brought us a couple pizzas. Meriwether kept asking if she could have another piece. Long Shot said they’re both yours. We ate as much as we could and packed the rest out for dinner.

Long Shot works at Shaw’s. Everyone there is a class act. Shaw’s is an iconic stop for AT thru hikers. A lot of people show up just to hang out, if you are in the area, I highly recommend it.

The resupply was only for 3 days. Mine weighed about 8 pounds. It is amazing how much heavier a pack feels when 8 pounds gets added in the middle of the day. With all the pizza we have, the food weight won’t decrease much tonight. Meriwether offered to carry the pizza.

Antlers Campsite is amazing. The sun has not set yet and we might get a sunrise tomorrow morning. Even without seeing those, this might be my favorite campsite.

Sunrise at Antlers.

I need to see if my pond washed socks are dry and check the sunset status. Good night!

Day 99 – Antlers Campsite to Rainbow Stream Lean-to

The sunset was just OK last night, there were some clouds on the horizon that obscured most of it. Around midnight, when I ventured out to take a leak, the moon was bright and shimmering on the lake, stunning. This morning we got to watch the sun rise from the comfort of tent, equally stunning.

Yesterday afternoon and all day today have been some of my favorite hiking. The temperature has been in the upper 50s. The trail in great condition. Pine forests, rushing brooks, waterfalls, lakes and ponds. My eyes and ears feasted. We also got a few more views of Katahdin, one this morning with the peak shrouded in clouds, another this afternoon without a cloud in sight.

Another sketchy bridge.

There were three SoBos at the shelter when we arrived. I think they are all on day 3. We filled them with wisdom including hostel intel, work for stay at the huts, and how to determine bog depth. We had a good time chatting with them.

The next two days should be pretty easy mileage wise, setting us up for summiting in three days. The weather is supposed to be crappy the next two, then near perfect on the third. It has been a few days since I saw a weather report.

Lots of excitement and lots of nervousness. A huge mixture of emotions. It feels like a finish, but we have another 710.8 miles in the South to finish up.

Day 100 – Rainbow Stream Lean-to to Hurd Brook Lean-to 

No rain last night. Every thing is dry.

The temperature dropped pretty low last night. I fell asleep very quickly and did not wake until midnight pee time. After that I had my normal sleep until the right hip hurts, flip to the left and sleep until my left hip hurts, then repeat.

Another beautiful hike today. The sky was overcast, so the views were a bit different and the forest was darker. The sky did clear up enough when we were on the Ledges for a fantastic view of Katahdin.

Getting closer.

We got to the last shelter in the 100 mile wilderness very early, right at lunch time. Filtered some water, ate some food, built a small fire, played 20 questions. It took Meriwether many more than 20 questions to get my word, toothbrush.

A couple our age that we met at the campsite last night arrived at the shelter a couple hours after us. They are hiking out today and invited us to go home with them. The rules, however, say that you can only camp at the Birches if you finish the 100 mile wilderness without leaving the trail.

An hour or so later 4 Mennonite women arrived at the shelter. I have asked them many more than 20 questions and they are very impressive young woman. For example, the shelter has what is called a baseball bat floor and they aren’t using sleeping pads. I am not that strong or resilient. It has been wonderful talking to these women and I am so glad they were willing to entertain my questions.

Even though those young women live in a completely different world than I, it is amazing how much we have in common out here. We walk the same miles, drink the same water, eat the exactly same meals. However, as I said earlier, they are much more resilient than I.

During the hike today we stopped to chat with a man our age. It turns out we met him in PA many weeks ago. We stayed at a campsite with him just North of Pine Grove Furnace. His trail name is Griff and he just started the flip of his SoBo flip flop.

It is the people we meet that really make this an excellent adventure.