Wilderness Part 2

The next morning I left the cute shelter built right next to a swimming hole to continue on my journey through the 100 mile wilderness. I had heard the second part was harder  and there would be some climbing today.  The first few miles went by fast and I ran into my first set of people who told me to check out the beach coming up at Crawford pond.  I saw the side trail and sandy beach.  It wasn’t as pristine as the other beach but I touched the water with my fingers and it was warmer.  I decided to take a dip and swam around for a few minutes before drying off and throwing my cloths back on.  It was good timing because a few minutes later two older gentleman showed up.  I felt fantastic but that was about to change because the terrain was about to get rugged again beginning with a bit of a climb.  I was wearing long pants and long sleeves and the small elevation gain nearly drowned me with sweat and I was ready to break at the top of the hill and at the bottom.  I wanted to get in some more miles and get a head start on white cap.  So, after a long break at a shelter, I headed on with the gnats flying in my face.  I finally passed a few more people later in the day, it seemed this section of the wilderness was less traveled.  I had a big climb at the end of the day which went by slow but when I got to the shelter I was greeted by a few more people.  A few people going north from Harper’s Ferry were there as well as a Maine Appalachian Trail Club crew.  I hung out and the trail club had leftover pasta which became my dinner.  Happy I didn’t have to cook, I crawled in my tent for sleep.

White cap looked like it would be a steep climb but I was fresh and it was cool out.  It was a long way up but the MATC had put steps in (thanks for all your hard work!) so it wasn’t too bad.  It was windy on top and I had my last view of Katahdin (I think I was looking at the right mountain).  I continued down down the mountain with a few more steep ascents and descents.  It was extremely hot and I was going through a lot of water. I stopped for a long lunch at the shelter and then hiked with a slack packing section hiker for a few miles.  When I sat down I realized why I’d been smelling deet all day. The container had leaked over my hip belt and onto my shorts.  My headphones were sticky, the shorts stained, and I was out of bug spray.  Bummed I headed down to the river where I had my first real ford.  I slipped on my crocks and walked through the water which felt excellent after a long days walk. I was feeling pretty exhausted and even though I wanted a head start on the Chairback range (I had heard if was very difficult) I couldn’t walk anymore that day. I camped out with a dude named Gerry and for the first time since my dad had left, I hung a bear bag (I’d been using the mouse hangs in the shelters lately).  Then I tried to get to sleepy early so I would be ready for the mountains I was so nervous about.

Full of anxiety, I didn’t sleep well.  When I woke and pulled down my bear line, I cursed. There was a new hole in my bag and it looked as if a creature had gotten in. Quickly I unloaded it to see how much damage had been done. I was expecting foul smelling torn up food but found only one zip lock chewed thru and half a bar gnawed on. I tossed the bar thankful that was all that had been stolen.  Now I’m a little scared because I don’t know how to protect my food anymore other than the bad habit of hanging it in shelters.  The squirrels and chipmunks seem to be smarter here, I had heard this had happened to a few others in the wilderness.  Trying to think positive a packed up my supplies and headed up the mountain.  The first climb wasn’t too bad.  It was a lot of elevation but the grade was ok.  There was a break in the climbing and I took a snack break then continued up Chairback which had a section you navigate through a rock slide near the end. It wasn’t as bad as people said it would be, but I imagine it was because I was going up.  At the shelter I ran into my first SOBO in awhile, Owen, who was resting his ankles up.  I stayed a while not wanting to leave and climb more mountains but eventually got the strength.  The next climb wasn’t bad and I hit up a stream for lunch and my last water source until camp that night.  There was a group of 6 NOBOs there and they seemed to have formed a large trail family.  They left and I saw about 6 more people within half an hour and then no one.  Third mountain seemed to be full of rocks I had to climb up and never ending false summits.  I had to butt slide down a few on my way down.  I never knew when I got to the top of three and a half mountain.  Then I was climbing up fourth mountain and it was up huge jagged rocks with a few roots for hand holds here and there.  I never imagined the Appalachain Trail would be more like mountain climbing than hiking but I was learning how wrong I was.  With a pack on it proved even more difficult and I slid and fell a few times.  The clouds seemed to be swooping in as I reached the top and when I got down to the bog I didn’t want to hike anymore.  I had found a stealth spot with a very sketchy water source but when I called my dad he told me to push on and with that motivation I headed up.  The last climb wasn’t too bad and I made really good time to cloud pond shelter.  I saw a tent set up on my way in but no one else was in the shelter.  I set up inside to stay dry and then walked to the pond to get water while my dinner was re-hydrating.  There was a ghostly fog over the lake and when I got back it started to rain.  It was kind of cool as it was my first time alone in a shelter and I was so thankful to be dry and out of the rain that night.

The next morning I woke up to a weird howling noise.  It might of been silly but I thought maybe it was a moose or coyote, but found out it was the dog of the folks who’d stayed in the tent. I began to hike and within a few miles I got a great view of a huge lake below.  The downhill hurt a lot to and I decided to take an easy day and not do too many miles.  It was hot and I took many breaks before I got to the shelter.  There was only one other guy there but soon two section hikers showed and then Owen and a girl named Silvia.  We all packed in together in the small shelter and went to sleep early excited for Monson the next day.