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HIKE THE 100 MILE WILDRENESS AND KATADHIN
SAT.
July 12th---We have been getting ready all week to leave for
Sunday July 13th—we slept very little and were up at five and
soon on our way. At eleven-thirty we stopped in
Bruce is bringing the four of them in his car and they will drive all day
and most of the night. We are to all meet at
After a tour of We found our turn with no trouble and then drove right to the trailhead. The parking area was small and only one empty spot to park. Thank-goodness that spot was level as it is hard to sleep in the van if the beds are not level. We got our lunches and water ready for tomorrow. At dark we are in bed as we have had a long day and tomorrow will a 14.2 mile hike. Monday July14th—We were up at five-thirty. It was quite here last night and we were able to sleep The others were to arrive at six-thirty but we figured they would be early and they were there at six. John’s plan was to put all eight in our van and go to Long-Pond road. I had told him we could only buckle in two besides the driver but he said they all knew that. I guess I should have had one of CB’s sign-up sheets but they were at home—darn!-the only thing I did not bring. Jim Foster and Bruce Darby have been to this road before so they are our ‘Guides.” We are on a gravel logging road and after a bridge there should be a left turn. W hen our guides decided it was the” right” left, we looked up that road and saw a truck in the middle of the road being loaded with logs. Well maybe not the right road so we drove on only to turn around and go back .Jim thinks that is our road and gets out to go talk to the man loading logs. Bruce thinks it will be about a mile to walk in and we do not think the logger will stop and move the truck and log loader out of the road for us to pass. It looked for a few minutes like the man was not going to stop work to talk to Jim, but he did. After a few minutes Jim came back and said the guy was a hiker and that was the road to the trail. He moved the truck and loader and as we drove thru the muddy spot were he was working, the front of the van slide a little. We got our gear out of the van quickly [need to get back thru before the guy goes back to work] and since Bruce has hiked this section he took the van back to the other trailhead.
We took an old road for a little ways and then Jim lead us on a bushwhack
to Long pond stream. We all took off our shoes and put on “water” shoes and
waded. We would do that three times today and rock hop several times. Jim Foster
left on his sandals and waded some streams that we rock hopped. It is raining
and will rain lightly most of the day. The trail is overgrown and wet limbs are
in our faces and drowning our legs. We had a snack at the
Our next wade was Little Wilson stream. Then you pass little After a little trouble finding the trail we got to the shelter but no one there. After a little looking we found the trail from the shelter. Surprise!!! To go on you had to “JUMP” off a cliff [there were two foot holes] and then rock hop a creek and we still have three miles to go. As we crossed the creek we heard John at the shelter trying to find the trail. I told them to come jump off the cliff.Ha-HA-After a climb the trail now has lots of nasty mucky places to get thru. Some have plank bridges and some of these are broken. We were almost out when I slipped off one of the broken ones up to my shoe tops .Only my gaiters kept it out of my boots.
I think everyone was out about five-thirty. We went to the Abbot Village
Bakery where we had a sandwich before going to the cabins at Balsam Woods
campground for the night. Jim from No bathroom in these cabins so we all had to walk to the showers in the main campground building. We showered and packed the hiking bags for tomorrow and went to bed. Tuesday July 15th----They think the 16.2 mile hike planned for today will be too hard a second day. They have decided they want a short hike today and that 8.3 mile hike is near the other end of the 100 miles. So up at four- thirty and everyone in the van [I really wish I had a sign- up sheet –wonder if CB could fax me one] and to the bakery for breakfast at five. We drove almost two hours to Jo-Mary road. Then down a gravel road to the gate house. To go in these logging roads you stop and the driver has to give his name, state and license plate numbers. There is a ten dollar fee per person .Those over seventy or under fifteen or disabled do not have to pay. We have two over seventy and one under fifteen and Doug is disabled. After getting ten dollars from all the others we are allowed to go on. They give you a map and if you listen will tell you the miles to your turns and where the AT trailheads are. They are very helpful. John learned that we can get to the middle of our planned backpack so we will day hike that also. Then we came to a second gate house and I wondered if we would pay again. At this one they take the paper given to you at the first gate and you have to stop for it on your way out. When we reached the first trailhead at Nahmakanta Lake Jim Foster, Bruce and Doug got out to hike from that end. Howard then drove to Pollywog Stream and five of us hiked from there.
From our end we climbed to Wednesday July16th-----We got up at four and after Howard had his breakfast we picked up John. We made a quick stop at the bakery for John to get something to eat. We are going to do the 16.2 mile hike from Long-Pond road to the Katahdin Iron Works parking area for the Gulf Hagas trail. We took the van to the Katahdin Iron Works entrance. They open at six and we were there early. John and Howard took a look at the old iron furnace while we waited to pay. Same company I guess –ten dollars per person to drive on their logging roads.
We started up the trail at six-thirty. We had to take an entrance trail
to the
At Better, but still a lot of pain. We finally got to Jims car at just after seven. On the way out a beautiful little red fox crossed the road and stopped for a minute or so. Only the bakery shop to eat at and they are ready to close. Howard and John got a sandwich to go and I just got an ice-cream cone. Back to the campground at eight. John went to the shower but our towels and clothes are in the van so we sat in Jim’s car for two hours. John took a shower and went to bed –we are all tired. At ten the others arrived .I had to walk barefooted to the shower and then barefooted back—can not stand anything to touch my toes. I had hoped that since we have to move to the cabins at Millinocket tomorrow that might be the day off but they are hiking and moving. We are to pick up Doug, John and Jim F. at four in the morning. Bruce will sleep in then move their things and car to the cabins.
Thursday July17th----UP at three-thirty and picked up the others about
four-thirty To the bakery where they had breakfast again. Howard got me a cold
drink to go with my breakfast bar while I put” new skin” on my toes and screamed
in pain while doing so. Then I did get on my boots without too much pain. Our
van and Jim’s car drove to the entrance of This is a 9.9 mile almost flat walk. We were making good time and I was doing good foot wise UNTIL at four miles in we came to the lower fork of Nesowadnehuk stream. My book says there is a footbridge—no footbridge. MY GUESS IT WASHED AWAY .The men rock hoped and walked a log that was hung between two rocks. I could see no choice but to take off my shoes and wade—oh!! there will be pain. The water was deeper than it looked and I did not have my wading shoes since there were no” fords” on this hike. I almost went in to my waist at one point but managed to hold onto a rock. I was wet and the rocks took more skin off my toes. Two women waded across behind me but did not get as wet—THEY WERE TALLER. Just after this we met Jim but Alex and John were not with him. He said we had another stream to cross –no bridge-OH THE THOUGHT OF MORE SKIN OFF MY TOES. We assumed John was a little behind and we would meet him any minute. We crossed that stream on a very shaky log for which my toes were thankful. It was over an hour before we met John and Alex. They said they had been looking for Jim fearing he was off the AT. No way; at 79 Jim has hiked quite a bit by his self and knows to look for those white blazes. We were out at one .It will take the other three longer so we decided to go get the van. This way we could go on to the cabins and get a shower. One problem—we had two keys but Jim only has one and we have it. We thought he might be out when we got there .He was not; so we left him a note and left his key at the little store near where we had parked. It is two-thirty as we head to Millinocket to find 169 Medway road. We turned toward the airport and passed the cabins. After we knew we had gone too far we turned and stopped at a body shop to ask where they were. Howard could find no one in there and was getting back in the van when a car pulled in and motioned for us to follow. It was Bruce—he had seen us go by and wondered where we went. After a look in the cabins I did not see how we all eight would fit. I talked to the owner and she said she had no other cabins open for the entire time we were there .I was thinking of going to see about staying somewhere else. Bruce said he would stay in the cabin with Jim and his grandson .That way Howard and I could have one side of the bigger cabin and the three others would have the other room. I hate doing that; no bigger than these cabins are I think my being the only female on this trip is a problem. There is a fan in some of the cabin windows but not in our room. We put the two windows up. Bruce had been told about a little place to eat called the Appalachian Trail Café.Ater everyone got cleaned up we went there to eat. I believe the owners said they had been there about a year. They had also thru hiked sometime and their daughter is thru hiking this year. John has been watching the weather and it looks like lots of rain next week, so they have decided to hike Katahdin tomorrow—oh my poor toes. Friday July 18th---Up at four—Howard had breakfast in the room. No breakfast to stop at so early .We wanted to be there when the gate opened at five. All three cars are going this morning. Doug rode with Howard and me. With my short legs and my sore toes I may be late getting down and this way the others will not have to wait. A lady at the cabin yesterday said she was told she could not hike up; her legs were to short—she was about my height. Their group had also been told they had to take a gallon of water each. Well I do not have a gallon of water but it is cloudy this morning. There was one car waiting at the gate when we got there and two others behind us before the gate opened. They told us yesterday there was parking for 30 cars only. She said on the weekend it was full by eight. They opened the gate at five and then it is a short drive to the gatehouse where you pay. The lady that took our money said there was a seventy per cent change of rain. I would have called it off but the other two cars have gone in.
At When you reach the “gateway” or tableland you are nearing the top. It is almost level for awhile but some places are full of large rocks to get thru and around. You are “roped off” to a narrow walkway thru part of this to protect the area and the plants. Howard and I had a snack as we walked when we got there .[that would turn out to be a good thing]Bruce is talking about going back at eleven if we are not on top; for fear he will not have time to get back down. Alex is going ahead and then coming back to check on his grandfather. Oh for the energy of a fourteen year old. I looked back several times to see if Bruce was coming on –he was. I had told him that if he did not go now he might never go. I also said we would stay together coming down to help each other. Jim Foster and Doug had an easier time going up [no female with short legs to help up] and got to the top first .Before the top there is another mile climb over a jumble of big rocks. Howard and I are up at eleven and Bruce, Jim and Alex are right behind us. T he sky looks bad. I got halve my lunch eat and some got two bites before the cold blowing rain hit. We snapped a few pictures, [not good ones or enough] did not get to make our planned phone calls to say “hey we got up Katahdin” and down we went in the cold rain and the closing in fog. I looked back and could no longer see the top. Howard and I had brought gloves for the rock climbing but now they are keeping our hands warm. I almost left mine at lunch but Alex saw them. Jim and Doug have gone ahead so five of us stayed together coming down. It took us five hours to get up and would take us five to go down in the rain. This was a rain that would wet you. We put on coats but not our rain pants. I knew I would have to slide down a lot of the rocks and rain pants would slide me too fast. Jim Tschinkel took several falls coming down and has hurt his knee. I have bloody knees and lots of bruises but did not fall. A couple of the big rocks you had to “back” down were scary but Howard was down first and helped us get our feet on the rebar steps. The person in front would take your hiking sticks while you came down the bad places or you would just throw them. At four we are down .The rain stopped about an hour ago. We are all wet, wet and wet. After a quick “after Katahdin”picture we all went to our cars. Howard turned the heat on high in the van. The other two cars have gone. We took off our boots outside then used towels to dry ourselves and changed. It took us about an hour to get warmed up and start the long drive out of the park. Narrow dirt road and lots of cars coming in driving way to fast. We drove to the AT café and waited until the others came to eat. I had moved most of our things out of the cabins because some others were joining the group today. We were going to sleep in the van and pay for using the showers. But it now seems that will not be needed as they were given a cabin. ONLY TWO DAYS AGO NO CABIN AVABLE FOR US ANY TIME BUT NOW THEY HAVE ONE. It is nine-thirty when I got to bed—AT LEAST THE ROOM IS FAIRLY COOL AFTER THE RAIN. Saturday July 19th---Day Off—I had trouble going to sleep so it was seven when I got up. They bring muffins or cookies to the cabins each day but have not cleaned or changed the sheets. This morning no towels for a shower. We left at eight to find somewhere to do laundry. Then we decided to go to the AT café and have breakfast. They were full—no tables empty. We took a walk around the little town and when we came back John, Jim and Alex were going in. We found a table this time and we had there special of two eggs, homefrys [tatter tots mashed a little and fried] bacon, lots of toast and hot chocolate [really good hot chocolate.]. We made a stop at a store and got some water, blueberries, bananas, yogurt and soap for the bathroom. Back to the cabins and spent the rest of the day drying out our shoes and hiking bags. At twelve I turned on the TV and got comfy on the bed to watch a gardening show. An hour or so later I woke up to talking outside. Alex’s hiking boots were coming apart and they had gone to get him new ones and were back. We tried a new place to eat and next time will go back to the ATcafe.Back to the cabins at seven and Alex is outside learning to build a fire. He is having way too much fun on this trip. They taught him how to say something not so nice about someone and then say “bless their heart.” It took me several try’s to get him to understand that only works if the person is out of ear range. I kept telling him the way he was using it would get him smacked at school. The room is really warm tonight and it took a long time to go to sleep.
Sunday July 20th—today would be 14.3 miles of the” backpack”
that would now be a day hike. John, Howard, and I rode with Jim and Alex to
Jo-Mary campground road. We will hike south and the others will hike north. We
were at the gate at just after five-thirty. The man who checked us thru the
first day we came here let us in early. After paying and doing the paper work;
he gave John mileage between our turns. We drove to the trail crossing without a
wrong turn. The climb today was At the Longan Brook lean-to two women and two men were packing up to hike south. We would see them all day. As we neared the summit Howard and I saw another spruce grouse this time a female. We could hear the rock drill as we neared the top and when we talked to one of the workers he said he knew Bob Peoples.—Small world— Today would be the hike of 900 rock steps and they need 900 more. Beautiful day-mostly cloudy. White cap has a nice view so we sat down for a snack and to wait for Jim. His knee is hurt from his falls at Katahdin.On and on goes the narrow trail thru evergreens. We passed Jim, Bruce and Doug but it was not a good place to eat so they swapped keys. Orange hawkweed is blooming at Sidney Tappan campsite; where we had lunch at one on nice log benches.
After lunch and a few thousand mosquito bites we got over HOME” and a quick shower, doctor my toes and insect bites and off to bed. Monday July 21st----John thought it would be raining today; so he called a day off. We got up at six and went to breakfast at the café. We then drove to the Katahdin Iron Works gate. We signed in and paid. You have to tell them where you are going. He said it would take us six hours to hike the Gulf Hagas trail. The trail starts after you cross the river by wading {same river we waded last night]; then you take the AT for a mile to the trailhead. When we got to the trailhead we chose to wade the river again instead of crossing a high log bridge that was wet. The trail has five waterfalls and is a difficult climb up the Rim trail to see the waterfalls. The rocks are slippery and there are side trails to some of the falls. It took us six hours to hike in and out; a little over eight miles. I wanted a cold drink and I had a warm mountain dew in the van; but no ice. On the way to the gatehouse to check out I decided to ask the man there if he had ice. He did not; oh well .No place to get a cold drink until we get back to Millinocket and that will take an hour. Bruce, Jim and Alex met us at the AT cafe. Then back to the cabins and get ready for tomorrow. I could still hear the others outside at Alex’s fire as I went off to sleep. Tuesday July 22nd----By now you know how this goes; up at four; LEAVE A NOTE IN THE DOOR THAT SAYS CHANGE THE SHEETS!! Jim drove to Jo-Mary road; the man now knows us and is opening for us at five-thirty in his bare feet[ he stays here overnight when he works, he or they have a garden and humming bird feeders up].[nice man] Today is the other half of our canceled backpack;14 miles. We will hike south again; Jim Foster must have hiked this south the first time because he wants to hike north most of the time. We started hiking about six-fifteen. We did the first eight miles in four hours; mostly flat nice wooded trail with lots of nice big mosquitoes to bite us. I have resorted to putting on the insect stuff and they still bite. I have bites even in my hair. It has been an hour since we have seen John. We stopped but then decided that Jim needed to keep walking. We crossed Crawford pond on a big dam of rocks. We have seen lots of beautiful “ponds” some the size of lakes. I got a good look today at a black throated blue warbler. It is ten-thirty and we have not seen John since seven when he stopped to talk to a hiker. I know he hikes much faster than Jim and could have caught us by now. Not having hiked much with John we do not know what to think. Just then the others came down the trail and Jim Foster said not to worry he would show up. Jim and Bruce swapped keys and on we went. Alex is hiking with the north group today.
We stopped at eleven for an early lunch and John caught up. Then we had
some bad downs to the east branch of the
Wednesday July23th----Jim had the longer drive today so he got his
breakfast to go. Howard drove so he could eat. We saw the mother moose again
this morning but the baby must have still been in bed. We got thru the gate
early again but we had to wait a little at the second gate; then it is a long
slow drive to the south end of the
Jim’s knee is not doing well and so it will be a long day. We were about
three miles in when Jim’s knee almost made him fall. After that we slowed even
more so he could get thru the hike
We crossed lots of blank bridges today which means lots of mosquitoes to bite
you. I walked for miles with a tree limb to shoo away the things. These things
are the
No time to go shower before we eat. Supper will take awhile since Alex
has decided to do a challenge the AT café has to eat fourteen scoops of
ice-cream with lots of other stuff mixed in. Our eating place was full since
they have live music on Wed.[live and loud—we were too close] Alex wisely
decided to give up on his huge mixing bowl of ice cream and other sweets before
he got sick. Jim has decided he can not do the 17 mile hike tomorrow. He and
Alex came over to say good-by before they went to bed. They will go home to
Thursday July24th----The last thing I heard last night was raindrops and
that was the first thing I heard this morning. Bruce and Jim rode in the van
with us to There is a pedestrian walkway over the bridge. Still raining lightly as we reach the Hurd Brook lead-to. Of course there is a brook to rock hop on slick rocks of course. I managed to get water in both boots and Howard slipped on a rock and his water bottle went in the stream. He got it out and on we went. From Rainbow ledges we should have seen Katahdin; but not today. We did see some more of the little spruce grouses up there.
At ten we took a break and had a snack before starting the long, nasty,
muddy walk around
We showered before going to eat. This would be our last meal at the AT café .The owners gave John one of their T-shirts for completing the trail after 35 years—very nice of them. We are all tired so back to the cabins and bed.
Friday July 25th----The others packed their car last night and
left at five this morning. We got up at six and after a little breakfast Howard
went to a near by auto store for a headlamp and to ask some questions. He put on
a new radiator cap and the light before we left. It is raining this morning as
we leave Millinocket at eight. We decided we might never come this far into
Saturday July 26th—This morning we will leave
JULY 28-08
ALICE FAYE GUINN
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