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Trip Report #3: Day 6 through Day 8

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:33:00 GMT

Day 6: Monday, June 21 (Cooper Brook Falls Leanto to White House Landing) 14.1mi (+1.2mi)

Early on in the hike I came to the conclusion that aiming to spend an evening at White House Landing (WHL) would be a good way to help me mentally and physically cope with the rigors of the hike. WHL is a well-known wilderness camp that willingly accommodates hikers. After the abuse of the previous day, I woke up determined to reward myself with some comforts at WHL. Dinner ended at 6PM which meant I would have to arrive prior to that time to enjoy a proper meal, a roof over my head, a much needed shower, and a hearty breakfast. My trip planning did not involve any resupply at WHL so it was not a necessity in that respect. Nonetheless, I had convinced myself that it would do my body well to have half a day of true relief. The morning had revealed blisters on nearly every toe and both heels and my feet cried as I slipped on my hiking shoes in spite of the immense care I took to loosen them. The hardest part of dealing with blisters on the trail is that they rarely improve. I had to continue knowing that the condition of my feet would worsen.

Throughout the day I encountered numerous southbound hikers who all shared a similar story. “We just started and we're going to Georgia!” they all exclaimed with enthusiasm. During my crossing of the Barren-Chairback range I saw an average of two to three hikers a day. Suddenly I was running into hikers (typically in pairs or groups) every hour. It did not take me long to surmise that the onslaught of southbound thru-hikers had begun. I had scheduled my northbound hike of the wilderness at a time when vast numbers of optimistic hikers were starting their southbound thru-hikes. This new volume of hikers increased throughout the last three days of the trip and it changed the experience of the hike dramatically for me.

With my mind set on reaching WHL I had to mentally negotiate a middle-ground of mile-crunching and enjoyment. I settled on building in time for an extended stop at lower Jo-Mary Lake which turned out to be very beneficial. There was a beautiful sand beach which almost appeared to be a small tropical paradise as I stepped out from the dense vegetation that surrounded the lake. I threw off my shoes and shirt and enjoyed a cool swim in the near-frigid lake. With the heat in the low-lying lake land I would dry in less than an hour anyways. Extra time was spent letting my feet breath and relax in the cool water. Blisters were now a huge issue and required constant attention and care. As I was tending to them, a short, gray-headed man emerged from the forest. He had a striking resemblance to a professor I had in college and appeared to handle himself in a similar fashion. We talked for a little bit and I gleaned a bit more information on how to find my way to WHL along with a demonstration of how he used birch bark to brace his shoe which was causing awful blisters on the back of his feet. I left him to enjoy the beach alone and disappeared back into the sun-speckled foliage of the trail.

My little tropical paradise in Maine found on lower Jo Mary Lake

Unfortunately, my break at the beach had consumed more time than I had originally planned for which led me to quicken my pace considerably. My mind raced and I began to experience the hike in a much different way. Unlike the previous days where I was concerned with foot placement, what mile I was on, where I would next find water, and how far the next shelter was, my mind began to automate these concerns and I began to think much more deeply about issues unrelated to the trail. I questioned why I wanted to attempt the hike, how it was that I had found myself alone again, whether or not I'd want to finish the hike after reaching WHL, and other questions that really had no answers. It became common for me to comment on things to myself. If I misplaced a step and slipped on a root I'd say “Whoa, easy there...” as if someone else was there and I had been watching them. I began to make numerous resolutions and decisions about what I would do when I completed the hike. I decided that I would try to pursue these thoughts and feelings when I returned since they seemed to come up with immediate importance even when the current situation had no bearing on them whatsoever.

There were numerous views of Katahdin from the shores of lakes

All of the sudden I found myself at the Mahar Tote Road. On the trail it is marked as an arrow pointing towards Mahar Landing. It was not even 5PM, but I knew that there was still another 1.2 miles of hiking to be done in order to reach the dock where I could call for a ferry across the lake. On the 2009 MATC maps this is actually marked by a state campsite indicator. The side trail that leads to WHL ended up being the most obsessively marked trail I have ever encountered. It seemed to wind on forever down the shore of Pemadumcook Lake before I reached the dock. At the dock is an air horn and instructions to blow one short blast in order for a boat to come pick you up. After blowing the horn I rested on the dock as I watched a man come over in a speedboat to fetch me after only five or so minutes. I said hello to Bill and he took me back to WHL. I never imagined that things like grass, a glass window, and buildings would look so foreign. He led me into the dining area where I was presented with the important decision of what I wanted for dinner. I explained that I was a vegetarian and he promptly pointed out that they provide Boca burgers. I settled on two Boca burgers that were topped with anything they could find. I became the first person to ever eat a double Boca deluxe and I am quite confident I could have consumed a third.

White House Landing from across Lake Pemadumcook

While in the dining area I met the others who were currently staying at the wilderness camp. My blister-covered toes and feet were wrapped in blood-stained tape and I caught most of the guests giving them a strong stare at some point during my Boca binge. There was a group of three which included a father, son, and the sons friend. The father initiated a conversation with me and after some time revealed that he had lived in Cincinnati as a child. We exchanged stories about the local sports teams and chili parlors (it's a big deal in Cincinnati). He was quite talkative and revealed that this was his second time attempting the wilderness. The previous year he had to be evacuated from Potaywadjo Leanto due to an infection that started in a huge blister on his foot. It eventually spread up his leg and got so severe that he now brandishes a scar on his leg that appears similar to an area of freshly sunburned skin. The only two others were a couple from Texas that were recently married. Their southbound hike was cut short when the young woman received a call from a potential employer in Houston about an interview. I was quite confused with the couple. They appeared amazingly unscathed from their first 32 miles in the wilderness and both were well-groomed and neither even remotely fit the hiker stereotype. They had taken a leisurely four days to complete the first 32 miles which is neither challenging nor strenuous compared to the next 70 they would have to complete. I would definitely have felt concern if they had been continuing southbound.

Linda (Bill's Wife) kindly called Shaw's in Monson for me where I was able to speak with Zach for the first time since we had said goodbye at West Chairback Pond. I was glad to learn that he was safe and feeling much better. He congratulated me on reaching WHL and gave some encouraging words for the rest of the hike. It was nice to speak with him again – it was the only familiar voice I had heard in quite some time. Linda spoke with Dawn at Shaw's for a bit and then showed me the restrooms, shower, and bunkhouse. Upon entering the bunkhouse I chose a ragged old mattress and pillow and immediately sought a much needed shower. The water at WHL is all pumped from the lake and there is no electricity. Showers are thus limited to 5 minutes of hot water. All of the buildings are lit by gas lanterns. Some extremists claim that a visit to WHL dilutes the wilderness experience but I would argue that it only enhances it. It's not like you're returning to civilization at all.

The inside of the bunkhouse at White House Landing

For the first time in days I had an evening of rest after I finished enjoying the brief shower. I got to know my other three bunkmates as we all relaxed watching the sun set over the lake. My blister routine was interrupted by the father who furnished me with an entire blister kit complete with medical tools I can't even name. I decided that calling him “Mr. Blister” was only appropriate. The kit sported various tools, ointments, pads, tapes, and bandages. He shared his knowledge of the world of blisters and provided me with some useful moleskin patches and advice on how to cope with the constant threat of blisters. After following his prescriptions the largest blisters on my heels were never a problem again. After the son and his friend finished a game of chess a discussion began about the book that the son had picked up upon arriving at WHL. It was written by a Russian author and I immediately commented that it was probably a somewhat depressing tale of a tortured soul. The son defended his choice and handed it to me where I read the back cover which described the novel as an enthralling tale of suffering, hardship, and a man forced to confront his largest fears. I felt my diagnosis was accurate. After some small talk, the three went to sleep and I watched the last minutes of twilight disappear before crawling onto the mattress which showed its age by squeaking and moaning obnoxiously with even the smallest shift in body position.

Earlier on in the evening looking out over the lake at White House Landing

Day 7: Tuesday, June 22 (White House Landing to Rainbow Stream Leanto) 15.8mi (+0.2mi)

My body at this point had been trained to rise early. I woke up at 6:30AM, packed my gear, and walked over to the dining house where Bill was cooking up a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I was somehow the last to arrive at breakfast and ended up cleaning out the remaining eggs and juice and followed it up with four pancakes. The father and son group were being driven to Millinocket where they would catch a bus to Bangor to fly home to Florida while the cute couple were utilizing Katahdin Air to get to Bangor and to fly to Houston. I would be resuming the trail alone once again. As a side note I will mention that along the trail I met hikers who spoke of the extortionist prices at WHL but I find that claim to be relatively baseless. One night includes breakfast and is only $39. Dinner costs extra, but my total bill did not add up to $60 for my entire stay. It was entirely worth it.

Bill discussed with me how many hikers are taken out from WHL each year and explained that it was not abnormal to have those staying the night end up seeking an exit from the wilderness. Last year was particularly harsh due to record rainfalls. We then hopped back into the boat and he took me to within .2 miles of the trail which saved me an entire mile of walking to start the day. I thanked him and he wished me luck before turning the boat around to head back to the wilderness camp.

Nahmakanta stream

My Roclite GTX 312 shoes were showing some serious wear and tear

Following Nahmakanta stream northward, I started my hike motivated by the fact that I would soon be entering the third and final map of the hike. Nothing screams progress like seeing a new unstained map. Invigorated by my stay at WHL, I sped through the trail stopping to take relaxing breaks by the stream until I walked into a clearing to find Wadleigh Stream Leanto. Throughout the wilderness it is not uncommon to find discarded items that hikers have discarded in desperate attempts to lighten their packs. Now that I was close to the northern end of the wilderness and there was a large influx of southbound hikers the occasional item changed into entire shelves full of unwanted items that once added weight to a burgeoning pack. The side of the trail was littered with cotton sweatshirts and jeans while the shelters had items such as nail polish, CD players, climbing rope, and entire fishing tackle kits. I amused myself by observing a courageous chipmunk who coaxed me into feeding him some of my Powerbar until a rather large man emerged from the trail. He had completed a thru-hike in 1995 and returns each year to hike the wilderness. After initial introductions, he described Springer Mountain in Georgia in March (southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail) as being an emporium of gear littered along the trail. Before I pushed on we compared gear and pack weight. He had started with 17lbs of gear for the entire wilderness and intended on completing in only four or five days.

Some of the abandoned items at Wadleigh Stream Leanto

A fearless chipmunk who has probably been fed way too many energy bars

View from another quaint lake along the trail leading up to Nesuntabunt Mountain

Nesuntabunt Mountain was the only remaining challenge for the day and is a relatively unrewarding climb sparing the rock cliff that provides views of Katahdin which is now the dominant feature of the landscape. Having watched it grow in the past three days had been an encouraging sign of my progress. The trail on Nesuntabunt was less than enjoyable due to its very strange placement, lack of clear blazes, and lack of management. At this point of the hike I was becoming somewhat discontent and irritable as the trail winded back and forth and oscillated direction in such a fashion that I was never sure which way I was truly heading. There were multiple times where I swore I was walking backwards since the path of the trail more closely resembled the scribbles of a toddler than a hiking trail. After finishing Nesuntabunt, the terrain became increasingly boggy and muddy as I entered the last miles of the hike. The trail, which was already dominated by roots and rock, became a single mass of root and large rock fragments which tortured my feet in a way like they had not experienced previously. In locations where a break from the roots and rock was offered my feet suffered from the ever-present moisture. It was evident to me that the last day of the hike would be the hardest on my feet yet.

View of Katahdin from a rock cliff near the summit of Nesuntabunt Mountain

Battling the roots and rocks eventually led me to Rainbow Stream Leanto where there was a single occupant. I debated for 10-15 minutes on whether or not I should push on to the Rainbow Spring Campsite which would make my final day of hiking shorter and more friendly towards my feet which were deteriorating rapidly. Throughout the day it had been spitting rain and I decided that the comfort of the shelter was worth taking advantage of. I occupied the shelter and met the other occupant who had been napping in his tent which was cleverly placed in the shelter much like I had been utilizing the MSR Hubba HP inner wall. He had just graduated from Cornell University in the spring and had amassed $200,000 in debt while pursuing an engineering degree. Throughout the evening we talked and it was clear that we understood one another well and we both appreciated the same kind of sarcastic humor which is common in my generation. He was keen to find out about some of my strategies and asked many questions about the trail, cooking, food, and foot care.

I had seen more southbound hikers than any previous day and all of their stories were the same. They were mostly couples or groups and all had the same story. I ceased the ritual of asking each person where they started and where they were going since their stories were all the same. “We're going to Georgia!” they would all exclaim with such enthusiasm and optimism that it was almost nauseating at times. My shelter mate was no exception, though he was clearly more prepared and was commencing a solo hike. For him, hiking the entire Appalachian Trail was a better option than immediately confronting the massive debt that awaited him back home. While I always wished each hiker the best, the obvious lack of preparation that many of them exhibited was both worrisome and disappointing. It was their discarded gear that would continue to litter the shelters and the trail.

As I tended to my feet the other shelter occupant cringed as I exposed tender skin by unwrapping bloodied bandages. He winced as I drained the larger blisters and I assured him he'd find himself in my position before too long. Before bedding down for the night I had to consider what my plan of attack would be fore the final day of the hike. I desperately wanted to complete the hike the next day, but the issue was complicated by a folly that I committed on the morning of the fourth day. When Zach had departed, I left him with the key to the car which was parked at Abol Bridge under the belief that he would find his way there at some point. He had been shuttled back to Monson and had opted to be shuttled to Abol Bridge on Thursday (a day after I would be finishing) with a group to save money where he would then finally get access to the car. The first option was to stay at Hurd Brook Leanto which was only 3mi away from Abol Bridge. I had no intention of taking this option at this point. The second option was to finish the hike then stay at a campground near Abol Bridge and wait for Zach. This seemed realistic at the time, but I had honestly had enough of the outdoors and had quite a burning desire for a proper bed, sheets, a shower, and a few good meals. This led me to opt for the third option which was to hike to Abol Bridge then call for a shuttle into Millinocket to stay at a hiker lodge.

I slept well until the rain began to fall with an intensity like I hadn't seen before in Maine. It continued throughout the night and into the morning where I knew it would be ongoing throughout the last day of the hike.

Day 8: Wednesday, June 23 (Rainbow Stream Leanto to Abol Bridge) 15.0mi

Sporadic rain the previous day had given way to showers during the night and neither I nor my shelter mate had any desire to trudge out onto the muddy trail. At least I had the luxury of it being the last day of my hike. The rain did not cease for the rest of the day and eventually infiltrated my waterproof hiking shoes from the top down. Moisture opened up a new door of pain for my feet and each step eventually required a teeth-clenching effort. My left pinkie toe was in the worst condition and the blister swelled enough by midday that it was pressing upwards against the toenail. I was at risk of losing the toenail and each wrong step I made that wrongly placed pressure onto the toe sent a painful reminder of its condition. Any bandages I placed on the feet were rendered useless by the inundated shoes. I managed to shift my thoughts off of the pouring rain and the poor condition of my feet by focusing on completing the hike. I resolved to buy a cold soda and some skittles (I love them) at the Abol Bridge store as a reward for completing the hike.

The surreal landscape altered by a wildfire decades ago

The most rewarding experience of the last two days was slowly walking the top of a few small bulges of the landscape which had been devastated by a forest fire around fifty years ago. The rain and mist combined with the songs of birds to provide me with an almost surreal experience. I must have spent over half an hour just sitting on the open rocks trying to understand what made it so attractive and unreal. I forced myself to consume a logan bread bar before continuing on. My mind had turned its attention toward what I would do after the hike and I, once again, began to make resolutions. The walk toward Hurd Brook was a blur.

It was easy to just sit, listen, and relax

Not 100 yards before arriving at Hurd Brook Leanto you are required to cross Hurd Brook which is listed as a ford but actually can be done with some careful boulder hopping. Too focused on the shelter, I jackknifed my foot in a crevice which led me to yelp in pain which caught the attention of the overpopulated shelter. I must have looked absolutely wretched as I limped up to the shelter in the downpour leaning on my hiking pole for support. The occupants were all young, male, and had the same optimism that the other southbound thru-hikers all shared. They were only three miles into the wilderness and their enthusiasm was drowned by the onslaught of two days of rain. While I removed my feet and tended to the blisters they all watched intently – it was the only entertainment to be had. I wished them all luck and gave them a few warnings about the trail ahead before beginning the final miles of the hike.

The last push to Abol was uneventful. I was weary, wet, and tired, but the thought of the end led me onward unfailingly. Closing in on the end of the trail yielded louder and louder sounds of logging trucks barreling across Abol Bridge. As I broke out of the forest and onto the road I finally felt relief and was warmed by a feeling of accomplishment. It was, curiously, not a particularly powerful experience. I suppose that it truly is about the journey and not the destination. I waddled toward my car (which I could not get into) then dragged my soaked body into the camp store where I, disappointingly, found no skittles. I drank a cream soda and ate some chili cheese Fritos.

What I looked like waiting in the rain after over 100 miles of hiking and 8 days in the wilderness

After relaxing a bit I had to decide on a plan of action. I had over 14 hours until Zach would arrive and provide access to the car. I ended up calling Zach in Monson to have him talk to Dawn about what my best option was. She recommended I stay at the AT lodge in Millinocket and I called Paul Renaud who owns and operates the lodge and cafe. He never answered his phone and the pay phone was an annoying contraption that was actually a cell phone. I wasted over $2 attempting to contact him. When he finally picked me up he explained that he can never make out what people say when they use the pay cell phone since the service is so poor. I was picked up at 7:30PM which was quite late and prevented me from getting a proper meal in town. I was so worn and fatigued that I scrapped the whole evening and laid down on the first fresh sheets I had seen since Monson, ME after a long shower. I planned on getting up for a huge breakfast at the AT cafe. I had the entire lodge to myself except for a short, older man who was hiking Katahdin tomorrow to begin his hike to Damascus, VA. He had flip-flopped there when he injured himself and needed surgery during the previous year.

I fell asleep content that I had proved to myself that I could push myself physically and mentally to levels I was not aware I was capable of. A deep longing to return home and to see things that were familiar to me surfaced. I romanticized my return and thought about my cats, my own bed, my family, my friends, and even the predictability and security of my job. I made note of many of the resolutions I made during the last three days of my hike and still felt determined to see some of them through. They had become important to me and an integral part of the experience. I clung to the cotton sheets that had been used and enjoyed by countless battered hikers before me and could not bring myself to use the pillow which now felt uncomfortable to me after over a week of sleeping in the absence of one.

Thursday, June 24

I woke up early and headed to the AT cafe where I ordered an enormous omelet, English muffins, home fries, a fruit cup, and juice. I hadn't eaten for quite some time and gorged myself on the heaping breakfast. I found a small store in town and finally purchased the pack of skittles which I had rightfully earned the previous day. I had no idea when Zach would be arriving at the AT lodge to pick me up so I ate my skittles while completing a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle I found under a stairwell in the lower floor of the lodge. I finished it in just over three and a half hours moments before Zach arrived. We began the long journey home and made sure to stop at a Chipotle in Massachusetts for me to do some much-needed calorie binging. We drove straight through and took turns at the wheel for nearly 21 hours. Zach had stories about interesting hikers he met at Shaw's while I shared tales of the wilderness. As we arrived back at our homes I'm sure we both felt a comforting wave of relief to be reunited with what was familiar and safe.

I will be making one last post of afterthoughts and final words along with a discussion on things that I would change if making the trip again. I am also encouraging Zach to write up an entry about his experience.

Trip report #2: Day 3 through Day 5

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:46:00 GMT

Day 3: Friday, June 18 (Cloud Pond Leanto to West Chairback Pond) 5.2mi (+0.3mi)

It was a chilly, windy night at Cloud Pond Leanto and Zach described his struggle to sleep the following morning over breakfast. He had opted to leave behind a sleeping bag to save weight and experienced a chilling breeze all night while exposed in the windward facing shelter. We had woken up around 7AM and I immediately set to work filtering water, packing up gear, and eating breakfast. My mind was hard set on making miles and I was aiming for the cleanest start possible. Zach had considerable difficulty the day before and had spent a night exposed to the elements and I could see that his physical condition had not improved. What I had attributed to general tiredness was looking more and more like serious fatigue. It was now that I began to worry about his condition. Much to his credit, he went through his morning routine and we set out at our earliest time yet after saying goodbye to James.

After making our way back up the winding side trail that led to Cloud Pond Leanto we once again set off northward on the Appalachian Trail. While there was no downpour overnight, the rocks and roots were still glossed over with moss and morning moisture. After no more than twenty minutes of hiking I heard a body hit the ground and plants rustle followed by a scream and reversed my direction until I found Zach who had taken a fall while moving down a cluster of jagged bedrock. He scraped his leg and was shaken up but had miraculously avoided serious injury. Exposed branches were only inches from critical points on his body. Later in the day he pulled out a sharp stick which had punctured his backpack only inches behind his head. This was not a positive start to the day and the rest of the day was a pair of struggles up Fourth Mountain (2,383ft) and Third Mountain (2,061ft). As Zach summited Fourth Mountain he was shivering in a cold sweat and even the rich, creamy taste of Gouda cheese was not enough to re-energize him. I can only imagine the struggle (both mental and physical) that he was experiencing at this point. His condition was worsening, we still had the White Cap Range to cross, and a trip that had been planned for over three months was slipping away. The only option he had was to continue. There was no easy way out at this point along the trail and the nearest emergency extraction point was outside of the Barren-Chairback Range.

View from the ledge near the summit of Fourth Mountain

The trekking pole I borrowed from Zach had a monopod camera mount

Getting a bit artsy with the camera

As I arrived at the side trail that led to West Chairback Pond I left my pack and began to filter water from West Chairback Stream while waiting for Zach to arrive. At this point, I had the sense that Zach could go no further. We ended up finding a few quaint looking tent sites only a few hundred yards from the pond and set up camp for the night. Zach gave himself an ultimatum before turning in for the night. He resolved to drink a few liters of water, eat the largest dinner he could handle, and sleep without restrictions. If his condition had not improved dramatically by the morning then we would have to start exploring extraction options. I provided him with an antihistamine in hopes that it would assist him in sleeping soundly.

There was plenty of time in the evening due to our early stop and I spent the rest of the evening cleaning gear, eating dinner, tending to my feet after a long soak in the pond, and going over maps. West Chairback Pond was a popular fishing destination and there were fisherman on the lake who walked past our tent sites (Fosters beer cans in hand, of course) as the sun set. They wished me luck after saying they would be back in the morning to continue fishing. I spent the rest of the evening considering possible scenarios for the next day. If Zach felt well enough to continue, what would our mileage goal be for the day? We were falling behind schedule drastically and it was a serious supply concern for me. Conversely, I had to accept the reality that Zach may have to end his trip prematurely. I never had any doubt about my own continuation, but I had to consider Zach's safety and if that meant taking responsibility for contacting someone for extraction and helping him get to the extraction point then I would have to invest a day or two assisting him. I went to sleep feeling uneasy about the future and the lack of control I had of it.

Day 4: Saturday, June 19 (West Chairback Pond to Carl A. Newhall Leanto) 11.6mi

While being as quiet as possible, my early morning rise of 5:30AM left me with quite a bit of time to once again tend to my feet and gear. I re-assessed my packing strategy since the volume of food I was carrying had changed measurably. My curiosity about Zach's condition went unsatisfied for around an hour and a half until he stumbled out of his tent. He looked markedly more pale and weak than he had been the previous day and described a night of vivid dreams and drenching sweat. Something was clearly not right and it was at this point that we both made a mutual decision that his continuation of the trail posed a considerable risk to his health. Hiking the trail while healthy is difficult enough, the added pressure of dealing with feelings of sickness is a lot to deal with at once. At this point he had been at odds against a body that felt as if it was run over by a truck for two days.

The fisherman who I met the previous night made true to their word and returned in the morning. After discussing extraction points with Zach, we decided consulting the local fisherman would be a wise maneuver. A sharp yell across the pond garnered the attention of four fisherman who, after paddling over in their metal canoes, kindly offered to take Zach out to a gatehouse where he could call Shaw's for an extraction. With this settled I knew the remaining 72 miles of the hike would be a solo hike. I made sure to filter some extra water to leave with Zach since we had no idea when the fisherman would break for the afternoon or for the day. I left him alone after he managed to break down camp and watched as he force-fed himself some pop-tarts for breakfast. We said goodbye and wished each other good luck.

While studying the maps the previous night I saw that hiking to Sydney Tappan Campsite would give me the best possible position to tackle the White Cap Range. After passing by Chairback Gap Leanto where I met a ragged looking man in his early thirties who spoke nothing but complaints about the water, bugs, and his lack of food, I began the descent out of the Barren-Chairback range which involved a few challenging boulder field traverses. Knowing that I was now alone caused me to adopt a much more careful approach to descents at the expense of speed and time. The trail leveled off and I knew I was approaching the West Branch of the Pleasant River. This river requires a ford but it is extremely easy and enjoyable. My feet appreciated the chance to breathe in the middle of the day and I rewarded them with another soaking and an extended lunch break after fording the river. I was glad to finally be looking at the second of three maps that would be required for this hike.

The West Branch of the Pleasant River (an easy ford)

There were lots of butterflies near the river

The trail at this location is the primary access route to the Gulf Hagas region which is known for its beautiful scenery which consists of multitudes of streams and tight canyons. While I hiked past locals heading to Gulf Hagas for a day hike wearing sandals I received numerous stares. At this point of the hike I'm sure I already had acquired a relatively grizzly appearance and a rugged demeanor.

A beautiful looking Gulf Hagas Stream from the trail

After crossing the West Branch of the Pleasant River, the trail begins a gradual ascent toward White Cap Mountain. It is certainly not steep, but miles and miles of constant uphill imposes a similar physical toll. Despite the difficulty, my stamina held strong and my endurance surprised me. I was passed by a few northbound hikers who were too occupied with trying to make time to stop for a meaningful conversation. I could see their packs were obviously half the size of my own. There were numerous beautiful views of Gulf Hagas Stream since the trail parallels it all the way up to Carl A. Newhall Leanto. I arrived at the leanto with over two hours of daylight remaining and decided to take a break and consider my options. My original intentions were to push on to Sydney Tappan Campsite, and I surely had the energy to do so. As I relaxed by the stream I began to notice signs that inclement weather was imminent. Carl A. Newhall Leanto was clean, bug free, unoccupied, and had an amazing water source nearby. Most importantly, it would give me adequate protection against any rain or storms that blew through overnight. I decided to take the safe option and stay at the leanto.

Deciding to stay was a wise decision. I had a lot of time to relax before attempting the largest climb of the hike and I was alone for the first time in a shelter while in the wilderness. After a double serving of macaroni and cheese I spent the rest of the evening watching rodents attempt to gain access to my food bag. There was also a large rabbit who was feeding on a nearby tree stump. I decided that tomorrow would be a make-or-break day for me. I knew I had to summit White Cap Mountain and numerous other peaks and that these were the last difficult climbs before the trail flattened out in the low-lying lake country. I went to sleep in the shelter with the inner wall of my Hubba HP setup with the side open. After an hour I heard the rain begin pattering on the roof of the shelter, zipped up the tent and fell back asleep.

Day 5: Sunday June 20 (Carl A. Newhall Leanto to Cooper Brook Falls Leanto) 18.9mi

My desire to be in the best condition possible for the difficult task of climbing over the entire White Cap Range led me to sleep until 7:30AM and take extra time in the morning before departing. To my surprise, many of the ascents and descents of the peaks in the White Cap Range had sections of stone stairs. These were a welcomed dose of assistance that were nonexistent in the Barren-Chairback range. I only met two hikers until the summit of White Cap Mountain. It was an older man and a seemingly young woman with a German shepherd. The first peak I had to tackle was Gulf Hagas Mountain (2,683ft) which was a steep but manageable climb. After descending into the gap between Gulf Hagas Mountain and West Peak I passed through Sydney Tappan Campsite. I was once again glad that I had chosen to stay at Carl A. Newhall Leanto the previous night. The campsites were a mess and the water source was of disturbingly poor quality.

Some of the peaks that must be crossed to gain access to White Cap Mountain

Before gaining access to White Cap Mountain it is necessary to climb West Peak (3,178ft) and Hay Peak (3,244ft). Both of these peaks are wooded summits with minimal views of the surroundings. Its almost as if something is being hidden from you as you close in on the open peak of White Cap Mountain. I was rained on sporadically during the morning while I grew closer to the summit of White Cap Mountain but there was a clearing in the weather just as I reached the summit (3,654ft) which provided me with limited but spectacular views. There were two other hikers who were resting and enjoying the cool breeze blowing in. We explored the summit as a group and managed to locate the weather station that I had spotted from the air when we flew over five days ago. I managed to send a few texts out to my family and to Zach to let them know that I was alright, but I didn't receive any texts back until days later.

One of the only clear views I received upon reaching the summit of White Cap Mountain

I love how the landscape and vegetation changes with altitude

The storm was certainly ominous

Views from the summit were hampered after the storm blew in

Looking beneath the storm clouds

Looking down into a valley while walking down the treeless summit of White Cap Mountain

Views of Katahdin were nonexistent due to the inclement weather and the small clearing of rain quickly disappeared as a storm blew in. Experiencing a storm while on an exposed summit was a combination of frightening and inspiring. The other hikers sought refuge by continuing down to the wooded slopes of West Peak while I had a half mile hike on the exposed face of White Cap Mountain as the storm blew in. I continued to rest after putting on my Whitaker Mountaineering Storm Shell which provided protection from the wind and rain but the temperature soon plummeted and my hands began to become quite cool. I decided that it was time to leave, and my descent led me through different layers of the storm as I lost altitude. At one point, the weather cleared briefly and I could see Katahdin looming far off in the distance for the first time on the hike.

The weather cleared and I received my first proper glimpse of Katahdin

Revitalized by my success so early in the day (it was not even 1PM yet), I hastily descended until I found myself at Logan Brook Leanto which was already packed with hikers. They all knew each other and it was the most motley crew I encountered during my entire hike. There was a Rastafarian (dreadlocks and all), a German woman in her 60's, an older man with an epic beard who was cooking in a homemade Heineken pot, and another older man who had a decidedly redneck-looking appearance which was reinforced by his large hiking staff that sported an American flag tied to the top. From the limited conversation that I heard I deduced that the group was leanto hopping together. The trail can change the way many people interact and I often find that many barriers are torn down after a few days of mutual hardship. It was not but 3:30PM and the group was calling it a day. I suppose that it would have been unrealistic for them to cross the White Cap Range so late in the day in inclement weather, but one would assume that they would have timed their days a bit more conveniently.

East Branch Leanto was my goal for the day and I, once again, made it there at breakneck speed. While I was relaxing I formulated a plan fueled by my ego which had grown due to my success throughout the day. I still had over two hours of daylight left and at least an hour of twilight. If I could make it to Cooper Brook Falls Leanto tonight I had the chance of making it to White House Landing (WHL) for an early dinner and a proper nights sleep the next day. I couldn't help myself and decided to push on. I encountered difficulty as my speed suffered immensely when I had to, once again, summit a mountain. While small, I had been worn down by the previous peaks and Little Boardman Mountain (2,017ft) posed a formidable challenge for my sore calves and blistered feet. Views of the sun setting over numerous ponds and lakes lined the trail down to Cooper Brook Falls Leanto and made some of the difficulty of the last bit of the day worth the effort. The final push wrecked my feet and I never fully recovered from the blisters that were created on this extremely challenging and lengthy day.

One of the benefits of hiking in the evening is the chance to witness beautiful sunsets

I was in terrible shape as I arrived at Cooper Brook Falls leanto. I had to hike in the dark for around 45 minutes and was worried I would miss the sign pointing out the leanto. I had completed a 19 mile day involving five summits and my feet were the primary sufferers. There was an older woman already asleep and I attempted to be as covert as possible about my setup and dinner preparations. I now believe that the woman was the infamous “Mother Goose” who was the first woman to complete a yo-yo which is a dual thru-hike that alternates direction. I never got to see her or talk to her as she was gone by 5:30AM the following morning. The feeling of knowing that I was deep into the second map of the hike and would soon be entering the last map was a reward in itself. As I went to sleep, my thoughts were occupied by the attraction of a proper hot meal at WHL and I was glad to know that I had set myself up within striking distance.

Trip report #1: The beginning through Day 2

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:32:00 GMT

Monday, June 14 (Cincinnati, OH to Groton, CT)

In order to properly time our arrival in Connecticut, we started our drive northeast at around 4AM. I surely didn't manage any meaningful sleep and I doubt Zach did either. We wanted to break the drive up to Maine into two sections in order to preserve our strength as much as possible. Luckily, the parents of one of Zach's friends (Nate) live in Connecticut and were more than willing to accommodate us for a night before our final push toward Maine. While it had been explained to me that Nate's parents are definitely top contenders in the running for the “nicest people ever” I was still surprised at their hospitality. I wish Nate could have gone on the trip with us but he was preoccupied with summer courses while working toward a graduate degree at the University of Louisville. We were welcomed in like family and given a proper New England dinner (which I, of course, could barely participate in due to my choice of being a vegetarian). After dinner we were treated to views of the Atlantic and the end of a car show on the beach. Dessert was a homemade Oreo ice cream cake that contained enough chocolate and sugar to make anyone salivate.

After all of the activities Zach and I spent the rest of the evening going over gear, honing our packing strategies, and making decisions on what we needed and what we could leave behind. I chose to use the MSR Pocket Rocket and to bring the Lafuma Warm n' Light 600 sleeping bag. My total weight was an amazing 37.5lbs. I was honestly ecstatic that I had achieved this low a weight. We went to bed for a good nights sleep and woke up to find numerous breakfast delights laid out for us in the kitchen. Danishes, fruit, breads, cakes, juice – you name it. We ate what we could handle (we each had an ultra-healthy piece of the Oreo ice cream cake, too) and took some treats with us to comply with the note that had been left instructing us to do so. After throwing all of our gear back into the car we headed north toward Monson, ME.

Tuesday, June 15 (Groton, CT to Monson, ME)

It is easy to misinterpret Maine's geographic location. One often forgets just how far north and east the state is. Driving toward Monson was relatively uneventful. We made sure to drive past Monson on ME-15 to catch a glimpse of the Appalachian Trail (AT) trailhead going into the 100 mile wilderness. After that we headed back into Monson to locate the infamous hiker lodge known as Shaw's. We had yet to decide what our plans were for the last night prior to beginning our hike at this point, and we were treated well by Dawn at Shaw's who kindly went over the maps with me to carefully point out extraction points that we should be aware of in case something went wrong. We were quite hungry and some of the only food in town to be had is at the Lakeshore House. Tuesday happens to be $4 pizza day so I treated myself to a pizza and salad for a bargain price. After eating we headed to the only gas station in town to fill up and decide what our plans were for the night.

The outside of Shaw's (photo by Zach)

This was an important decision. We had to be at the Katahdin Air (KA) flight base at 9:30AM and it was approximately a two hour drive from Monson. We could either head up to Millinocket and try to wrangle a place to stay for the night or stay in Monson and wake up early in order to make it up to KA in time. Since Dawn at Shaw's had offered extraction services I argued that it would be wise to at least stay the night and eat breakfast there in case we did need to use the service. Zach concurred and we stayed the night at the infamous hiker hostel.

Despite the fact that we were only at Shaw's for a single night we were given a significant glimpse of AT culture. Other hikers at Shaw's included a father, son, and friend who had just completed the wilderness. They told tales of abandoning gear in desperate attempts to lighten their packs. Their goal is to get to Harper's Ferry before the two recent high school graduates begin college. What amazed me most was the sheer size of the son. He was clearly overweight and possibly obese. I have a lot of respect for him. Completing the 100 mile hike for him was, without doubt, difficult. To his credit, he also resisted consuming an enormous breakfast the next morning. There were two other recent college graduates that had also just come out of the wilderness. They were prepared and had clearly planned their trip carefully. One of them consumed a truly disturbing breakfast consisting of 5 pancakes, 5 sausages, 5 strips of bacon, 5 eggs, and 3 potatoes worth of home fries. Thru-hiker calorie binging at its finest.

The most memorable character was definitely an older man from Minnesota who I now believe to be known as “suicidal”. Like the others, he had completed the wilderness and was staying in Monson to recuperate. My first encounter with him was at 9pm when he was shuttled in from the trailhead with the most swollen feet I had ever laid eyes on. Removing his boots was an epic battle and his cringing face conveyed the pain with unhindered precision. He expressed repeated concern and disappointment in himself for giving up the trail and we all acted to alleviate his guilt citing his extraordinary foot problems. Zach and I offered him an apple danish to lift his spirits and he obliged and inhaled the sugar-laden delight. His pack was quite large and after some discussion I ended up giving him an alcohol stove in hopes that he may look into lightening his load if he ever attempts an extended hike again. I would later get to follow his story through the registers left at the leanto's where he had become a character of notoriety with other southbound hikers. His experience in the wilderness was one of struggle and pain and his notes contained a wide spectrum of emotions that ranged from anger to humor. According to Zach he woke up at 5AM to leave and catch a series of 17 different shuttles, buses, trains, and other forms of transportation to get back to his home in Minnesota.

We enjoyed our last night of sleep in a bed with proper sheets until we both lunged forward at 5:30AM in fears that we had overslept. We both estimated it to be around 9AM, but we had forgot to account for the geographic location of Maine that causes the sun to rise at around 4:20AM.

The last sheets I touched until Whitehouse Landing (photo by Zach)

Day 1: Wednesday, June 16 (Spectacle Pond to Wilson Valley Leanto) 10.4mi

The first day started off with a large breakfast at Shaw's followed by a two hour drive up to the KA base near Abol Bridge. The roads in rural Maine are poorly maintained and tend to have extremely conservative speed limits. What would take 45 minutes in Kentucky took us almost two hours. We anticipated this and left ourselves an appreciable amount of time as a buffer which we ended up taking advantage of. After checking in at the KA base and leaving our packs to be loaded onto the float plane we drove to Abol Bridge, left our car there, and were shuttled back to the KA base. Our shuttle driver was a toothless man who, despite his appearance and almost inaudible speech, was extremely friendly and helpful. He knew the road intimately and skipped around every pothole in his huge GMC truck with 10-ply tires.

Yes, everything fits in it

Once back at the KA base we met Jim who would be our pilot. It only took moments before we were loading our gear into the compact float plane. His flying was very natural and his knowledge of the region was vast. He made sure to point out locations along the trail to us that we should be wary of or be sure to see. He also made sure to mention that the 20 minute flight would cover approximately 40 linear miles while our hike would cover closer to 100 miles. We began to appreciate this statement more as he continued to point out landmarks along the trail that seemed to alternate between being on the left and right side of the plane. The landing on Spectacle Pond was the smoothest flight landing I had ever experienced.

Looking forward after gaining altitude

Some of the remote logging roads

Lakes and mountains

Coming in for landing

After the landing we were told we would have to wade to shore so we quickly stripped down to our bare feet. It was an easy wade since Jim was careful to place us in water that was not even knee deep. He took our photo and immediately fired up the engine and disappeared after the plane lifted from the pond. The flight had been exhilarating but brief and once the plane disappeared we both had to take a moment to sit down and come to terms with the fact that we now had a 100 mile walk to get back to our vehicle at Abol Bridge. Unfortunately, it was noon before we began to cover some miles on the trail. Not 100 yards in we had our first trail encounter and it was to the sound of banjo strumming. We had heard stories of the banjo carrying man and we awkwardly said hello and continued past him shoving any flashes from the movie “Deliverance” out of our mind.

Beautiful photograph from the first day (photo by Zach)

Me standing in front of Little Wilson Falls

We encountered a few other hikers finishing the wilderness, but the first notable encounter was when a hiker known as “road runner” sped past us in a bog while intricately balancing his steps from log to log. He expressed his intent to make it to Cloud Pond Leanto. I later calculated that this put him at a minimum of 22 miles for the day, and he had over 16 miles to go from when he met us and our encounter was in mid-afternoon. His aim was to finish in the top nine thru-hikers for this northbound season and he was currently in 10th place which explained his motivation to push on to Cloud Pond Leanto. A lot of the trail talk was centered around “trek” who was completing his 8th consecutive thru-hike this year. If he completes a thru-hike next year he will be the new record holder for consecutive thru-hikes. All I learned about Trek was that he is ex-military and specialized in building MRE's and other ration kits for field use. He also hikes the Long Trail in Vermont each year.

Looking down the first stream we had to ford

As night approached, we were clearly falling short of our goal of Long Pond Stream Leanto which was over 15 miles from our starting position. After a small debate and Zach expressing that he was done for the day (DFTD) we agreed to aim for Wilson Valley Leanto and to make up the miles in the next few days. After spying the shelter as dusk arrived we rested for a short period before being joined by three colorful male hikers who carried nothing less than a department store in each of their packs. Two of them quite clearly invest a lot of their time in the art of smoking pot and even went so far as to offer us some (which we both kindly refused). The leader of the group was clearly Nate who made sure to point out that he was an Eagle Scout. He seemed to make most of the important decisions and was the only one in the group who was not attempting a thru-hike. He would be attending graduate school in Seattle for molecular biology in the fall. His two weed-filled friends had lesser aspirations and intended to hike the trail until they weren't enjoying themselves anymore.

There are lots of small ponds to accompany the larger lakes

They were respectful of us and we entertained each other until rain arrived and made cooking dinner a bit difficult. After that, Zach and I decided to place our tents away from the weed-filled shelter and get to sleep for an early start tomorrow. Our first day had been shorter than anticipated, but our first stream ford had gone well and we were in good spirits. Unfortunately, the rain never stopped and there were periods of extremely strong downpours throughout the night. My new MSR Hubba HP handled the conditions with flying colors, but Zach's tent never truly dried.

A sunny day is a rare day in Maine

Day 2: Thursday, June 17 (Wilson Valley Leanto to Cloud Pond Leanto) 9.7mi (+0.3mi)

Our intentions to get an early start were thwarted by the unrelenting rain. We wanted to use the shelter for a staging area to dry off some gear and change our packing strategy to make sure important things stayed dry. The group using the shelter took their time and our start was once again delayed considerably. We watched as their 85L packs swallowed pound upon pound of gear including amenities such as an LED lantern and mosquito coils. The humorous sight of a hiker with an 85L pack wearing a poncho was too much to pass up and Zach snapped a photo of one of them as they departed. All in all, it was 11AM before we truly started the day.

Sunglasses, walking stick, a straw hat, and a huge pack

After the rain the trail had become a much more dangerous place. Zach and I both took spills on slippery rocks and roots, but we managed to avoid serious injury. The day was characterized by the struggle to summit Barren Mountain (2,670ft) which took much longer than we had anticipated. The challenge was great, but the views from the summit provided a more than adequate reward. It was on the summit of Barren that I first noticed that Zach was struggling. I attributed it primarily to the weight of his pack and that it was only the second day hiking. We enjoyed some cheese and bagels before setting out again.

I took a spill on these large slippery boulders before snapping this photo

Zach demonstrating the stream ford routine

If my shirt was less neon I might have disappeared in the background

Another beautiful mountain stream

Looking westward from Barren Slide

A view of the sun getting ready to set from the summit of Barren Mtn

We once again ended up falling short of our intended mileage and had to settle on staying at Cloud Pond Leanto. A majority of the leanto's are located immediately adjacent to the trail, but Cloud Pond is another 0.3 mile hike off the trail and it is a relatively difficult side trail. This didn't make either of us happy hikers. I arrived at the leanto and was greeted by a man named James who was already turning in for the night. James was retired from the military and had worked for the postal service for some time before his wife got a high-security job in Washington, DC. He was very nice and despite the age difference connected with us very well. He told of his intentions to meet up with his wife near Harper's Ferry for a canoe trip when he made it that far along the trail. He also discussed things like MMORPG's and was clearly a multi-faceted individual.

It was hard to get a good angle to photograph this small canyon

I tended to my first blister that had formed in the latter half of the day and was provided a cotton ball by James to help deal with it in the morning. The water source for this Leanto was Cloud Pond itself which turned out to be relatively filthy. It clogged the water filter twice and I had to improvise a cleaning kit out of some shoe string left at the shelter since I had neglected to bring the field maintenance kit for the filter. As Zach pointed out, necessity is truly the mother of invention.

Zach and I realized that our pace was not turning out to be anywhere near what we had expected and we attributed it to the late starts and the difficult terrain. We resolved to push ourselves harder the next few days and to aim for an early start the next day to try to get out of the Barren-Chairback range which was slowing our progress considerably.

The final countdown

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:18:00 GMT

Our departure time is now measured in hours and not days, weeks, or months. A folding table holds everything that I will depend on for up to ten days along a hundred mile stretch of remote trail in Maine. While I am aware that the adventure is about to begin each hour feels slightly different than the last. Anticipation turns to apprehension and then back again. The most reassurance I can provide myself is that my planning has been sound and that I am as prepared as I can be.

Featured in the above image is everything (exceptions include shoes, clothes, rain jacket, headlamp, firestick, compass, and the head lamp) that I will take with me into the 100 mile wilderness in Maine. On the far end is my Z-lite and tent poles. The large blue 10L dry bag is food for 9 days which is by far the heaviest item in my pack. My hat and Arc'teryx Atom LT have not been compressed yet, but they will snugly fit in the remaining dry sack I have. In front of the food bag is my (ever so important) toilet paper and hand sanitizer, along with my cookware. The compression sack contains all of my clothes, and the dry bag in front of it contains both of my liners. The large black dry sack is the MSR Hubba tent (this thing can be compressed quite a bit). The external plastic bags contain food for the first day (which I could not fit into the food bag) along with everything else. Closest is a $9 watch I picked up to tell the time, a chamois to use for drying myself, a bandana and beanie, my Fallkniven F1 knife, and the unused dry bag which will receive the rest of the gear. I'm quite happy about the fact that all of my gear should be protected in a dry bag of some sort since I expect it to be wet often.

My total pack weight will come at under 45lbs which I am very happy with. I had estimated my food to weigh in at approximately 20lbs and it turned out to be closer to 16lbs. This change, coupled with my current choice to leave behind a down sleeping bag in favor of a cotton and synthetic liner has caused my total pack weight to now be approximately 43.5lbs. At the moment, my intention is to take no sleeping bag and to use my MSR pocket rocket to cook with. Both of these decisions are not final, and I intend to make more informed decisions the day before we start our hike (Tuesday). The forecast currently has most nights in the mid to high 50's (F) which I simply do not need the down sleeping bag for. If the forecast reveals low 50's and possibly 40's overnight, I would be inclined to trade in one liner for the sleeping bag.

We're well-prepared not only for the trip but also for the drive up. My older sister was kind enough to bake us a batch of cookies which we were instructed to consume prior to beginning the hike. I'm sure we'll have no problem following that order. I also was treated to a delicious Indian curry dish tonight that my mother cooked. My father has been kind enough to offer up gear for sacrifice and a more reasonable car to drive. We both appreciate all of these gestures and support.

Trip planning for the 100 mile wilderness

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:25:00 GMT

Introduction

Over three months ago I cooked up the idea of hiking a remote part of the Appalachian Trail in Maine known as the 100 mile wilderness. While it's crossed by logging roads often there is very little human activity along most of the trail and the conditions vary from low-lying bogs to treeless mountain tops. I'm lucky enough to have a friend crazy enough to try this with me and we've been franticly preparing for our hike the past few months. Planning a weekend trip is a world different than planning a trip that could potentially last up to ten days and the amount of time and effort I have put into preparing has been more than I had anticipated. I'm operating on the assumption that proper planning prevents poor performance. Now, after over three months of thought, dozens of spreadsheets, numerous trip planning meetings, and multiple preparation hikes to test gear, we're enjoying the last days before we depart.

Our plan is to leave between three and four in the morning on Monday the 13th and begin driving northeast to Connecticut where we will stay for a night with another friends parents for a final night of creature comforts including a full meal, cotton sheets, and a shower. We will then make our way to Monson, ME to scope out where we'll enter the trail and to spend some time at an infamous hiker lodge run by the Shaw's. Through my research I have found that a stop at Shaw's provides a good meal and allows for hikers to make contact with some friendly locals who are willing to shuttle hikers that have met with difficulty in the wilderness back to town. That is, of course, assuming that you can get near enough to a logging road and are able to make contact with them using your phone in a region with almost no cellular access.

From there we will make our way to the north end of the wilderness towards Baxter State Park where we intend to end our hike. I arranged for a small seaplane flight from the north end of the trail to Monson which should be a very rewarding way to start our hike. The catch is that we'll have to find somewhere to sleep that night and get up bright and early to catch our flight. This way, we'll end our hike where the car is parked which will undoubtedly be a sight for sore eyes after over 100 miles of hiking.

We're expecting both a nightmare and a dream from the experience. Nightmares that I envision are endless bogs and stream fords that soak us to our very core, clouds of mosquitoes and black flies that engulf us as we traverse moist wooded lowlands, and torrential downpours sapping our spirit throughout the day. Part of preparing yourself mentally, I believe, is knowing that things aren't going to be as picturesque as you wish they would be. Beyond the hardships, I expect to meet interesting people, to see landscapes that I have not had the opportunity to see before, to push my own personal limits both mentally and physically, and to enjoy the disconnection from what's considered civilized and safe. The opportunity to leave behind a large city like Cincinnati, the daily grind of work, and the noise and light pollution that accompany living in a densely populated area have motivated me to pursue backpacking in the past four years.

The reality is that neither of us have ever undertaken a hike of this distance or difficulty. Despite moments of us stopping to think that we've gone mad, something has pushed us to continue and we've now passed the point of no return. All that can be done now is to keep preparing and to anticipate the opportunity to experience something that few people ever pursue.

Logistics and Gear

Choosing gear for a trip that lasts over a week is difficult. My goal was to focus on a lightweight pack that allowed for me to carry adequate amounts of consumables. I know from personal experience that a pack that weighs 55lbs is simply too much for my body to carry. My initial goal was to reduce my pack weight to below 45lbs to start. While I will likely miss this mark by 4-5lbs, it will only take a few days of eating before I am at my target weight. I could also potentially carry a bit less water to drop a few pounds and it looks like I may drop a few items of clothing that will probably be unnecessary. Most of my gear at this point is at the point where it is not negotiable. I'll start with the master gear list itself along with the clothes list.

Master List

Short Description	Manufacturer	Product Name	Weight (oz)	Total (lbs)	Total base (lbs)
Backpack	High Sierra	trek 45	48	48.68	11.07
Cotton Liner			10.5
Sleeping bag	Lafuma	Warm n' Light 600	24
Sleeping pad	Thermarest	Z-lite	14

Tent	MSR	Hubba HP	41

Clothes			95.83

Water purification	MSR	Sweetwater system	16
Water container	MSR	Platypus 2L	1.3
Water container	MSR	Platypus 1L	1.3
Water container	Aquafina	1L	1.45
Water		3L	106

Camera	Sony		5.5
Notebook and pencil	rite in the rain	mini	1
Voice recorder	Sandisk		1.5
Cell phone	Motorola	Razr	4
Compass			0.3
Extra light	Fenix	CREE LED	1
Headlamp	Petzl	Tikka Plus 2	3.2
Flash stick	Light my fire	Firesteel	1.8
Camp towel	MSR	Camp Towel M	1
Toilet paper			7
Knife	Fallkniven	Mod F1	6
Maps and guide
First aid kit			2
Fishing stuff			1
Mosquito head net			1
Hygiene	Purell, gold bond, bawdy wash		7
Fire starting kit			2

Drybag	SealLine	Storm sack 2.5L	1.6
Drybag	SealLine	Storm sack 5L	2.2
Drybag	SealLine	Storm sack 5L	2.2
Drybag	SealLine	Storm sack 10L	2.7
Drybag+Compression	Sea to Summit	Event XS	3.7

Food			320
Cooking pot	MSR	Titan kettle	4.2
Utensil		Lexan spoon	0.2
Cup	Fozzils	Cup	1.1
Bowl	Fozzils	Bowl	1.3
Stove	MSR	Pocket rocket	3
Fuel	MSR	Isopro	32

Clothes

Short Description	Manufacturer	Product Name	Weight	Total
Warmth	Arc'teryx	Atom LT	11.5	95.83
Rain	Whitaker Mountaineering	Rainier storm shell	16.58
Socks	Smartwool		5.25
	Under armor		^
	Reebok		^
	Cotton		1.5
Underwear	Cotton		9.75
	Under armor		^
	Under armor mesh		^
Pants	Columbia	Titanium w/ belt	12.5
	Columbia	Generic	9
Base layer	Eddie Bauer		8
Shirts	Columbia		7
	Synthetic T		5
Bandana			1.75
Warm cap			1
Brimmed cap			3
Sandals			4

Backpack

After the test trips where I more than comfortably fit a majority of my gear into a High Sierra Trek 45+ I decided to make the ambitious attempt to use this 45L pack for the trip. This pack is 20L smaller than the original pack that I intended to use but I am now hellbent on not carrying the extra 4lbs associated with the 65L pack.

Sleeping

While many would disagree with my choice of a relatively heavy cotton liner, I found that it made sleep much more enjoyable in very humid conditions whereas the Sea to Summit silk liner I own still became quite sticky after relatively limited exposure to humidity. This, coupled with a very light Lafuma Warm n' Light 600 stuffed in a dry sack, has been a very comfortable sleeping arrangement even in horrendously humid conditions (which I expect loads of on the hike). The Thermarest Z-lite will be attached to the bottom of my pack and is definitely favored over my Thermarest ProLite 3 since warmth during June will not be much of an issue and it is simply much more convenient to fold up your sleeping mat in the morning rather than spend 10 minutes fighting it into a stuff sack.

Tent

I delayed for over a month and fought between a purchase of a Six Moons Lunar Solo and the Hubba HP. I gave in and purchased the Hubba HP due to my fear of experiencing some very rough weather conditions. I deemed having the extra protection of the HP worth the extra 9oz in weight. The major downside to the HP, I have found, is that it can be very, very warm. It was nearly uncomfortably warm this past weekend when I tested it out on the Sheltowee Trace and I would have slept outside of it if it wasn't for the mosquitoes. I expect this to be much less of a problem as we travel further north where the nights should get cooler than the 80F I experienced in Kentucky.

Water

Many hikers choose to use tablets to purify their water for the weight savings, but I tend to be quite picky with my water and I also desire to minimize my chance of contracting any waterborne illness by any means necessary. For me, this meant carrying the entire pound of weight of the MSR SweetWater purification system which utilizes both a carbon filter and a solution (active ingredient of sodium hychlorite commonly known as bleach) to provide nearly bombproof protection against waterborne pathogens. For me, this system is tried and true and the water it generates is wonderful tasting and, more importantly, safe. To carry water I will be using two 1L wide mouth Aquafina bottles and both a 1L and 2L PlatyBag. The Aquafina bottles provide a comfortable way to consume water while the PlatyBags allow for the transport of up to 5L of water for times when we may be going into areas that will not have a water source for a day. The main advantage of this system is that, if necessary, I can save a lot of pack space by not filling either of the PlatyBags and folding them up. They really are great for lightweight backpacking. I intend to drink 1L of Gatorade a day and to use one of my Aquafina bottles to mix it each morning. For me, the extra calories and carbohydrates is worth the weight of carrying the powder mix.

Storage

Coming to terms with the reality that things are going to be wet has led me to aim for nearly full water protection of most of my equipment. This means that I will have five dry bags in all. Four of these are SealLine Storm Sacks by Cascade Designs while the other is the amazing eVent combination dry bag and compression sack by Sea to Summit. The smallest storm sack is 2.5L and will carry important personal items that can't get wet such as electronics (sandisk voice recorder, cell phone, backup flashlight, etc). The first 5L dry bag will carry my tent while the second will carry the sleeping bag and cotton liner. The 10L storm sack will carry all of my food and garbage and will double up as a bear bag that will be hung from a tree a few hundred yards from camp each night. The eVent combination dry bag and compression sack is reserved for making my clothing fit down into an insanely small space. The maximum capacity of this amazing compression sack is 6L and it's minimum volume is 2L. I was able to fit all of my clothing into a 2L space except for my Arc'Teryx Atom LT which should add less than one liter to the total volume.

Cooking

Boiling water will be done in an MSR Titan Kettle which I have come to love over the past few months. The only utensil I plan to use is a partially sawed off lexan spoon (so it fits in the Titan Kettle). For some extra eating comfort I will be bringing a Fozzils cup and bowl which are amazingly light folding dishes. I'm currently torn between using the MSR Pocket Rocket or one of my homemade alcohol stoves. I had posted an update previously outlining my creation of an alcohol stove from 12oz soda cans but I have since improved the design and started using newly released 7.5oz cans found at the local Kmart. The result is a smaller stove that primes faster and consumes less fuel. I have two pounds of MSR IsoPro fuel that needs to be burned someday and I had planned to use it on this trip. Unfortunately, I have since come to be very comfortable with my alcohol stove and almost feel safer using it at this point. I'll decide by the time I leave. The weight difference of either is almost negligible, though the alcohol stove would likely shave off 5-6oz. My strategy is to cook mostly in the freezer bags that I will be using to store a single days food in to minimize the time spent cleaning dishes.

Clothing and Footwear

Wearing everyday clothing on a hike is a recipe for suffering, I've found. I did it for years and having experienced hiking with proper clothing has changed my outlook on hiking. The reality is that good clothing and gear costs money and you truly do get what you pay for. For warmth I will be bringing my Arc'teryx Atom LT which weights a mere 11.50oz. My protection from the elements will be a Whitaker Mountaineering Rainier Storm Shell which weights 16.58oz. Most of my friends swear by Smartwool socks, but I had a less than desirable experience with them in Colorado and Utah last summer. I will be bringing a pair of cotton socks for comfort, a pair of Under Armor athletic socks, a pair of Reebok athletic socks, and one pair of Smartwools. During the day, I will be wearing one of two pairs of Under Armor quick drying synthetic underwear which I have found to eliminate chafing. I also will be sleeping in one pair of loose cotton boxers which will give me some highly desired freedom in the evenings. I have two pairs of convertible synthetic pants which are nearly identical, both by Columbia Sportswear. The only long-sleeve shirt I intend to bring is an Eddie Bauer base layer I snagged for $15. I have a long-sleeve Columbia ventilator shirt for extremely buggy areas where I need full body protection but I intend to spend as much time as possible in a simple Under Armor running shirt which is fast-drying and well-ventilated. On top of that I intend to bring a bandana, a lightweight warm cap, and an Outdoor Designs brimmed cap for the times when I need to use my no-see-um head net.

It is without doubt that I will be wearing my Inov-8 roclite 312 GTX's for this trip. I've tried them twice and they have been nothing short of amazing. I am one of the few hikers that never found love for a strong pair of leather boots and have always felt more comfortable in running shoes or skate shoes. The feel of the trail runners combined with their protective Goretex waterproof layer makes walking through puddles no worry. The big problem is fording across swollen streams, and for that I intend to attempt to do it wearing nothing more than a simple $3 pair of foam sandals. They are essentially weightless and can be clipped to the back of my backpack. I have received mixed reports on the condition of streams but I expect that crossing some of them in plain sandals may prove difficult due to their rocky beds. I managed to ford two streams in them that were up to knee depth on my test trip last weekend and decided to rely on them after that success.

Everything Else

In the realm of electronics I will have a Sony 12.1MP digital camera, a 1GB Sandisk voice recorder, a Motorola Razr cell phone, a Fenix CREE LED light (up to 85 lumens), and a Petzl Tikka Plus 2 headlamp (up to 50 lumens). I will be bringing a basic compass along with the guide book and maps for the section of trail we will be hiking. I expect to know these maps intimately by the end of the trail and have studied them thoroughly already while route planning. Other basics include an MSR camp towel, toilet paper, a no-see-um head net and a personal hygiene kit containing purell, gold bond, all-purpose body wash, and a limited supply of toothpaste. More important items include a fire flash, a fire starting kit for emergency fire starting that contains matches and some oil-infused sticks that will catch fire easily, a tiny fishing kit, and a Fallkniven Mod F1 knife. My first aid kit is home-made and has a variety of things such as gauze, tape, sting pads, antiseptic cleansing wipes, tweezers (for any thorns or ticks that may find their way into my legs or arms), and burn cream.

Food

I am waiting until the last moment to pack up and weigh all of my food for the trip. Since neither of us have access to a dehydrator we're left to improvise with the cheapest options we can find at the local grocery. At a young age I developed an affinity to macaroni and cheese and have decided to base most of my dinners around either dual servings of easy mac, a home-made potato cheddar soup with veggies and noodles, or ramen noodles. Accompanying each dinner will be a serving of dried fruit along with a few other goodies that will vary by day to give me some variety and something to look forward to. Breakfasts will consist largely of high fiber oatmeal and pop tarts along with servings of Sun Maid Tropical Trio mix (pineapple, papaya, mango) which I have found to be a good energy boost in the morning. Throughout the day I intend to constantly snack to maintain energy. I will be consuming primarily energy bars (Clif bars, Powerbars), a good old raisins and peanuts (GORP) mix, Sezme snaps, and homemade logan bread.

I may post a more exact list of what I intend to consume each day closer to departure.

Final Thoughts

I'm hoping to shave my weight down to under 45lbs after I ditch a few clothing items and see what my true food weight will be. In the spreadsheet I just approximated my consumption at 2lbs a day for a total of 20lbs. I expect it to be closer to 16-18lbs.

There's no way to tell what is going to happen, but I feel that I have put forth an awful lot of effort in preparing for this hike. It has occupied a lot of my time in the past three months and there is little more to do now than to go out and walk into the forests of Maine. Being able to clean up the corner of the basement I have taken over will be a humbling moment. Hopefully I will be able to make a lot of interesting posts in a few weeks accompanied with pictures and videos.

Alcohol stove

Sat, 15 May 2010 16:52:00 GMT

Up until now, I was quite confident that my MSR Pocket Rocket was the ultimate solution for cooking during a backpacking trip. After having witnessed a variety of alcohol stoves being used in the field and now creating my own I am fully convinced otherwise. The reasons are numerous.

Lightweight
Fuel
Cost
Environmentally friendly

Alcohol stoves can weigh less than an ounce for smaller designs. It's almost impossible to come up with a solution that is lighter than a simple alcohol stove. They burn fuel that is readily available at most liquor stores and hardware stores. If you are pinched for cash, denatured alcohol is clean-burning and can cost less than $5 a quart. Building an alcohol stove only takes time and very little money since they can be built out of recyclable aluminum cans. If the stove is damaged or lost it is no big deal -- it didn't cost you anything! Most importantly, alcohol stoves are environmentally friendly in a variety of ways. They are quiet and they burn fuel that is renewable, safe, and odorless. If the fuel is spilled (be it in your pack or outside of it) it evaporates quickly and is odorless unlike many gases which are used in camping stoves. For more reasons why alcohol stoves rock, visit zenstoves.net.

Without doubt it wasn't painfully easy to build the stove. I actually failed multiple times before creating a stove that was worthy of field use. I recommend building a simple stove to begin with. Learning to work with the aluminum cans was the biggest challenge. Having the correct tools also helped. I managed to get through the process without cutting myself which I consider a victory in its own.

For any would-be stove builders I will offer the following advice: (1) Don't expect to be successful on your first stove. Try to build a simple design and focus on learning how to work with the aluminum can and how to use the tools you have to your advantage. (2) Design a safe and accurate way to cut the aluminum cans. I set up a board with a fastening device that would adjust to hold a razor at a given height (say 20mm or 30mm). (3) Invest in some high temperature adhesive for when you make your first good stove. I recommend JB Weld. (4) Having some wet-or-dry fine grit sandpaper around to really shine up the stove and round the edges makes a much more aesthetically pleasing final product.

The last thing I will say is that zenstoves has been an indispensable resource for me. I recommend that as the starting point for anyone looking into alcohol stove building.

Linux, laptops, and suspend to memory

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:18:00 GMT

In the past, sound problems involving ALSA or OSS were highly prolific on Linux help forums. The sound system simply did not work well enough out of the box for quite a long time. Now, with the advent of dmix in ALSA and the proliferation of sound servers like PulseAudio, sound seems to be pretty well worked out. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about suspend and resume.

Having a laptop that will not suspend to memory is nearly as inhibiting as having one with no battery. The reality is that, yes, my Vostro 1000 is getting pretty old. You would think that after numerous kernel, driver, and HAL/DeviceKit releases that a three to four year old laptop would exhibit a very high degree of compatibility. While this is the case for most parts of the Linux kernel, video drivers and the ability to suspend have always been unstable and unpredictable. I don't think I have ever upgraded a release of Ubuntu or Fedora without something on this laptop ceasing to work properly.

The first issue is that I have to use versions of the ati/radeon xorg video modules from Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty) since the newer ones available in Karmic simply will not allow me to wake up from a suspend to memory. All it presents the user with is a black screen of death. The second issue is the seemingly amazing ability of suspend to bounce back and forth from functioning perfectly to poorly with every kernel release. I'm not going to go into any details here, but I will say that I think focusing some development time on improving the suspend and resume experience on laptops and netbooks could go a long way in avoiding the loss of adventurous new users trying Linux for the first time.

I should also note that I have been unable to use the binary AMD-provided fglrx module since Ubuntu 8.10 since they stopped supporting the Radeon XPress in my laptop. I'd have to say that Intrepid was probably the most compatible release of Ubuntu for this particular laptop when taking everything into account. After forcing an install of the older video drivers from Jaunty suspend and resume appears to work reliably. This all comes after placing a new 32GB SSD drive and $30 battery into the aging laptop and it feels like it has some life in it again!

Patriot PS-100 32GB SATA SSD

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:33:00 GMT

While perusing the local Micro Center advertisements yesterday I came across a Patriot 32GB SATA SSD that was listed for $104.99 with a $20 rebate. This interested me and I identified it as a possible investment to temporarily make my Dell Vostro 1000 a bit more bearable. There was also the possibility of using it in a new netbook to replace the platter-based solutions that many are coming with.

Micro Center was beyond busy, but after soldiering on an employee eventually provided assistance and removed the product from the glass case it was stored in. After asking about the rebate, his friend quickly stated that he believed there was a $40 rebate on this drive. A 32GB SSD for $64.99 would be an amazing deal (assuming it isn't a completely useless product). The advertisements clearly stated a $20 rebate. After some muddling, the employee found it was now a $30 rebate. With the old man there (who was quite curious at this stage) willing to foot the bill we made the decision that it would be used in something (an old laptop, a new one, a new netbook) and that the deal was a bit too juicy to pass up. We then proceeded to wait in line for 20 minutes to have the pleasure of handing them their money. We got a good deal on some dual layer DVD's too.

The drive itself is very light and has a strong casing that appears to be made out of a lightweight aluminum-based material (much like my Lian Li case). There were no issues with using it, and Ubuntu 9.10 installed onto it with no quarrels. I read some discussions by other owners claiming that their performance was abysmal and that Patriot was accepting drives and replacing them with new ones. I decided to do a few tests using the IOZone test found in the Phoronix Test Suite. My test results on Phoronix Global can be found here.

The claimed peak speeds of this disk by Patriot are 150MB/s write and 200MB/s read. I scored an average of 122.33MB/s on the write test and 171.17MB/s on the read test. Those don't seem abysmal to me. The read speed is faster than SATA150 is even capable of (I imagine that many laptops purchased between a year or two ago still use SATA1 controllers). I'm very satisfied with those numbers. When keeping in mind that numbers provided by Patriot are peak speeds and not sustained speeds I don't believe that there is a performance issue with the drive I received. If it weren't for all of my important files being on my other laptop disk drive I would try to move over to the SSD today!

When in doubt, make graphs

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:27:00 GMT

First, a disclaimer: The following statements were based off graphs I created using data from six broad academic disciplines. The data all comes from the 2008 digest published by the National Center for Education Statistics.

After spending weeks of my life preparing applications, essays, and letters alongside taking a standardized test and participating in a game of formal introductions and requests I was left wondering how many people end up going through with the whole experience. Just the act of applying for graduate school is exhausting. Statistics on how many enter and finish their graduate degrees to completion could be interesting, but I found information on total degrees conferred readily available in a report by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The report is quite sizable. If you're just in for a good summary, avoid any of the tables and focus on reading the text and making note of the figures. What I found most striking was what I perceived to be amazingly low numbers for fields like mathematics, physical sciences, and computer science. For example, only 21,703 people received a degree in the category of physical sciences and science technology in 2006-07. That's for the entire country. The primary disciplines that fall under this category are chemistry, physics, and earth science.

The picture isn't much different for graduate degrees (masters and doctoral). The most interesting data is that of the number of graduate degrees conferred in education. The number is consistently and substantially larger than the number of undergraduate degrees conferred for the same year (and that of the previous).

It is even more interesting to explore the trends of the relative amount of degrees conferred. By looking at a proportion rather than the total number, it's possible to see changes in the choice of discipline made by students. First, let's look at the trends in the proportion of bachelor's degrees conferred.

From 1971-1981 it appears that the proportion of students choosing to seek a business degree has increased steadily at a relatively constant rate. The proportions of undergraduate students receiving education degrees has contracted, physical sciences and technologies has remained stable, mathematics and statistics has shrunk, and engineering has grown. Then, there is a period in 1985-86 where the number of computer and information sciences and engineering degrees grew, but subsequently retracted. From 1995-96 onward, the proportions change very little. There is a slight bulge in computer and information science degrees in the early 2000's which declines starting around 2003-04.

Comparing proportions of graduate degrees conferred is less exciting. Other than the expected growth of the proportion of business degrees and the shrinking of the proportion of education degrees leading up to the 1990's, the proportions are amazingly stable from the 1900's onward.

In a country of 300 million people, it's almost staggering to think how few students receive degrees each year. It would seem that there are so many universities that have so many students that there must just be gaggles of students receiving degrees across the nation in just about every discipline. It often feels like that to new graduates searching for a job, at least. The numbers tell a different story. Consider that the number of students that receive degrees in mathematics, statistics, and physical sciences each year could fit into a moderately sized rural town. During 2006-07, 1351 people received a doctorate in mathematics or statistics, 2029 in business, and only 1595 in computer and information science. While this last statistic isn't evident in the previous graphs, you can see it in the OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet I made. A PDF is also available of the graphs to provide more clarity.

LaTeX and Google charts API

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:01:00 GMT

Quite some time ago, I was made aware of a useful feature featured in Google's charts API. The document service provided by Google provides an equation editor which is actually a friendly way to interface with TeX/LaTeX. It's possible to generate your own equations this way and share them using standard LaTeX syntax for math equations. For example, the definition of a derivative of a function at point a:

Or perhaps the definition of the mathematical constant e:

For many involved in authoring papers in scientific fields or in mathematics, LaTeX often becomes the typesetting method of choice. Even in the face of growing competition provided by equation editors in Microsoft Word and OpenOffice.org Writer, well-typeset documents produced by LaTeX still thrive. Having a simple way to generate LaTeX and share it could be useful for discussions by email where sharing some cryptic looking syntax such as:

\lim_{x\to\infty}\left(1+\frac{1}{n}\right)^n

Could be cumbersome. It's also a heck of a lot faster than generating your own images and uploading them (though if you must do this, you might want to try Ekee. A word of warning: the string that you send the charts API to generate an image cannot be larger than 200 characters. It's suited for generating single equations, but not for creating a series of them.