I Can Go the Distance - The Trek
I just want to sleep in for a looooonnngg while. Preferably in a bit of air conditioning. And with a shower. Internet. Maybe infinite access to hot chocolate. Maybe if the trail was a bit physically easier I wouldn’t have these feelings. Maybe they’d be worse. Who knows? Though I’m grateful to have made it this far on this journey, I also very much think it’s healthier to, in the future, just do sections of trails. Nothing this long again.
Not to say my tent isn’t comfy either. Sometimes, it’s a little too comfy. I took my sweet time rolling out of bed, eyes glued to my eBook. Even in the woods, it’s hard to tear myself away from reading when I’m really deep into it. Not that I’ve read that many books during my time on trail. Still, got quite a few in out here…
I wish more places sold these: they’re delicious!
As I was making coffee, a nice SOBO named Huck swung by. He had broken camp from the Sidney Tappan Campsite earlier, having gotten some bad vibes from other campers, and was stopping for breakfast with me. I’ve mentioned it many times, but it’s weird to think about how he’s as far into his journey as I was when I crawled into Stanimal’s Around the Bend. The journey of a lifetime… We both grabbed water from nearby Gulf Hagas Brook, exchanged social medias, and then went on our own way.
On the way up to the Antler’s Campsite, I also ran into Bilbo, another SOBO who said he likes my posts! So shoutout Bilbo, if you’re here.
I quickly got past the climb up Gulf Hagas Mountain, and then traversed over to the West Peak. During this, I ran into Tie-Dye, Veggiewrap, Birdsong, and Nav, as well as Saxon for the last time, as they were slackpacking back to Shaw’s again. I don’t think it’s all about the money, but I do wonder who makes more; Shaw’s or Mountain Crossings. Both are placed relatively early on the trail, when people need gear help. Mountain Crossings probably gets more visitors, but Shaw’s offers many more services, such as food drops and slackpacking. Though, it’s also probably a lot about the love of the game as well.
Here, I also ran into Herman, an infamous man who wanders along the trail, asking people for food. The infamy comes more from him taking other hikers bear hung food, or bear canisters. Trip (the ridgerunner) had told us that he wouldn’t hold it against us for sleeping with our food in the 100, given that there were many Herman reportings. His circumstances are unfortunate, and he’s clearly found a home among the kindness along the AT. But stealing? That’s a step too far for sure.
On West Peak, I got my first cell reception of the day, so I quickly messaged Shaw’s and got my food drop organized. Something I’ve been surprised about is, when I’m much more disciplined about phone usage, my phone battery lasts FOREVER, I haven’t even used a quarter of my battery bank yet! It shouldn’t be a surprise… but during the middle of the trail (Mid-Atlantic to basically Shaw’s), I started getting sucked in by the dopamine machine much more. I think Quadzilla has a great post about this, where as the trail gets mentally harder, even though we think of it as a great disconnect, it can sometimes draw you to wanting your phone a lot more. Not great… But I’m thankful that I’m much more disciplined about it now.
The next summit, White Cap Mountain, was extra special. I was joined section hikers Holy Roller and Robin as I crested the hill… and finally saw the end goal. I let out an involuntary “holy shit.” I’ve never really looked at pictures of Katahdin before, and didn’t get views of it earlier thanks to the haze of wildfires. So, when I saw Mama K in the distance? She’s MAJESTIC. I can see why Percival Baxter was so obsessed with it. I love the White Mountains — I can name them all. But Katahdin’s extra special. I can’t even begin to describe its majesty, or how I felt.
Coming down White Cap meant finally hitting the flat stretch of the 100. Logan Brook’s extra clear, extra cold water was delicious (other than the free LMNT trash wrapper that I picked up. Boo.) Though it was flat, the rest of the day was still plenty technical thanks to rocks and roots, which didn’t allow me to do the same type of running I did back in the Shenandoah. I miss the nice soft dirt on my feet.
Little Boardman “mountain” was a small hill, followed by Crawford Pond’s nice… warm… pond water. (ew). I saw some people camping on the banks, which isn’t necessarily allowed… I’m tired of people violating the regulations outdoors. They’re there to preserve the outdoors, and ensure that we don’t disturb ecosystems more than we already are, not just to be a pain our butt.
The last miles to Cooper Brook Lean-To were long and slow. I shared the tentsites at Cooper Brook with some flip-floppers as I made dinner. What a nice spot and swimming hole. And fishing hole! It’s so nice to be back near water now.
(title lyrics from: Go the Distance, Roger Bart)
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