It was a cold night (high 30s) at my campsite at Johnston Pond (KI / Jo Mary Multi-Use Area) but I was prepared with plenty of warm clothes. I woke up a few times during the night because the temps fell into the 30s (brrr). There were clear skies above, though - pretty. By the time I woke up (0645), I was wearing three layers of clothes by sunrise and this helped me to sleep towards the end. Consequently, this meant that I got a later start then I’d planned. Oh well - sleep is good! I packed up my campsite quickly and drove east. When I reached Jo Mary Road, I found a cell signal - decided to check on some emails at that point. I then drove north to the Henderson Checkpoint, where it took me a few times passing to figure out how to use the automated checkpoint process. Somehow, I got a cell signal nearby (after not having one for a long time) and reached the Ashland office for the Multi-Use Area. The lady on the phone made me feel better about the whole operations and I then continued on a maze of gravel roads until I found the correct route to the trailhead near Nahmakanta Lake. I saw two moose in the road - barely got a photo before they disappeared into the woods. I eventually (0830) located the AT Trailhead at the south end of Nahmakanta Lake (Nahmakanta Stream Road). It was about 0845 when I started my hike (SOBO) and the temps were still in the low 40s - for the first time in months, I wore a long sleeved shirt and light jacket! I’d chosen this section because I wanted to try to complete nearly 15 mile stretch of AT that was south of the lake before heading home on Sunday. From my AWOL guide, it appeared that it would be mostly flat - after a bit of a climb and descent in the first mile, this turned out to be true. Actually, this might have been the flattest section I’ve hiked since I finished the 90 miles in the Shenandoah... There was the typical Maine combo of mud, roots and rocks but I barely broke a sweat all day. I met 10 NOBO Thru hikers (spread out in the first four miles) and all were trying to reach Katahdin before the forecasted rain within the next 48-72 hours - this was doable but required two to three 25+ mile days. One of the hikers, “Skippy” (Justin), told me a good bit about his trip (he started in late April) and I enjoyed the “nearly done” vibe. Got a real treat in the middle of my outbound leg: my first ever view of Katahdin (looking across Pemadumcook Lake) without clouds or other obstructions. With the unusually clear weather, it was a spectacular image (photo doesn’t do it justice). The trail was not well marked for hikers going south - I lost track of the blazes at least three times because of unclear turn points (I discovered later that things were much better going north). I reached the Potaywadjo Lean-To, which was just about in the middle of this section, and decided that I should climb the little hill to the south of it so I could eliminate a climb-descent-climb the next day. After all the big mountains I climbed this Summer, the hill was so easy that I didn’t realize I’d completed it until I was starting down the other side. Decided to use a giant balancing boulder near that spot as my backtrack cue… By this point, I’d hiked over eight miles but still felt pretty good. As a result, I walked all the way back to my car without stopping, arriving at 1615 after more than 16 miles. Felt good, too! Hadn’t seen any other people so it meant my speed was comparable to the Thru Hiker Bubble. Temps had, by then, risen into the mid 60s. Another positive: I had plenty of time to make my way back into the KI / Jo Mary area again before it was dark. Decided to use this time wisely and move my campsite from Johnston Pond to somewhere closer to the AT crossing of Jo Mary Road. Drove back to Henderson Checkpoint and used the phone in a box I found there (also used internet nearby). Asked Jo Mary Checkpoint (via phone) to change my campsite for the night. At first, the lady said I could try Pratt Brook Campsite ("it might be open") but I found people there (lady, man and dog with big camper). I didn't have a cell signal there, so I drove back to Jo Mary Road - just after reaching it, I saw a small bear crossing the road! When I found a cell signal again, I was able to ask about the Johnston Brook Campsite and then drove over to check it. Fortunately, I found it empty and was able to set up camp. I made myself dinner (dehydrated meal of rice, beans, veggies) and relaxed on an embankment above the creek. The site was very pretty. Listened to more audiobooks while drying my clothes. I'd checked the weather when I had cell signal and it forecasted nasty weather the next day... Went to bed at 2130 but didn't sleep long because someone started running a generator at around 2300 (for about an hour) at a campsite nearby (grrr). Eventually fell asleep again... Hope to have enough dry weather tomorrow to wrap up the rest of the section. AT Today = 8.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 2060.0 miles
