The sun was up by 0430 and so was I! I was not happy when I discovered that my clothes were not dry - I'd brought limited clothing for the second day of hiking... I had some fuel concerns (because I only had 100 miles left in the tank) but then decided not to stray far from my overnight parking spot. At first, I spent a little time resting and reading. Eventually, got ready and drove a short distance to see if the Gorman Chairback AMC Lodge had Wifi (I didn't find any). After that (0605), I drove a few miles to the Head the Gulf Trailhead (the western parking area for Gulf Hagas). Unsurprisingly, I was the first one there (the Hedgehog Checkpoint didn’t open until 0600). Unlike yesterday, I wasn’t trying to log any AT miles - although I was scouting the trail system to learn if it could be used to access the AT. The early morning air was brisk (high 40s) but there wasn’t any hint of rain as I began my walk. One thing that made the day “interesting” was the huge number of voracious mosquitos! The first 1.8 miles was pretty easy, with just a few stream crossings. Along the way, I encountered a huge rabbit who paused his run (he was following the trail) just long enough to look me in the eyes and determine I wasn’t a threat - he passed less than two feet from me! A bit later, I found myself at the junction of the Rim Trail and Pleasant River Tote Trail. Taking the former, I walked about a half mile until I arrived at the “Head of the Gulf”, where the West Branch of the Pleasant River made its initial plunge. As I walked along the northern edge of the river, I figured out why the AT crossing (located almost three miles away) was so high and fast. Each waterfall was more spectacular than the last! I had to climb and descend multiple times on the Rim Trail, often on treacherous (slippery) rocks, to view when the canyon below but it was well worth the effort. Passing Stair Falls, Billings Falls and Buttermilk Falls, I came to understand why the locals claim that this place is the “Grand Canyon of the East.” I left the Rim Trail at the midpoint and backtracked. There were trees down in this area and it was much muddier. I passed one guy in this area - he had just started his hike and needed ibuprofen… Upon reaching East Side Road again, I followed the gravel back to my car. Finishing my hike at around 0915, I decided to depart the KI / Jo Mary Multi-Use Forest and head for home. I drove to the Hedgehog Checkpoint and left my receipt - I also got road access and trail information. Next, I drove down to Greenville and, when I found cell signal, replied to several texts and emails I'd missed while I'd been without service (0950). Continued south and stopped for gas at Irving in Greenville (1020). After that, I proceeded south on ME-6 to Monson. I noticed that the AMC Visitor Center was open so went inside to get my 2023 AT Tag (the lady also gave me some tags from previous years). On ME-6 again, I drove to Guilford and turned onto ME-150; I used that road all the way to Skowhegan. Listened to audiobooks on the way. The traffic OK, probably because Juneteenth is still a new Federal Holiday. In Skowhegan, I switched to back streets and US-2 to get to Farmington. I encountered road construction in several places. Next, I bypassed Farmington (ME-156) and then got on US-2. Stopped for lunch at McDonalds in Rumford (1310) and then continued on US-2 all the way to New Hampshire. Reaching NH-115, I drove to Littleton and then used US-302 to reach Woodsville. On the way, I talked to Mollie and Brenna but had lots of problems with bad cell signal. Followed NH-10 to River Road to NH/VT-25 - crossed to Vermont (Bradford) and then used I-91 to get to Norwich. Arrived home at 1600 after a relatively easy drive. Feeling good about my truncated hiking weekend in Maine and hope to return soon!
