I was awake at 0530 and my dad made me a sandwich for breakfast. The weather looked good initially but, as I was getting packed, it started to rain. This was disappointing but, fortunately, it stopped within the hour. Seeing this as my best shot to hike the AT section I had planned, I said goodbye to my dad at around 0630 and started walking towards the AT trailhead on Logan Brook Road. Surprise: I found the KI/Jo-Mary gate open - had I known about this, I could have saved about 0.25 miles of extra hiking... It started raining again but I soon entered an area with good tree canopy. Fortunately, this allowed me to stay relatively dry as I started my climb up White Cap (SOBO on the AT). It wasn’t too warm (temps in high 60s) but the dampness soaked all of my clothes in the first hour. I thought it was strange not to encounter any other hikers for the first three hours because I knew there were Thrus in the area... Before long, I reached the empty Logan Brook Shelter. Continuing on, I passed the Logan Brook Gorge that, supposedly, had a "view" but I never saw anything but fog. The trail before that had been relatively gentle but the next segment had a steep climb to the summit. Nasty weather conditions continued until I came out of the trees but I still had to hike for a little longer before I was at the "official top" of the mountain. My dad and I have usually had a deal where he waits for an hour at the trailhead before driving on to the next meet-up point - if I get cell signal I update him on ETAs and other issues. This time, I had a signal myself but he (apparently) did not (I learned later that he was already repositioning to the other end of the section). While I was trying to perform this check-in from the ridge-line, I (finally) began encountering NOBOs and 100 Mile Wilderness section hikers who were starting downhill. Each had interesting stories to tell about their journeys - two had hiked the PCT and one was just a few miles shy of a Triple Crown (“700”). In addition to the thick fog, a cold breeze picked up above the tree line so I quickly made my way across the ridge. One benefit of the breeze, though, was that it dried my clothes a little… Back in the trees again, I next had to navigate through a series of climbs and descents of peaks above 3000 feet - my foot did not like this... It took me much longer than I’d planned to reach the end of the higher elevation and I didn’t actually push over (from Gulf Hagas Mountain) until around 1300. Fortunately, the next few hours were *mostly* on a downhill grade. On the negative side, this meant LOTS of roots, rocks, downed trees and mud. Along the way, I met four Germans (NOBO Thru “Hangry Jack”, from near the Bodensee, and three SOBO Berliners who were hiking all of Maine). I also passed three buddies (on a weekend section of the HMW) who were soaking their feet in the river and several other NOBO Solos. All told, I met (and chatted with) 21 other hikers! The sun came out as I descended towards the end of the section and it got quite warm (high 70s). I had to maneuver through a lot of watery/boggy areas during this time but, at least, didn’t fall into any of the pools or streams… Despite the constant pain in my foot, I kept on plodding south until I reached Screw Auger Falls, about a mile from the Katahdin Iron Works Road (where my dad was waiting). I passed a large family who were enjoying the cold waterfall and found a much better trail surface in the area - I think this is because many of the locals walk this stretch to the Ol’ Swimming Hole. Some of the kids followed me to the West Branch of the Pleasant River, asking questions about my AT hike. When it was time for me to wade through the river (with my Crocs), I was relieved to find that it was only shin deep for me - this was probably two feet lower than when I was at the same location last month and made for a much easier crossing. After getting my hiking boots on again, I only had a short quarter mile to walk before I found my dad (1600). The parking lot where he was waiting (Eastern Access for Gulf Hagas) was packed and he was down the KI Road a little ways. It took me a bit of time to recover completely and feel a bit drier. While he waited for me to be ready to leave, my dad asked me questions about the day. I gave him my assessment: this was quite a challenging hike, with lots of physical and psychological obstacles to overcome. But I also told him I was glad I could check off a big section in the middle of Maine and that I only have about 25 miles left in the HMW! My dad was very glad to have been able to assist. He did, however, request that we depart by a different route (KI Checkpoint vice Hedgehog Checkpoint) because he really didn’t like the road quality on the route he used in the morning. I knew a quicker way out of the Multi-use Area (faster to pavement too) so we drove out to ME-11 and used it to reach ME-6. We next drove to Dover-Foxcroft, where we ate dinner at McDonald’s (1915). At my request, we sat down in the restaurant for our meal - I was still recovering... My dad said he didn't want to camp in the woods and I tried to call a campground for a reservation (no luck). Dad then recommended we find a Walmart parking lot nearby and I found one in Skowhegan. We were done eating at 1945 and continued west on ME-6 to ME-150. It started to rain on the way - I was glad I'd missed this inclement weather during my hike. We arrived at the Super Walmart on US-201 in Skowhegan at 2045. The parking lot was full of RVs and campers and my dad said it was the most he'd ever seen at a Walmart. By the time we found our own place to park, it was already 2130. After getting settled (and doing a little reading and puzzles), I tried to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it was quite loud at this time of night. After 2215, however, it got really quiet and I was able to fall asleep by 2230. Hoping that my foot recovers overnight so I can keep chipping away at the remaining AT mileage! AT Today = 14.8 miles / Grand Total AT = 2137.1 miles / AT Left = 48.2 miles
