Livin' For The City

   And by city I really mean town, and by town I really mean the Abol Bridge campstore and restaurant, an oasis at the end of the 100-mile Wilderness. You see, when we left Monson on Friday, 9/27, we thought we had enough food to last us 8 days. That was how long we planned to take to traverse the 100 miles. Three days into the Wilderness, however, we realized that was not the case, and knew we didn't have enough. We had been starving ourselves, trying to ration our food, and felt like crap as a result. So on that third day we finally said 'screw it' and ate a large dinner that night. That put us in a position of needing to do the 100 miles in 7 days, and having no choice, that is what we did.
   The first 40 miles were tough, requiring us to go over Barren Mtn, Fourth Mtn, Third Mtn, Columbus Mtn, and Chairback Mtns in one hard stretch. That was followed the next day by Gulf Hagas Mtn, West Peak, Hay Mtn, and finally White Cap Mtn in another stretch. From the top of White Cap we got our first view of Katahdin in the distance, the goal we had been working over 6 months to reach. After White Cap the remaining 60 miles were relatively flat, but, being Maine, they were still tough. Rocks, roots, and mud were our constant companions. Every step, it seemed, had to be as difficult as possible.
   When I was not bitching at the trail in my head I was dreaming about food, any type of food, really, other than the standard backpacking fare we had been living on for 6 months. Specifically, I became obsessed with reaching Abol Bridge where there was a camp store and real food. And rumors of beer as well.
   As tough as Maine was it was also beautiful, as I have said before, and the Fall colors were at their peak. The temperature was perfect, there were no bugs, and, in short, it was perfect hiking weather and a perfect time to be in Maine. So there was that.
   The trail also passes many lakes along this stretch. Not just lakes, but perfect lakes with beaches and clean shorelines and crystal clear water. Some of them were huge. You could literally go swimming every day if you wanted to. Being the end of September, however, it was a little too cold for that. At least for us, anyhow.
   What we did not get to avoid, however, were the river fords. Sometimes there were three a day, across ice-cold knee-deep rushing water. Sporting, to be sure.
   We finally reached the end of the Wilderness and Abol Bridge on Thursday, 10/3. Our foodbags were empty. We got a campsite with a view of Katahdin and stuffed our faces with food from the store. It was wonderful.