September 23 -- Day 176
Destination: Katahdin Stream Campground, then to Millinocket
Today’s miles: 13.3
Trip miles: 2161.8
Moo-oo-OOOSE! Okay, now that was a fulfilling moose encounter. Just after the four of us left the shelter at 6:30 a.m., we stopped abruptly. I was in front and stopped so short that Split P nearly ran right into my backpack. Our conversation ceased immediately and we all listened. The bushes just ahead and to the right of us were moving, and two tones of guttural grunts--or maybe what you'd call throaty moans--emanated from the shaking leaves. First appeared the cow as she crossed our path maybe twenty feet in front of us. She was followed by her yearling calf, who paused for a long moment to look us over.
"Look, ma," the young moose was probably saying telepathically, "it's more of those funny-looking, two-legged creatures."
Then came the prize: a fully-mature bull with an awesome rack. He too stopped to look us over, probably thinking, Man, those creatures are ugly. He slowly followed cow and calf, continually grunting at the lady, as she grunted back. His grunts actually seemed a little whimpery (is that a word?), while hers sounded stern. I think the bull was saying, "Pleeeease!" and the cow was answering, "Nope, not yet." This is, after all, mating season, apparently the only time of year you'd see Mom, kid, and Mom's suitor hanging out together. They didn't seem to care all that much that we mesmerized hikers stood so close, watching and occasionally snapping pictures. Cow and calf stopped to eat, while the big guy stood there admiring her, frequently grunt-moaning, "Pleeease!" But she wasn't cutting him any slack. He'd slowly turn his big head to look at us over his shoulder, and I think he was sending us the message: "She likes me. She really, really likes me." After about a half hour, the three moosekateers--sorry, couldn't resist--slowly moved on, and so did we. It was awesome!
Arriving at Abol Bridge was pretty neat--another one of those milestones for me. Abol Bridge is just that: a bridge over the Penobscot River. A big sign read, "Abol Bridge: Closed," because there's construction going on, but the pedestrian part (which is also used for snowmobiles, as evidenced by the grooves in the wood) was open. At nin a.m., noon, and probably two or three more times during the day, the bridge is briefly opened for traffic to pass. When we got to the bridge at around 8:15, there was a line of trucks, cars, and vans waiting to cross, most with canoes and kayaks on top. We saw people in wet suits, holding paddles, men with fishing gear, and hunters standing around outside the small store at the bridge. We hikers left our packs outside and went in to get some breakfast and ask about the closest phone. As we'd heard, it was ten miles away. Lucky for us, though, we found Sweep sitting in his truck as he waited for his girlfriend, Stretch, to hike in. He had plenty of time before her arrival, so he kindly drove us to the Trading Post pay phone and then to the Baxter State Park entrance gate to make a reservation for Katahdin Stream Campground for Sunday night. You have to do that in person or mail in payment.
So here's what we did and what we’ll do: Sweep took us back to Abol Bridge after we made our calls. We hiked on to Daicey Pond, which is within the park. There we found Bob--the same Bob from Mohican Outdoor Center in NJ, from our NYC side trip, and from Pinkham Notch/Gorham--waiting for us in his Bronco. We registered with the friendly ranger, who took down our names, addresses, and trail names and gave us our A.T.C. 2,000-miler applications after asking us if we'd hiked the entire A.T. in this one year (except for the few remaining miles, of course). We then hiked another two and a half miles to Katahdin Stream Campground, while Bob drove around to pick us up there. He brought us back here to a hotel in Millinocket, where we found a number of our friends who'd summitted today and a few who plan to summit with us on Monday, and we all enjoyed a laughter- and conversation-filled dinner. Tomorrow (Sunday) looks like a definite wash-out, so we'll take the day to rest and relax, then return to the park and Katahdin Stream Campground in the early evening, spend the night there, and begin our final climb (5.3 miles and 4,000 feet elevation gain) to the summit on Monday morning at first light. It looks like Monday will be the fair-weather day between two periods of rain. It's an amazing-looking mountain we're about to climb, not to mention an exposed one. I definitely prefer to wait for a clear day to complete my thru-hike.
As the Eagle's song goes, I have a "peaceful, easy feeling" right now. Yes, I'm excited, thrilled, and already nostalgic. I'm also completely content. One of the many things that makes a thru-hike special, in my opinion, is that it has an ending. Cherish each day as much as the last, I say. Sometimes that can be so much easier said than done, especially when you're cold and wet and aching and smelly and craving what you can't get to, but, on those days, when you can find it somewhere inside yourself to smile, you feel so good.
Well, once again, I didn't get around to what I meant to babble about last night, but, also once again, I'm tired. I think I'll take my now-clean, hair-conditioned, leg-and-pit-shaved self and put me in bed. I hear Mule talking to his lady on the phone, saying, "Mixed emotions--all sad and glad at the same time." Yep, me too, and so much more.
--Ramkitten
