| September 02, 2005 |
|
The last 1.9 miles going into Rainbow Springs Lean-to
has been very rough, rocky and extremely rooty. However some
of the water in the area where the north bounders was telling me was
really bade and that they were wading water about up to their knees
has receded, so I've been hiking in water and able to get around
some of the real muddy areas where it didn't sink to my knees. |
|
Kind of off to my side now I noticed that
the lady slippers, they have already bloomed, but the plant is still
green and every now and I still see end of the blossoms and is seed
berry. The trilliums are also still green, but they have
little red berries on them and every now and then I'll see one which
falls off. The other thing I'm noticing here in and I've never
really noticed it before is pachysandra growing in the wilds.
this a vine that people plant. On around the lake I guess. |
|
The sun is shinning where it can through
the tree canopy. I'm still in the pines. It's a warm day
so I'm thankful for that. Maybe we're out of this rain.
The water in Rainbow Stream is extremely high. I knew it would
be because the lake is high. |
|
Certainly glad I didn't come up through
this section last night. All the roots and the mud in the
trail and there was one section where I lost the white marks where
people have been going around to try to avoid the water. It
took me a few minutes back track and figure where I had made my
mistake. I knew I had to go into what looked a stream bed and
I picked it right up there. |
|
The moss on these big rocks is just
beautiful. The weaker pines have fallen and the moss has taken
them over which gives it a spooky appearance. Especially the
evenings. Moss growing everywhere like a big old carpet. |
|
Finally made it to Rainbow Stream Lean-to
(The home of the AT's best totem pole.) at 9:50am. I
left a 7:50am from the camp grounds. I'm not quite making 2
miles an hour. It was so rough and rocky and difficult to make
any time. Plus you had the water and the mud and to slop
through. I'm going to take a break here for a couple of
minutes, have a mid morning snack and I'll be on my way. |
|
It's 2.4 miles to Pollywog Stream and 8.1
miles to Wadleigh Stream Lean-to. Hopefully I'll at least make
it to Wadleigh. Time is 10:10am |
|
The trail went up on higher grounds from
the lean-to. I did have one stream crossing. The trail
is still rooty and rocky, but not as wet. I thinking of taking
off my water shoes and being able to put my boots back on. I
haven't had my boots on in two days. The wood is hanging a
little bit, I'm getting into a little bit of more of hard wood
trees, still a lot of pine though. Not as much moss or ferns.
Getting to various kinds of undergrowth. Well so much for no
water. I have a bog old mud puddle I have to try to cross.
The trail must follow Rainbow Stream. Right now I hiking
almost beside of it. Except up higher. A fast moving
creek.
I can
hear the water's fast roar. Kathy It's
on the deep side in some places. Very rocky too. |
|
Going up the nice set of rock steps that
they have put in. It just amazes me how much they can do with
all these rocks from GA to MA. I came out into a gravel
roadway, that leads to a bridge that goes over Pollywog stream.
It's 11:30am so I've made decent time coming through. I don't
know where the blaze turns off, but I still hiking down the gravel
road, oh I see it right now! Boy there was no blazes at all,
it just luck I saw it. I seem to be following Pollywog stream
right up to Crescent Pond. The trail has a lot of boulders and
roots in it. Still hardwood forest. It's been
pretty hiking down through here, had some big boulders to go up over
and go around. |
|
Going straight up the hill from the stream
through tall pines, large boulders and moss carpet. A lot of
trees are down in this area. This is very interesting, I was
coming down off the hill and got into a turn area on the AT, but it
looked like you could also go straight. There is a path where
you can go straight and I look in the trees and could see a sign but
I couldn't make out what it said, so I went to my right and se if
could figure out what it said, you'll never guess, Vermont!
I didn't realize that I was this close to Vermont in this area.
I'll have to take out the old map and look at that. |
|
This area is nothing but steep hills, moss
covered boulders and pines. A lot of dead pines and stuff
laying around. I just had to crawl over a huge pine that fell
over into the lane. It was all I could do to get my leg up
over it. It was a good thing the there was a tree there that I
could hold on to. It must have bee 24 to 30 inches in
diameter. |
|
It looks like I'm going around the Crescent
Pond area. A big trees sticking out of the water. A
swampy area. The lake itself was pretty. Pine trees grow
right down to the edge of it. There are several fishing boats
laying over on their side. People must be able to rent those
boats and come and fish on the lake. |
|
Coming away from Crescent Pond I had a
pretty good hill ascend. It was really rocky and rooty.
Once I got up there it was smooth in the pines and hike the ridge
line across and came out on to a gravel road. Crossed it and
beck into the woods. When I crossed the gravel the AT sign , I
glanced up the road and I saw several cars parked in a little
parking beside the road. Must be people fishing. |
|
I must be climbing Nesuntabunt Mountain.
1,520 feet. It's an Indian word. It's gradual roller
coaster climb. Massive rocks and I've gotten into some water
in the trail again. Really rooty. I was climbing
on a rock to try to step up to the next level and put my pole down
on the rocks and leaned on the pole, it slipped out from under me
and I slid off that rock. I caught myself before I really
completely fell down. |
|
I'm standing on a huge flat boulder and have a
beautiful view form here. I'm over looking a lake, lined with
pines, off into the distance I can still see Mt. Katahdin and
that range. The sky is really a beautiful blue and the clouds
are white and puffy. The water from up here looks deep and
blue. I don't know the name of the lake, but it sure is
pretty. The side of this mountain is a rock wall mirrored in
the lake. There also massive boulder above me off to my right.
I thing I'm headed right up toward those. |
|
I ran into some Maine trail maintainers
that are working on the trail today. They've been out here a
couple of days. When I was coming up the mountain it looked
like some of the steps had just been put in. Interesting
people, they do good work. I have finally reached the top of
Nesuntabunt trail. 1,560 feet. Headed down! |
|
Coming down off this mountain is rough.
The maintainers have done a big serious of steps coming down off the
mountain and they were slippery. My foot hit one of those
steps and slid and I went backwards and sat down hard. It
makes twice that I've done that. It didn't hurt me, probably a
bruise on my rear end. This area is cut in between two hills.
Big rock boulders along the sides with no let-up. Dead trees
laying all around the place and covered with moss. It's
pretty, it is rugged. The second time down has to be the charm
for me, I slipped again and went down again. I'm still in this
area that gives you a feeling that you're down in a canyon, with the
stones all around and huge boulders. It would be spooky at
night, I wouldn't want to come through here at night. |
|
Coming the hill isn't marked very good, it
looks like it's marked pretty good going up the hill. I
followed the creek down and then I realized I hadn't seen any more
marks. I glanced back and saw one over to my right crossed the
creek and came back over. |
|
Coming into Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, it's
4:00pm. I'm going to stay here for the night, get my supper
and get to bed early. |
|
Swing'n Jane |
|
Back To Top |
Next Page |
