100 Mile Wilderness
A van pulls over after about ten minutes. Two canadians let us and our gear in. Oh man -- they are plowed. Kind guys -- they offer us brews, but we decline. It'll be a long enough day. Empties are rolling around on the floor of the van. They're giggling, singing to the radio, and we're going way too fast on these curvey Maine roads. It's only three miles, but it feels a whole lot longer than 3 minutes. They blast past the trailhead on Maine 15. 'Whoa, fellas, there goes the trail.' They come to a very sudden stop - and we're just glad to get out of the car and wave thank you. Either Mariner or Seuss offered a quiet wish for a safe journey as they sped off, not for them as much as for the rest of the drivers.
We don packs and step off the right shoulder and back on to the A.T. Thus begins the 100 mile wilderness.
The top sign is a mileage post:
APPALACHIAN TRAIL
Big Wilson Stream 9.9 M. Barren Mtn -2670F 18.2 White Cap -3844 40.9 Abol Bridge 97.5 Katahdin -5267 112.00
The small middle sign:
Monson 4.0 mi
And the bottom sign had this helpfulness:
CAUTION
There are no places to obtain
supplies or help until you reach
Abol Bridge - 90 miles north.
You should not attempt this section
Unless you carry a minimum of ten
days' supplies. Do not underestimate
the difficulty of this section.
Good hiking!
M.A.T.C