8/01/06 Tuesday: Cloud Pond Lean-to to Carl A. Newhall Lean-to (16.8mi)

PICTURES:
1. Cloud Pond at 0615, I was drawing some drinking water from the pond on my way north...you can see the raindrops in the pond... was just a lite shower which passed quickly...
2. The Barren/Chairback Range: View of Third Mtn in the forground and Chairback in the distance from the summit of Fourth Mtn...
3. While descending Chairback, snapped a shot of Gulf Hagas Mtn and White Cap...tomorrows challenge...
4. I hiked a few hours in the afternoon with this section hiker... He did a thru hike last year but was swepted down a stream after slipping on some large boulders.... His friends were a bit ahead of him and he decided to return to Monson and get a ride around the water crossing. So he is back this year to complete the section he missed last year... We took a few minutes at the West Branch crossing of the Pleasant River, the end of his trek and the completion of the AT for him... We celebrated with a soda and chatted about some of our experiences before bidding each other farewell. He left in his pick up and headed south to visit with friends before returning to Indiana and I removed my boots yet again to ford the Pleasant River West Branch viewed in Picture #5.
5. Easy Ford of this wide shallow river... West Branch of the Pleasant River
6. I had some lovely walks in the woods during the afternoon hours...

I was the first out of the shelter at about 0600, with another big day planned. I wanted to make it to a campground half way up the next and final mountain range before Katahdyn... Another 20mile day... After spending a few hours walking north of Cloud Pond, I came to the conclusion that the day might be shorter than previously expected... The mountain range was 15 miles long with multiple peaks and valleys. A real challenge and quite exhausting... At 1130 I arrived at the Chaiback Gap Lean-to... I had covered 7 miles in 4 1/2 hrs... I was exhausted and needed a boost to carry on.. I decided to take some time to carb up here so I decided to cook and eat 4 of my meals for lunch... Well that hit the spot... I did have trouble getting the fourth one down but after finishing lunch I began to feel a lot better and started again on my way north... I had some nice views from Chairback Mtn, and could see the next mountain range of the day fast approaching... Gulf Hagas Mtn and White Cap Mtns would be the last mountain range before entering the "Lakes region" of the 100 mile wilderness.. 50 miles of short climbs and descents around dozens of lakes, many of which were completely uninhabited by man (no camps, boats, etc..) Only the AT and some logging roads... I finished my descent of Chairback and had to ford the west branch of the Pleasant River before entering the Gulf Hagas area, the "Little Grand Canyon" of the East. The ford was again difficult and added another 30min to my trip but though stressful was uneventful. I had visited Gulf Hagas before and decided I did not have the time to visit it today and make it to the shelter up Gulf Hagas Mtn... So I passed by the side trail leading to it on this trip... I would be back in the future to again walk through its awe inspiring canyons and watch the multiple falls. I met many families day hiking through the AT section of the Gulf before leaving the Gulf and heading up Gulf Hagas Mtn... Most of the afternoon was a lovely walk along Gulf Hagas Brook before finally arriving at Carl A Newhall Lean-to. There were two section hikers there and they moved over a bit to make room for me in thid 6 person shelter... I could begin to hear thunder in the distance and decided to call it a day here. So I had another 2 meals for dinner and prepared my section of the shelter for spending the night... I chatted with the other two hikers, 2 women who met after one of the women from Mississippi placed an add in the AT Journeys magazine. They had become best of friends and had hiked all over the US together from the PCT in Califournia to many different sections of the AT... We all had quite a show that night in the shelter with a severe series of thunder storms passing through the thunder was loud with the lightning illuminating the woods surrounding the shelter... I slept well and we all would wake to a beautiful morning, though wet from the torrential downpour from the nights storms...