9/08/01
We got a leisurely start this morning since we faced relatively flat terrain and only 16 miles to hike. We were the last of the thru-hikers to leave the shelter around 8:30. We faced a short, but steep little climb, then leveled off before climbing again to the top of Little Boardman Mtn. We stopped on a little rock outcrop on Boardman for a rest in the heat and for a check on my weather radio for the forecast. We are hiking to schedule our summit of Katahdin, hopefully in decent weather. After listening to a favorable forecast into early next week, we descended Little Boardman, then reached Crawford Pond, where we stopped on the sandy beach. Bad Moon, Leslie, Long Shanks, Blur and Smitty had just finished taking a dip when we arrived. They convinced Priceless to take a swim in the chilly water, but I couldn't find the courage or strength to jump in. Instead, my famished body craved lunch, so I stuffed myself despite the fact that it was only 11 a.m. After lunch we hiked on another 3 miles to Cooper Brook Falls lean-to, which had a gorgeous waterfall right next to the shelter. The heat was sweltering for a September Maine day. I took a nap in the shelter for a half hour before resuming the hike. Phantom had already taken off ahead, so Finn and Priceless and I pushed the next 7 1/2 miles together. We got to the Antlers campsite around 5:20 p.m. The campsite was for tenting only and was situated on a peninsula on the very large Lower Jo-Mary Lake. It was one of the prettiest camping spots on the AT. Phantom and I set up tents, while Priceless and Finn cowboyed. Before the evening was over, Swagman, Jeremiah Johnson, and Grasshopper joined us at the campsite. I was anxious to eat dinner first, then chilled out on the beach before returning to the site area for the evening. It was so hot in the tents we couldn't sleep, but Priceless was the one really suffering, with no bug screen. Maine has been virtually bug free until now that we're out of the mountainous highlands. The elevation along the valley is less than 1,000 feet in most places, so the mosquitoes and no-see-ums have returned to pester us for the balance of the journey. The guys are anxious to finish and I personally am tired of hiking. Soon it will be over and we'll go our separate ways. The mental aspect of the hike is really playing with us as we grind out these last miles. Katahdin is so near, yet seems so far away! Today's stats: low 62, high 87. Sunny and hot. Today's mileage: 16.0; cumulative mileage: 2116.3.
