Maine AT hike, day #3

Monday, August 14, 2017
Start: Carl Newhall Lean-to
End: Cooper Brook Lean-to
Miles: 18.9
Elevation gained/lost: 3835'/4846'
Listening to: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #2)

My body woke me up around 5:45am; I was out of camp and on trail by 6:45am.

My first ~10 miles was a lot of climbing. I climbed over Gulf Hagas Mountain (2681'), West Peak (3178'), Hay Mountain (3244'), and White Cap Mountain (3650'). Later in the day, I climbed Little Boardman Mountain (1980'). Over the course of the day, I passed by Logan Brook and East Branch Lean-tos. The climbing was tough but the terrain was not as difficult or technical as the first day's climbs.

I arrived at Cooper Brook Lean-to by 4:30pm. I was gloriously alone until around 6pm, when I was joined by Noon Noodle, Morning Star, and a couple (all sobo flip floppers). I'm sharing the shelter with Noon Noodle and Morning Star.

I took enjoyed being the only person at the shelter for a while by taking a swim/bath. It was so nice to rinse off the dried salt and wash one of my two pairs of boxers. It's the first time I've taken a topless swim on the AT, and only the second time I've gone swimming on the AT.

And while the shelter is directly on a brook, the mosquitos aren't awful. They're enthusiastic and persistent but they're not bad enough for me to favor a tent. Based on the grapevine, we're supposed to have some thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. We shall see what happens when it happens.