[at-l] Quick Katahdin Trip

[Snodrog5 at aol.com (Snodrog5@aol.com)]

Hi at-lers,
 Hope your birthday was a good one, Weary.
 The Perimeter Road was only open to the foot of Abol Hill, the Kettle Pond 
trails were open - loaded with deer, moose, and coyote tracks and scat. Tented 
at Sunday Pond, just south of the Park entrance, full bright Moon, 
whippoorwills, loons, and loud loud peeps. You can see the cairn on Baxter Peak from here 
with binoculars, pretty windy but still a nice campsite. 
 There's still snow on top, not too much though for this time of year. Do not 
count on the AT opening early - a Ranger needs to check it out in person, and 
they have other things to do opening weekend. Streams are down, inside their 
banks, with the footbridges in fine shape from Abol Bridge to Nesowadnehunk 
Stream. Hurd Brook was crossed with dry feet. Still cold, frost Weds morning, 
ice under the bog bridges. Woods were pretty dry, fire danger 'high' said Smoky. 
Lots of Moose on the roadside, be careful driving up 95 and on Rte 11.
 Abol Bridge will NOT be open to cars until at least Memorial Day weekend, 
the repairs are taking much longer than expected, hikers can still cross in 
foot. They might add a night shift to move things along.
 Lots of logging going on between the AT and the river. 30+ pickups were 
parked on the Greenville side, all belonging to logging crews according to 
bridgeworkers. They're stockpiling logs until mud season ends and the bridge reopens. 
The Millinocket mill will open up again then. The noise from chainsaws and 
tractors near the spring (scheduled for an MATC worktrip) was unbelievably loud 
and seemingly close, the only downer of the trip. A girl and her dog were 
hiking out from Rainbow Lake, she had her walkman cranked to drown out the logging 
noise!
 TuckeredJ