[at-l] AT on Katahdin open 6/3

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

  The Hunt Trail up Katahdin is now open. With the Katahdin Stream Ranger's 
permission I climbed Friday morning up onto the Hunt spur, past some rotten 
snow and a few small glaciers, but the AT was safe to use in my opinion. I had 
promised not to summit, and headed back down to report feeling all heroic-like, 
only to meet an off duty Ranger down by the Falls who was going up to see if 
he could climb to the summit. After both of our reports the Trail was declared 
open by HQ.
  Two bridges are out on the AT inside Baxter. The Foss-Knowlton Bridge and 
the cabled planks over the South branch of Nesouderhunk Stream were destroyed 
by high water. Foss-Knowlton is a wicked roaring ford where the bridge was 
(bridges are placed at the shortest span, always best to look for fords above and 
below washed out bridges), and the other one had a jungle gym of flotsam and 
smashed planks for a knee deep white water traverse.
 Two southbounders who turned back at the second ford were going to flip down 
to Virginia. Met Augie, Blake and Mike, Tess and Rob, Keith and Lisa, all 
doing well and heading south. Tess, from Oz, had never seen a moose. I spotted a 
cow and calf near the Birches, ran to get her and Rob, and the moose were 
still there when we went back. Rather amazing actually, because that kind of thing 
seems to never work out.
 Liqidation logging continues at high speed adjacent to Baxter's southern 
border and the AT corridor where it enters the Park. The sweet scent of fresh cut 
wood strongly flavors the air at the Abol Stream bridge. 
 Blackflies and Skeeters were out, annoying at times.
 Pictures, more thoughts, later.
Tuckered TJ