[at-l] Hundred Mile Wilderness, Day 9

[ARTCLOUTMN@aol.com]

8/10/99  Hurd Brook Shelter

    This was the shortest hike since our first day out, only 7 miles from 
Rainbow Springs to Hurd Brook Lean-To.   The 7 forty year old high school 
boys will hike to Abol Bridge and leave the trail today.  When they were not 
showing off for each other they could be very intellegent interesting people. 
 I really began to enjoy John O by the end of our short association.
    We took our time leaving camp but were still on the trail by 7:30 AM.  
Hiking along the west side of Rainbow Lake heading south seemed pretty 
strange.  Unfortunately the trail was mostly 1/4 of a mile away from the 
lake.  Every once in awhile we got close to the lake.  At one point we could 
look north to a beautiful camp with brown buildings, piers and boats covered 
to protect them from the elements.  I know there is no road leading in to 
this site.  But several times during the morning we heard sea planes taking 
off and landing.  That must be how people access the cottages.  That must be 
how the building materials and supplies were/are shipped in to  provision 
this vacation site.  A lone fisherman in a small boat with an outboard motor 
was cruising around the lake as we admired the view.
    Bog bridges, boulders, rocks and roots were abundant as we hiked along 
the AT but the skies were blue with a strong Northwesterly wind.  Good hiking 
weather and my socks were drying.   The temperature was in the lower 60’s.  
    After two and one half miles the trail headed upward toward Rainbow 
Ridge.  We made it to the top by 12:00 PM and stopped for a lunch and long 
break.  We had a great view of Rainbow lake and peaks we had crossed earlier 
in our hike.  I could not identitfy all of them.  Around the corner was a 
spot were we could see Katahdin framed by Pine trees.  The ridge was covered 
with dead ripe Huckleberries.  We ate berries for 1/2 hour.  Having caught up 
with John O we showed him that contrary to popular opinion Huckleberries were 
edible but a little seedier than blue berries.  I stopped and soaked up the 
rays for a while while John continued to eat Huckle Berries.
    We continued on to Hurd Brook Lean-to arriving by 1:00 PM.  We had a 
second lunch and later dinner.  The gang from the Boys camp caught up with 
us,  the Boy Scouts now back down to 4 - two boys two adults- caught up with 
us but we were already in the shelter.  The Honey Mooners - seventy something 
flip-flopping thru hikers from New London New Hampshire joined us in the 
shelter.  She explained that we would understand why the picked the 
Honeymooners as a trail name by morning.  She said He was Ralph and she is 
Alice.  They move pretty slowly so figure they will not finish this season.  
She started the trail in georgia with a friend who dropped out.  Her husband 
decided to join her so she would not quit.  They ran into some problems when 
a relative became sick so had to leave the trail for awhile.  A young girl 
day hiked in to the shelter to ask if any of us had seen her friend “Leggs” . 
 She read the register then returned back the way she came.  The register is 
the last expected on the trail.  It was filled with emotional messages to 
those that followed and finally most hikers revealed their real names and 
addresses hoping to keep in touch with the friends they had met on the trail. 
 Some were very sad like the hiker who said his life would now be perfect if 
only his divorced parents would get back together.  Time for bed.  We will 
have hiked 100 miles before noon tomorrow.
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