One of the best parts of backpacking rather than day hiking is that you are right on the trail each day, no long drive to the trailhead. There is still a lot of work however. It takes me close to an hour each day to let the air out of mattress, stuff my sleeping bag into its sack, 'unpitch' my tent, have breakfast, and squeeze everything back into my pack.
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The privy at this campsite is considered one of the nicest on the entire Appalachian Trail.
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Don't you just love the name.
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It even has a window with curtains.
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I had a side trail to check out today, so Brent gave me a headstart as I hit the trail.
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I sure wish there were more sections of trail like this.
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View from the north end of Lower Jo-Mary Lake.
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I found my side trail, ditched my pack, and began going up the Potaywadjo Ridge Trail. I could tell it was seldom hiked because it was so overgrown, but the blazing was adequate so I had no trouble following it. After a steep climb of about 10-15 minutes, I came out onto the open ledges of Potaywadjo Ridge.
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I got a great view down to Lower Jo-Mary Lake and could make out a small peninsula which was Antlers Campsite.
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Looking southwest to Jo-Mary Mountain
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I like when deadend trails are appropriately marked. It saves me the time of looking for the next blaze that doesn't exist.
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I can understand why most thru hikers go right past this side trail. They have a mission to get to Katahdin. I on the other hand do my best to hit as many side trails as possible. Even though I live in Maine, I may not ever rehike this section of trail, so I might as well hit the side trails while I'm here. I made my way back down the mountain to the AT. A minute later I stopped at Sand Beach. The name 'Sand Beach' seems a little redundant. Aren't most beaches sand??? To make things more confusing there are several beaches named 'Sand Beach' in the 100 mile wilderness. In fact, we will be camping at one tonight. They are nice though. If it was later in the day I would go for a swim.
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One and a half miles later, I came to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to.
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There was a nice privy here as well. This one was named 'Potty 2'. I never did see 'Potty 1'.
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Brent was at the lean-to waiting for me.
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Together we got back on the trail.
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Near Twitchell Brook we came across this sign.
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We had missed the view of Katahdin from White Cap Mountain because of the weather, so this was our first view of Katahdin. What a beautiful mountain?
I could imagine the excitement that must be building for thru hikers. Since I'm skipping around on the AT, Katahdin won't mark the end of the trail for me, but after two years of section hiking, it's very exciting to see it. It looks close, but the AT zigzags to get there. It is still several days away.
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Overlooking Pemadumcook Lake
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We enjoyed the view, but quickly got back to business.
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Brent on more bog bridging.
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It's time for a very important side trip. I had heard a little about White House Landing and their famous 1 pound hamburgers. Brent and I are ready for a quick escape from the wilderness. Some call it cheating to make this stop. We call it hunger. If you want to make this sidetrip plan on it taking about two hours out of your day. Follow the side trail to Mahar Landing . . .
. . . then take the trail to WHL (White House Landing).
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Brent and I nearly cried when we saw it was .8 miles off the trail. The sound of a juicy, one pound hamburger was so firmly burned into our minds that we had no choice but to continue.
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We hid our packs in the woods. The trail was flat, well blazed, and easy to follow. We were there in no time. We blew one quick short blast with the horn . . .
. . . and waited on the dock.
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We could see White House Landing on the other side.
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Here comes our boat ride.
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The trip across took only a couple of minutes.
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If you make this trip and ditch your pack like we did, you may want to grab your camp shoes or crocks. No boots are allowed inside. The owner let us go in barefoot.
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Bill wears many hats. He is the owner, boat operator, and cook. Keep this in mind as you are waiting on the dock for a ride. He and his wife Linda run White House Landing by themselves and may be busy catering to the needs of other guests.
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Here's my one pound hamburger.
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Some of you may be thinking, "I thought you were a vegetarian." Well, not entirely. I call myself a vegetarian in training. I eat meat an average of one day a week. Well, let me tell you, today's the day.
"I know thru hikers can have major trail hunger. Has anyone ever eaten more than one?" I asked Bill.
"Several people," responded Bill. "In fact, one man came in and asked what the record was. When I said two, he said that he would have three. I told him if he had the stomach for it (and the money) to go for it. He ate all three. He didn't skimp either. He ate the chips and pickles, too."
The deluxe cheeseburger that Brent and I each got was $10. It sounds expensive, but when you stop to think about it, it's quite reasonable. You are paying for the service. It takes Bill and/or Linda three hours to make a roundtrip drive to the nearest town. And remember these are 1 pound hamburgers. How much would 4 quarter pounders from McDonald's cost?
This can also be used as a resupply point. Camp food, batteries, bug spray, and other minor camping gear are all available. Of course, you are going to pay more here. It's not Walmart, but I told Bill that I thought his prices were very reasonable. After all, he's got a long drive to get the supplies and has to make a profit.
Here's a picture of Bill's wife Linda. I'm not sure who the gentleman is.
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What a beautiful spot. You can also spend the night here. I think it's around $35 for a bunk and breakfast.
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Bill and Linda are very helpful to hikers. Last year I met a sobo named Rambo Ron. He said that when he came through White House Landing with his 55 pound pack, Linda helped him go through his pack and get rid of what he didn't really need. She packaged the unnecessary items and mailed it home for him. She saved him about 17 pounds.
Today was a sad day for two young hikers. They were sick and had to stop their thru hike with less than 50 miles to go. What a major disappointment that must be to hike over 2000 miles, be able to see Katahdin, and be unable to finish. The good news was that the hikers live in Maine. If they are able to get well soon, they should be able to come back in a couple weeks, and still have time to finish. It would still count as a thru hike.
We waited for a few minutes until Bill had time to take us across on the boat.
"Considering people need a boat ride across. I guess you've never had a problem with someone not paying."
"Nope, no one has tried to swim away yet."
We reached the dock, thanked Bill for his hospitality, and hiked back to the AT.
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Beach on the southern end of Nahmakanta Lake
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What a beautiful, pristine lake. There wasn't a single boat on the lake or camp along the shore. The lake and surrounding area are part of the Maine Public Reserve Land, Nahmakanta Unit. Brent and I were planning to camp at Sand Beach about 2 miles further up the lake.
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The trail follows the very edge of the lake at times.
Can you see the white blaze on the rock to the right of the bush?
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We had one last hill to climb. This late in the day, it felt like we were climbing Katahdin.
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We finally reached Sand Beach although we never did see the spring.
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We pitched our tents on Sand Beach. (I forgot to get a picture of our tents set up.)
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We went for a quick swim in the lake.
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We had finished off our ravioli last night. Tonight we added water to our dehydrated food and cooked it.
"You know," said Brent, "at home this food would be really gross, but out here it tastes pretty good."
