Day 23 - 7/1 - Roots, Rocks, Mud, and the Beauty of Maine’s Wilderness

Rainbow Spring Campground (26.3) to Potaywadjo Spring Shelter (48.3)

The view of Nahamkanta Lake from Nesuntabunt Mountain

This far north, the sun rises early in the summer. I woke up to light filling my tent, thinking I had overslept my 6:30 alarm. My watch, however, read 4:45. I pulled my sleeping bag over my head and slept another hour and a half. Early wake-up notwithstanding, I have a good, quick morning and make it on the trail by 7:30. Even without any significant elevation change, I quickly came to appreciate why Maine’s terrain is so tough and wholly opposed to hiking at any decent speed. There are roots everywhere. Where there aren’t roots, there are rocks. On the rare occasion there are neither roots nor rocks, the trail is either an active stream, or three inches of mud. More often than not, the trail combines all of the above into an all-out assault on ankles and legs. 

Potaywadjo Spring

Even so, the beauty of Maine’s wilderness is undeniable. I had lunch on a rock outcrop atop Nesuntabunt Mountain, looking out over Nahmakanta Lake. As I ate my trail mix, I discovered I even had a bar of cell service to go along with the views, so I called home. In the afternoon I walked along the shore of the lake, sometimes right along the beach. 

My food bag in a bear hang

I made it to camp on the earlier side and was all set up by 6:30. I had Pad Thai for dinner, which would have been delicious, except the noodles really do require hot water to soften. So, I had a very tasty cold Pad Thai with extra crunchy noodles. I finished it off with a few candy bars before hanging my food and heading to sleep early.