01 AT 2021-06-30 WE – from Boston to ME, from Abol Bridge to Rainbow Lake

05:24 – wake up in Boston.
06:08 – depart for Maine.
10:15 – ODO 294.1 – +26°C – drive nonstop to a gas station in Lincoln, ME – 4 miles off route 95. Tires are holding up good. Most likely occasional rattling is from the road, not from the tires. Put in the tank almost 17 gallons for $60. There are 54 miles remaining to the destination. The speed limit here on the highway is 75 mph. In the car I am listening to John Stuart Mill “On Liberty” over YouTube. The subject more and more turning into religious freedom of choice. Very strange. Not what I was expected.
11:26 – ODO 345.8 +23.5°C – arrive to Abol Bridge. How fast all 5 hours of driving ended. And now I am ready to hike 100-mile wilderness from the other side (from the North). This time my wilderness section is 26 miles one way and then back to the car.
11:45 – start toward Hurd Brook Lean-To. Mosquitoes are intense.
Somewhere midway to shelter – start shedding layers of clothing. It is a warm day today – about 27°C. This is the only time on the trip I would convert the pants into shorts.
13:10 – take a break in the middle of the path. I encountered 3 parties with total of 4 people. I ate an apple and an orange. Already picked and “customized” a wooden walking stick. There is one mile to the first Hurd shelter. Lira received a bogus pay-by-the-plate request – we never crossed Tobin bridge last several years.
13:39 – arrive to Hurd Brook shelter. A few short minutes later a south-bound hiker would arrive – Max. He just started the long journey to Georgia. He is full of enthusiasm and vigor. He is done for today and he is staying here tonight. I still have 4 more miles to go today.
I heard some people forged forward just when I arrived, but I just heard their voices. Map shows a 0.4 mi side trail toward Little Hurd Pond, but I do not see any trails here – only AT.
15:18 -15:32 – stopped at a random hill at about 1504 elevation. It is marked on the map. There is a one bar signal here and I am checking the weather again. They are showing 30% rain at 6PM today and 50% chance of rain on Friday (today is Wednesday). Today will be the only warm day. The rest of the trip it will be under 20°C during the day and under 10°C at night. At this point I already transition to a map page 11 at which I will remain for most of the trip. Slowly legs and shoulder are getting accustomed to the backpack load of about 30-35 lbs. Total number of people met are 7 in 6 parties.
Amazon shows that Lira received her water pick, and my Wi-Fi extended will arrive on Saturday, July 3.
16:06 – I am on the Rainbow Ledges – 6.1 mi from Abol Bridge. This is a highlight for today – the high point with large bare rock areas. There are some undefined views into indefinite directions. A bit down the trail the rain is trying to start. I put on the yellow poncho, but it too hot. So, now I am walking and holding the poncho, and rain still hesitates.
17:06 – found a hidden lake camp spot at the Eastern tip of Rainbow Lake. This camp will be call Rainbow Camp. It is gorgeous here. Good comfortable distance away from the trail. Perfect cleat spot. Lake access. Hidden unmarked barely visible side trail. Simply perfect.
First thing is to take a plunge – water is not cold at all. Suddenly, 30% rain materializes. Rain starts, and I scramble to hide my stuff under the rainfly. By the time rainfly is ready – the rain is gone. And sun is out again – playing with double reflections from the pond surface.
There is no signal, but there is powerful mosquitos’ presence.
18:16 – hammock is set. Just barely touching the ground.
Supper of kasha (porridge) from home. No cooking tonight. Not even a tea – just water.
18:32 – climbed into the hammock and start taking notes while it is still light outside. Testing the hammock tension – good – my back is barely touching the ground. Last pictures of the day are taken here -apparently through the hammock netting – very soft colors – almost like a painting.
I can hear people’s voices may be 100 yards away – they are camping as well. But they are along the trail itself.
It was a good idea to write in the hammock. No bugs and good back support. To make writing more comfortable I rolled across the hammock to bring notepad closer to the face.
Once again, for supper today porridge with water. No need to cook anything. Last trip the overriding pleasantry in mind was new OTIS laptop that I could not even use to connect yet. This time the heart-warming theme is my new canopy in the backyard. New stone floor with 81 pavers. I can work and be outside all at the same time. New extension cord for laptop, light, and monitor, plus 3 bags of mulch to make a transition from stone floor to green grass. I even hanged tarps inside the canopy to reduce brightness.
20:01 sun reflecting from water surface and adds light and brightness to the picture. Tree trunks are receiving light from 2 directions.
20:20 turn the light inside the hammock. It is calm, quite warm evening. Today completed as planned and there are plenty of miles ahead for tomorrow. That is a foundation for the happiness.