Days 70 - 71 on the Trail

Dave called from the top of Whitecap Mountain on Wednesday.  I didn't realize until I was googling Whitecap Mountain that he is probably within shouting distance of Kat Tremblay's ski condo. (Postscript on Saturday:  I pulled out my AAA Maine map yesterday and discovered Dave's White Cap Mtn. is not close to Kat's.  In fact, by googling more, I found at least 4 Whitecap/White Cap Mtns in Maine. If you happen to look at a AAA map, the Appalachian Trail is printed in dashes, and he was about half way between Monson and Baxter State Park.  My friend Lynn has a camp on Long Pond -- without even trying I found 3 Long Ponds. Maine is a big state amongst the little New England states.)

As of 08/31/11:
Miles in the last two days - approx. 25
Miles to date - approx. 782

Since I don't know what campground Dave hiked to, I can't be exact about the mileage, but this is close.

Hurricane Irene over Maine

He said the trail is "crappy" after all the rain from Irene and the streams are swollen but he's making steady progress.  When he first called he was getting concerned about Chainsaw.  Even though they had decided to hike together, Chainsaw was nowhere to be seen Wednesday morning.  The other hikers, Dave, Buckeye Flash, Pilgrim and Deadman saw him Tuesday afternoon, but they did not know where he pitched his tent in the evening. He did not check in with them in the morning, so after waiting a while, the hikers decided to get going.  When Dave called me, he was at a spot near the top of Whitecap, resting, waiting for Chainsaw and getting chilled.  By this time, the hikers were wondering if indeed he had left before them, or if possibly something had happened to him the previous evening.

Dave waited about another 30 minutes, then called the group that went ahead, and they had found Chainsaw.  Dave was aggravated that after agreeing to hike together for safety reasons, Chainsaw had struck out on his own without letting anyone know where he was.  I'm wondering if Dave will still be hiking with him in the next few days.  I should hear from him again tonight.