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Appalachian Trail – Monson, Maine

Maine
Monson
100-mile Wilderness

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

- Doug Horton

August 2000.
I took a zero day in Monson and treated myself to a private room at Shaw’s. I stayed in the house across the street and found Missing Link, his son, and his son’s friend all staying there too! They had a rental car and drove into the nearby town for the day and were kind enough to give me a ride. We went shopping and then Missing Link and I had lunch while his son and friend rented kayaks for the afternoon. It was a great day! The next day I set out to do the “100-mile Wilderness” which is supposed to be a 100-mile stretch of trail with no paved roads intersecting it at all. They say it’s supposed to be the most desolate stretch of the entire trail. Well I guess the SUV’s have made their way to the fire roads in the wilderness and actually I saw more day hikers in that stretch that I had seen for weeks!

Wondergimp and Mr. Shaw

Woodchuck, Greyhound and I started the 100-mile wilderness together and camped on a fire road the first night. We had to walk through a forest fire that was burning right on the trail earlier in the day (Woodchuck helped contain the fire by peeing on the burning embers). The next day we did 16 miles and camped at East Chairback Pond with G-Force and Crinkle.

Wondergimp, Woodchuck and Greyhound at the start of the 100-mile Wilderness

Journal Entry 8.8.00
“86 miles to go !!”

The following day it was cloudy and rainy and G-Force, Woodchuck, Crinkle and I did 15 miles to the Logan Brook Lean-to. It was the first time in a long time that we were in a shelter with only other thru-hikers and we were so happy to have it to ourselves. There were no views of Katahdin from White Cap Mountain that day.

Journal Index

Georgia – Overview And the poop on the Trail Divorce

0 (miles from Georgia) – Springer Mountain, Georgia Whose idea was this again??
87.7 – Georgia / North Carolina Aint no all-inclusive package vacation story…
161.7 – Fontana Dam, North Carolina No Rain, No Pain, No Maine
204.6 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park I My deodorant gets the heave-ho!
268.7 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park II The Food Appreciation Trail
336.5 – North Carolina / Tennessee & Trail Names How the Gimp got her name
390.7 – North Carolina / Tennessee The famous Roan Mountain hitch
452.9 – Crossing into Damascus, Virginia 3 states down, 11 to go!
516.7 – Grayson Highlands State Park Roughin it at Partnership Shelter
573.3 – Bland, Virginia My wonderful trail angels!
665.3 – Pearisburg, Virginia The switch from boots to sandals
767.4 – Catawba / Troutville, Virginia Heat wave in Virginia
839.4 – Montebello / Rockfish Gap, Virginia ‘Hiking with Gimpy Sr.
920.0 – Shenandoah National Park Rattlesnakes, Jack Daniels, and bears – oh my!
988.3 – Front Royal, Virginia Invasion of the Boy Scouts
1001.1 – Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia The mental half-way point
1061.4 – Maryland / Pennsyltucky Y’all done drank enough beer!
1123.8 – Duncannon, Pennsylvania The Half-Gallon Challenge
1208.9 – Port Clinton, Pennsylvania $1 Yuengling drafts and the rocks of PA
1283.9 – Pennsylvania / New Jersey Friends and family visit WonderGimp
1334.2 – High Point, New Jersey Rain, rain, rain, trail magic, and more rain
1440.7 – Bear Mountain, New York Hike Naked Day!
1486.1 – Kent, Connecticut Gimpy Sr. and Barkeater hike with W.Gimp
1543.8 – Great Barrington, MassachusettsWelcome to Mosquito Hell
1618.0 – Massachusetts / VermontPhoton and strobe lights for the 4th of July
1687.3 – Killington, Vermont The Inn at the Long Trail
1738.1 – New Hampshire Live Free or Die!
1794.4 – North Woodstock, New Hampshire Gettin’ above treeline
1814.4 – AMC-land, New Hampshire Entering the White Mountains!
1854.0 – Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire Mooning the tourists on Mt. Washington
1869.2 – Gorham, New Hampshire My first Moose sighting!
1920.7 – Andover, Maine The way Life should be…
1979.3 – Rangeley, Maine Closing in on the end
2015.6 – Kennebec River, Maine Eye of the Tiger!
2095.7 – Monson, Maine 100-mile Wilderness
2152.0 – Abol Bridge, Maine Katahdin is in sight!
2167.1 – Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin, Maine Goodbye Capilene – Hello Cotton!!

Other Pages:
Map – Yep, 14 states
Gear – What to Bring
FAQs – See for yourself
Glossary (learn the AT lingo)
Links to Additional Info
Trail Injuries Everything from blisters to swampfoot
Trail Privies Bring your own TP
Class of 2000 Katahdin Thru-Hiker Pictures