Trail Journal 09.25.02

Another long day--16.3 miles into East Branch Lean-to.  Climbed four peaks along the way:  Gulf Hagas Mountain, West Peak, Hay Mountain and White Cap Mountain.  White Cap was the last big peak (3,650') before Katahdin and gave me my first good view of that peak.  Katahdin is a ridge unto itself, rising out of lowlands.  Only a few small ridges and knobs lie between us and Katahdin now and if the trail and the weather are good, we should fly.  Which reminds me of a thought from yesterday.  We had it easy down south.  Sure, we had to contend with long climbs but not so many as in New England.  And the trail was much better in the south; I didn't have to watch every step like I do here.  Or maybe it wasn't that it wasn't so much that it was easy down south as it is that trail is much harder up here.