Date: 2017-09-25
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0

9/25Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to13.0 miles Total miles: 2066.6With the days continuing to shorten, getting up at 5:00, breaking camp in the dark, and hiking out at daybreak has become the new norm. It also promised to be another very warm day, so I wanted to hike in the cool of the morning as long as possible. It became warm very early, and the heat and humidity actually reminded me of home. Hiking up Moxie Bald Mountain was the first object of the day. Moxie Bald is the last mountain before Monson. It was a steep, but fun, climb, and I soon found myself nearing the summit. There was a marvelous view from near the top. I never lose the feeling of awe that comes over me when I get to the point where such views open up to me. I'm not good enough with words to adequately describe these scenes, and photos can only show so much. The sheer vastness of the vistas are simply overwhelming. Approaching the treeless summit, I hiked directly into the sun, which made it difficult to see the trail ahead of me. I caught a silhouette of Tengo hiking ahead of me and took a quick photo. I soon reached the top and rested there awhile, enjoying the views. What goes up, must come down, so I then descended the mountain and arrived at Bald Mountain Pond. I paused there to take in that view as well, and to obtain water, since I was drinking a lot in the heat. A little frog swam up to see what I was doing and kindly posed for a photo  before swimming away to do what frogs do on beautiful warm days in Maine. The trail flattened out after that, although there were many short sections where it went up or down rather steeply. I made good time, although I was soaked in sweat all day. I told myself that it certainly beat cold and sleet, which has been my biggest concern. Tengo and I stopped for lunch at Marble Brook, yet another beautiful brook of which Maine has so many. Tengo, an avid fly fishermen, explained to me which flies he would use and where and how he would drop them into the water when (not if, but when) he returns for fishing. After lunch, we continued on to the west branch of the Piscataquis River. This is another major river that must be forded, and a rope is stretched across the river to hold onto so the current doesn't drag you downstream. The water level was so low, however, that I was able to carefully walk across on some narrow logs that stretched across the river, and I didn't even get my feet wet. Another hot three miles found me at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to. Tengo, Gravity, and I had discussed the possibility of continuing on a few more miles to a possible stealth tent area near Shirley-Blanchard Road, but we decided that it was getting too late (5:00) and we should just call it a day. It was a bit of a walk to the stream for water (a closer spring was dry). I set up camp, cooked dinner, and headed for another early bedtime. I am presently nine miles from Monson. Another early departure is planned in the morning, and I hope to reach Monson by late morning or early afternoon. As I noted before, Monson is the gateway to the 100 Mile Wilderness, which I will begin the day after tomorrow. I continue to try to be very careful while hiking along the slick rocks and roots. I learned from a southbounder today that another hiker who I know fell and broke her wrist yesterday in the same area I will hike tomorrow. Hopefully, I will remain injury-free as I begin the next, and almost final, chapter of my thru hike. I was told on a very clear day you can see Katahdin from Moxie Bald, but there was far too much haze today. It won't be too many more days, however, until I can see her, and then a few days after that to summit her, as my six-month journey nears its end.