Date: 2009-09-16
From: Monson

To: Ford of West Branch of Piscataquis
Miles today: 12.1

After a hearty breakfast at Shaw's of eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries and French toast, Sue took me back to the trail. After a bit, some hikers came toward me down the trail. It was Tagless and Tagalong and Mountain Man. I had really been hoping I would see them! I met Tagless and Tagalong last year in Virginia as they were doing a shakedown hike to see if they thought they could do a thru hike this year. I reminded Tagalong how she had been wondering if she could do it and now here she was with her thru hike almost completed. I was really happy to see them and they enjoyed the connection too. After we talked for a while, we took each other's pictures and then parted ways with them headed to Monson and me headed south. That was a fun connection. We have tried to keep up with each other's travels via trail journals. It is an example of the fun of trail friends you feel like you know even though we have really only briefly met each other on the trail. Pretty cool. The trail today was pretty nice, only a couple of very short climbs. The forest is beginning to show a little more color. The color spots are more pronounced today although the predominant color is still green and will be yet for a while. But color will increase in the next couple weeks. I don't seem to move as fast as I think I should be moving on this relatively good trail. My right heel is hurting even after its rest in Monson. So after lunch I put a Dr Scholl's gell insert in and then put a gell heel cup on top of that. That helped some. I saw no other hikers on the trail until late afternoon and then a big group went by me: Couscous, Dusty Bottoms, Hummingbird, Top Shelf, Tufted Titmouse, Mockingbird, Wheeler, Fat Kid and Gezza. At the water source by the shelter were Baltimore (not Jack) and Wishbone. I kept on past the shelter as I need to get more miles in for the day. Further on I met Mittens, One Step, and MacGyver. The trail for a while both before and after the shelter followed a pretty river. I enjoyed hearing it and seeing the little rapids and waterfalls. But the trail kept going up and down on the bank, not level as the profile indicated. You can do a lot of little ups and downs and not have it affect the profile. I was getting pretty tired but I was beginning to get worried about getting to a campsite before dark. so I kept pushing on. I finally came to the river and took off my shoes and brace to ford. It was not a bad ford and I put everything back on before realizing that that was only half the ford. Nothing to do but take it all off again and ford the second river. Then I dried off and put everything on again. All that took time. By this time it was a little light on the open riverbank but nearly dark as I went into the forest rather urgently looking for a place to put my tent. I looked to the right as I had been told and saw a campfire. Hooray! There must be a place to camp and people were already there. I met Old School and New Dawn. He had thru hiked in '06 and she was completing her last section on the AT. They had seen a big bull moose on the ridge above the campsite. Cool! I quickly threw up the tent and got some water and it was then quite dark. I did everything else by headlamp but was glad I had gotten there before dark even if by the skin of my teeth. So now I have put anti inflammatory cream on my feet and have eaten and am ready to sleep. And life is good.