Date: 2007-09-21
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-To

To: ME4 - Rangeley
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I should know better than to go shopping when I'm hungry. But more on that later. Based on past experience, I didn't expect anyone from Team Ninja to be up and moving early. I was proven wrong. Both Doc and Joker were hiking by 7:30. Dogman, Crocket, Rootdown and I were on the trail by 8am. (As an aside - for those who know me, who would ever think I would be awake, much less exerting energy by 8am? I wasn't a morning person before I started. Just one change the trail has brought on.) It was a beautiful fall day. The temperature was in the low 60's, there was a bright blue sky, and the leaves on the trees have started to turn colors. There was also a welcome reprieve from the major ups and downs of the trail. While there were few flat spots, there were only one or two 1,000 foot climbs today. While not easy, the trail wasn't particularly difficult.A few miles in, I came to a beautiful overlook on the side of one of the Bevis mountain peaks. Looking over the valley, there was a thick fog covering everything. Mountain peaks were poking up through the undercast (that's the opposite of overcast), for a stunning sight. Moving on and enjoying the day, I came across several ponds and lakes. While moving at a decent clip, I still took some time to take breaks and enjoy the scenery.There were only two minor downsides to the day. First, my shoulders and arms are really sore. Why? Well, despite my best efforts, I'm still smoking, though not as much. So...I've started doing 10 push-ups for every cigarette I smoke, plus 15 push-ups for every shelter I pass or place I camp for the night. If I just smoke 10 cigarettes a day, and pass 3 shelters, that's 145 push-ups for the day. Having lost all upper body strength on this hike, that's alot of push-ups. Hopefully it will pay off.The second downside was a result of a bit of mud. Maine has lots of mud. I'm often jumping from stone to stone, or walking over thin wood planks to avoid the worst of it. That was working until I had just one misstep - sinking my left foot up to the calf in thick, black, gooey mud. It took a bit of effort to extricate my foot from this mess, and when I did an inch of mud clung all over my lower leg and foot. I cleaned it off as best I could, removing at least 1 lb. of the stuff, and kept moving. What else could I do?Around 6:30 I finally came upon Route 4, the road into Rangeley, ME. I had to go into town to resupply, but it was getting late. As I came to the road, Team Ninja was there, and as luck would have it, Moss was just getting out of a truck that had given him a hitch and was heading into town. Without breaking stride from the trail, I continued on into the truck and made my way to the grocery store. Anticipating hiking only a few more miles tonight, plus planning on seeing Mt. Katahdin tomorrow from one of the mountains I'd go over (and of course having to celebrate such an event), I picked up some extra items. Once I left the store, I had purchased a rotisserie chicken, pasta salad, a pint of Ben & Jerry ice cream, and a six-pack of beer (all for dinner), plus pitas and cream cheese for 2 breakfasts, hummus, a red pepper, onion, cheese and a summer sausage for two lunches, a deluxe mac & cheese for one dinner, and candy corn to snack on. I also got a quart of oj to drink when I left the store. Put together, that's quite a bit of weight. It was dark when I left the store but managed to quickly get a ride the 9 miles back to the trail. Just a few minutes down the trail, I came across a stream and a perfect place to pitch my tent. That's it. I'm done for the night. Ninja is at a shelter 2 miles away, but they'll just have to survive without me. I've already finished the ice cream, pasta salad and one beer. Time to attack the chicken and then go to bed. It's already after 9pm - past my bedtime. Until next time...