Date: 2009-09-30
From: BALD MOUNTIAN BROOK LEAN TO

To: MONSON
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: broken clouds

I WASNT THE FIRST TO LEAVE THE SHELTER BUT LEFT BEFORE THE TOURIST WHO SAID HE WOULD CATCH UP. I KNEW I WAS HEADING UP MOXIE BALD FIRST THING. CAN I GET TO MONSON? THAT WILL BE TOUGH. CLIMBED UP MOXIE BALD AND WHAT A VIEW. MET UP WITH WILLOW AND SNAPPED HER PICTURE FOR HER. REALIZED I HAD LEFT SOMETHING BACK AT THE SHELTER AND WAS HOPING THE CHINESE TOURIST WOULD BRING IT TO ME, LETS HOPE. MATT AND LUKE HAD PASSED WILLOW AS I LEFT HER THERE AT THE TOP. SHE WASNT PLANNING ON GOING TO MONSON TILL THE FOLLOWING DAY. IT WAS A WET TRAIL AFTER THE RAIN AS I KEPT DODGING ALL THE PUDDLES AND SLIPPING ON EVERY ROCK I CAME ACROSS. GOT TO THE FIRST LEAN TO WHICH WE HAD PLANNED TO GET TO THE NIGHT BEFORE WHICH WOULD OF SUCKED TO HIKE TO IN THE NIGHT, AND THE RAIN WHICH WE WOULD OF GOT HIT BY, NOT TO MENTION THE VIEW I WOULD OF MISSED OUT ON. I READ THE JOURNAL AT THE LEAN TO AND NOTICED STEWBALL AND DUFFY HAD STAYED THE NIGHT THERE AND WERE HEADED TO MONSON. STEWBALL WAS FAMOUS FOR THE GREAT HANNAH MONTANA HIKING TIPS AND STICKERS. EVERYONE LOOKED FORWARD TO THE HANNAH MONTANA HIKING TIPS. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS A GIRL TILL I GOT TO DAULTON. RUNNING HIM DOWN LOOKS LIKE. I HEADED OUT AND LEFT MATT AND LUKE AT THE SHELTER. AFTER I GOT A WAYS DOWN THE TRAIL WHICH WAS FLAT FINALLY I FELT LIKE I WAS RUNNING OUT OF ENERGY SO I STOPPED ALONG THE TRAIL NEXT TO A RIVER AND HAD A SNACK AND DRANK SOME WATER. MATT HAD CAUGHT UP TO ME AND WENT ON BY. I TOLD HIM I WASNT FAR BEHIND. AFTER I GOT STARTED I CAUGHT HIM AND HE LET ME PASS. I GOT TO A ROAD AND COULDNT FIND THE TRAIL. I ENDED UP WALKING DOWN TO A STREAM AND BACK UP. I WENT ALONG A ROAD AND OVER A BRIDGE AND THEN KNEW I WAS GOING THE WRONG WAY. I TURNED AROUND TO WALK BACK AND SAW MATT AT THE ROAD WHO STARTED FOLLOWING ME TILL HE REALIZED I WASNT ON THE TRAIL AND HE FOUND IT AND HEADED DOWN IT. I GOT BACK TO IT AND SHORTLY AFTER PASSED HIM UP. I CRUISED ON AND WAS HOPING TO GET TO THE LEAN TO WHICH I THOUGHT WAS CLOSE. THEN I CAME ACROSS MY FIRST FORD AT THE WEST BRANCH PISCATAQUIS RIVER. TOOK OFF MY SHOES, SOCKS, AND MY GAITORS. WALKED ACROSS BOTH SECTIONS OF RIVER TRYING NOT TO FALL IN. MATT SHOWED UP AND DECIDED TO JUST WALK THROUGH IT WITH HIS SHOE ON. I HEADED ON AND AFTER HIKING ALONG THE HORSESHOE CANYON FOR A WHILE IT STARTED TO RAIN. JUST GREAT. I HURRIED THINKING THE LEAN TO WAS CLOSE. FINALLY I STOPPED AND GOT ON MY PACK COVER. THEN WITHIN FIVE MINUTES I CAME TO THE HORSESHOE CANYON LEAN TO. I HURRIED THERE AND SAT OUT THE RAIN WHEN MATT SHOWED UP. TOLD HIM I WOULD BE CONTENT WITH STAYING THERE AND HEAD INTO MONSON THE NEXT DAY. GUESS I WILL WAIT TILL THE CHINESE TOURIST TO SHOW UP AND SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. LUKE SHOWED UP AND THEY WERE DEBATING WHETHER TO STAY. THE CHINESE TOURIST SHOWED UP AND I ASKED YOU STILL WANT TO GO TO MONSON. THERE WASNT A HESITATION HE SAID DEFINATELY. I GASPED AS I KNEW I HAD ANOTHER 9 MILES TO HIKE. WELL I BETTER GET GOING AS I LEFT THEM ALL BEHIND TO GET A HEAD START. ALL I WANT TO DO IS SLEEP. I NOW HAVE MY RAIN GEAR ON. I HIKED ON ONLY TO HAVE THE TOURIST CATCH UP TO ME SHORTLY AFTER. HE ASKED YOU WANT ONE OF THESE FIVE HOUR POWERS. OH MY DO I. IM OUT OF ENERGY. SO WE STOPPED AND I DOWNED IT. NOW ITS OFF TO THE RACES. WE HAULED BUT AND BY THE TIME I GOT ABOUT THREE MILES FROM MAINE 15 I GOT DIZZY, LIGHTHEADED AND WAS FEELING LIKE I WAS GONNA PASS OUT. I KNEW I NEEDED TO KEEP UP. THE CHINESE TOURIST HAD A PHONE TO CALL FOR THE SHUTTLE TO THE HOSTEL IN MONSON. IT WAS RAINING AND I COULDNT EVEN DODGE THE MUD AND PUDDLES ANY MORE. MY BODY JUST SEEMED LIKE IT WAS ON AUTOPILOT AS I WALKED RIGHT THROUGH IT ALL WITHOUT ANY CARE IN THE WORLD. I WAS TOTALLY DEHYDRATED. WE KEPT MOVING AS IT STARTED TO GET DARK. WHEN I HEARD THE CARS BY THE ROAD I KNEW IT WAS ALMOST OVER AND A HOT SHOWER AWAITED. WE GOT TO THE ROAD AND WERE PUMMELED BY FREEZING RAIN AND HUDDLING UNDER A TREE DIDNT DO NO GOOD. I WAS SOAKED AND WE WERE FREEZING COLD. THE TOURIST MANAGED TO GET THE SHUTTLE TO COME FOR US BUT THE WAIT SEEMED LIKE IT TOOK FOREVER WHILE WE PRACTICALLY FROZE IN THE POURING RAIN. WE WERE SHUTTLED TO TOWN AND I COULDNT GET ENOUGH HEAT. WE STAYED AT THE LAKE SHORE HOUSE LODGE. WHAT A RELIEF. I CANT BELIEVE I MADE IT. THOSE TWENTY TWO MILES ABOUT KILLED ME. SURE ENOUGH STEWBALL AND DUFFY WERE THERE. I RECOGNIZE THEM FROM THE PICTURES. THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS A SHOWER, FOOD, AND LAUNDRY. I CANT BELIEVE IM IN MONSON. NEXT STOP THE 100 MILE WILDERNESS.