Date: 2013-07-09
From: Stealth Camp by Pollywog Gorge Overlook

To: Stealth Camp before Jo-Mary Road
Miles today: 21.0

Day 3, July 9th. Stealth camp near pollywog gorge overlook to stealth camp before jo-Mary road. 21 miles.mo bugs, mo problems.After anther wonderful night of sleeping in til 6 30 for 9.5 hours of sleep the day began. Weather was hot and sunny for the whole hiking day, while occasionally we would catch a breeze off a lake or a ridgeline. The trail was almost identical to yesterdays, pretty flat with plenty of roots and muddy patches to go around.just about everyone we saw had something to say about our bug suits. One guy went so far as to call them silly. me and woody agreed if we could we would wear signs that say "the store was out of deet and we were desperate!". At one point the mosquitos were so bad I could even leave my fingers out of the sleeves to grip by trekking poles. I had to bring my hands up the sleeves and just carry the poles instead of using them. I'm glad I got the extra large bug shirt for that extra wiggle room!There were a few good views on the day, including a beautiful look over a big serene lake as well as our last view of the mountain. today also had a few "fords" though none required taking off the boots and wading, they were just long rock good. I did manage to slip on one and smash my butt down on a river boulder, but only my shoes got wet and a slightly bruised ego. Between the wet shoes from that dunk and some misplacements during a mud crossing my feet were wet and muddy. When the shoes came off it all smelled rank and the feet were tender and pruney. No real bad damage though the pinky toes are getting raw/blistered (again) on the bottoms.Other interesting things on the day, I saw my second grouse wood chicken thing, but this one was scattering off into the bushes. Still no moose. we ran into the cleanest clearest coldest most perfect spring I have ever seen as the water gently bubbled up making little gravel volcanoes at the bottom of a small crystal clear pool. I wanted to stay and drink for hours but I got full after one liter I did find out today that woody is a big soccer fan/player and we have similar views on how the game should be played so it was nice to chat with him about that. we made good hiking mileage through the day but decided to call it at 5 30 as we had done 21 miles, my wet feet were asking for a break, and the bugs were horrendous. I could have squeezed on another 4 miles but that just means getting into monson at noon Friday instead of at 1 30. Not worth it. We found a nice ridge just off to the side of the trail so there's a nicebreeze and the mosquitos aren't awful, though you couldn't tell by the 2 dozen buzzing above my bug netting right now. Only potential problem is were kinda along a game trail so I might get stabbed by the horns of a very confused elk while I sleep. Or the woodpecker that is currently banging its beak against one of the trees I'm hung from will somehow knock it down, but it looks plenty sturdy. I can't say the same about my bear bag, as any bear with a bear IQ of more than 12 has a good chance at getting to it. Oh well, the nearest road is only 2 miles away, so I probably won't starve to death.With another early ish evening we're thinking of getting up a bit earlier and starting to hike earlier in the day. Its a shame to waste those cool morning hours, especially since the bug suits add a good 10 degrees or so. We also have a theory that the bugs get really bad at around 5pm based in their behavior the past few days, so it would be nice to be in hammocks when that time rolls around, making the hiking day a 5 am to 5 pm affair. We'll see how it goes, though we're not planning to get up that early. Atleast I'm not. I need my 9 hours of beauty sleep, and I don't think I'll be able to go to bed at 8pm.I'm a bit worried about the weather for tonight, as some solid cloud cover has rolled in and the winds have picked up. I'm staked out as best I can, but I'm still not happy with the coverage my tarp provides, as any windy non-vertical rain will cause quite the problem. I need to pick up a tarp with better coverage at done point, as I don't think the stock Hennessey will cut it in any sort of storm. I'll have to do done shopping, but I think a hex-cut silnylon one is my best bet, and the weight would be barely any different from what I have now. There would be the added benefit of being able to set it up before setting up the hammock nest, which is something I can't do now and makes setting up in the rain a royal hassle. It goes on the ever expanding gear shopping list, which at this point includes a 4 pound 2 person (preferably with a bathtub floor) tent of some reputable brand, whatever jetboil can do 1L at a time, an osprey volt 75, a Thermarest NeoAir, plenty of cold weather clothes, and a 10 or 20 degree EE RevX quilt. There goes the old piggy bank, as my ballpark trail math adds up to $1300 or so. Guess its time to start selling plasma!Tomorrow should be a more interesting hiking day as we spend most of the day above 1000 feet (a vast vast majority of the hiking since the mountain has been below 1000 feet) with climbs up to 2000 and 3600 feet. I'm looking forward to the expected absence of mosquitos at that altitude, though I'm nervous about the fact that I'm yet to see a switchback in Maine. It might be a really crappy climb, but it'll be worth it if the bugs aren't there. if all goes according to plan I might even hang at 3000 feet or so for a mosquito free night.its 8 30 now so the sun is going down and I'm just about all out of things to write about. its feeling like it will be a cool night, which I'm happy about as its much easier to stay warm than it to cool off. By the time I post this I'll be well out of the hundred mile wilderness, but if you somehow get this before then please arrange for a whole case of deet to be airdropped via parachute to little Boardman mountain tomorrow by about noon. Thanks!