Date: 2004-06-05
From: Caribou Valley Rd

To: ME4
Miles today: 23.9

Log entry: 126Start hike: 0930End hike: 1740Weather: Sunny and mild all dayBreakfast: Fried potatoes and eggsLunch: PoptartsDinner: Venison tenderloin, sweetcorn, and much moreTrail description: The trail guide for the AT in Maine calls the trail between ME4 and ME27 the "roughest part of the trail in Maine". I disagree only because the Mahoosuc's were a lot tougher, though shorter. The 24 miles I did were defineatly rugged but manageable, especially with a daypack. Greatviews from the Saddlebacks and the best views I have had above treeline so far (The Whites were all clouds). Wingfoots book says you can see Katahdin from on Saddleback. I am not sure if I could pick it out or not. Or if I was even looking in the right direction but I think there was a bump on the far northeast horizon that may have been it.People: Neely, Jamie, Bareback, and Smiley!!!Animals: 2 bull mooseMoney spent: None yetComplaints: The views were so good it would have been nice to have someone to say, "wow, look at that view".Thoughts: I awoke to the smell of fried potatoes and had a great breakfast with the gang. Bareback was heading out to climb Sugarloaf and Mt Abraham and Smiley was due to make it to Andover this afternoon so we made plans for me to head southbound and spend one last night at the Cabin and get to catch up withSmiley.So Bareback and I hit the road and on the way saw 2 bull moose. So cool. I got dropped off on the bumpy and rutty Caribou Valley rd at 0930 and headed upSugarloaf and Spaulding mountains. I maintained a steady pace all day, stopping frequently to check progress andmake sure I would make it back to ME4 by 18:00 when Neely was going to pick me up.I ate a candybar at Spaulding Mt lean-to but there was no register there so Imoved on. The next shelter I came to, Poplar Ridge, 8 miles and 2.5 hours later, had a new register and a frequently asked quesion packet left there by the shelter caretaker Dave Field. I forget exactly how long he has been maintaining, but something like 40 years. He compiled the list of questions into an easy to follow datapacket. I browsed them and the most interesting one I found was, "Why aren't there more bridges in Maine?". The answer that I assumed was the first explanation he gave. "To keep the trail a wilderness" but the second point he made was that the water level fluctuates so much due to spring run-off and snowmelt that most bridges would have been washed away. Makes sense to me.I then boogied up to Little saddleback and then mosied up and over The Horn andSaddleback which was mostly above treeline, very cool.After Saddleback the trail eventually returns to treeline and before I knew it I saw the sign for Piazza Rock shelter. There I met Moxie, Nobo '03 who waspainting blazes. He is 61 now and hiked the trail when he was 60. We talked for a good 20 mintues and I then hauled it down to ME4. The walking was very easy at this point. Just before I got to Sandy River, 0.1 of a mile from ME4, I was startled by "Hey!" It was Neely. While we drove back to The Cabin we chatted and listened to Garrison Keeler,he's a funny guy. Also, a quick question. Neely teaches some art at SouthwestMissouri State. Did Jerry Rice go there or I am thinking of some other proathlete? I want to say it was Jerry Rice, Div II, because Dave Kircus whoattended Grand Valley State University broke a bunch of Rice's records and Ithought he went to SWMS.As we rolled into The Cabin I noticed that Bareback's truck wasn't there so Ihoped he was out picking up Smiley. But as I walked in the basement I sawSmiley's Golite back. I dropped mine and headed upstairs to find him looking at a photo album.We talked for a long time and were joined shortly by Bareback. Bareback hikedthrough Virgina with Smiley last summer.We all had a great evening of chatting, eating, and catching up. I think we were up until midnight or so. Smiley has had some great adventures since I left him.I am about 50 miles ahead of him, 57 after Sunday. Not sure if he will catch me or not but he knows my summit date and I promised him a ride if he needs one. We'll see.