Date: 2013-07-23
From: Baldpate Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 12.0

Day 17, July 23rd. Baldpate Shelter to Full Goose Shelter. 12 miles.Rain rain go awayThe cold we expected to set in over night never came, but instead we woke up to a steady rain. After trying to wait it out we rolled out to a late 8 o'clock start. The trail was normal Maine, rocks, roots, mud, with lots of ups and downs today. The only difference was the rain soaking through everything, slowing us down as we hiked cautiously to avoid slips and falls.In the afternoon we finally made it to the mahoosic notch. While the rain made all the boulders slick we still made good time, finishing the mile plus section in just over an hour. It sounds slow, but other people take as much as three hours. One really cool bit was where we could still see the ice and snow down between some of the boulders, as the notch lies deep in a gorge that never gets direct sunlight. The result was refrigerator effect that kept parts of it really cold.Not long after we decided to call it a day shortly after 5. The rain had finally stopped and we wanted to dry out as much as we could. The sun was still hiding behind the clouds so everything is staying damp, but wringing out the water goes a long way. We also found spots to hang that should get good sunlight in the morning, so we can dry out a bit before starting the days hiking.Since we didn't do well today in terms of mileage we're looking at 17 or so tomorrow then 5 the next morning for another nearo in Gorham. This bit of Maine has really been slow going, but I think some of that is woodys preferred stopping time of 5ish, which would work if we started hiking by 5 30 but so far we haven't quite been able to do that. The good news is we're both feeling healthy without any major dragging injuries. The complicating factor in this plan is we don't quite have enough food, so we'll be coming into town hungry Thursday morning. I should be able to get by with a slight deficit, but woodys going to be in a tight spot and doesn't seem to like taking any help. We'll see what tomorrow brings though.One thing I'm really glad I picked up for my pack is some lotion for my feet. Nothing special, just some generic 1.1oz hand lotion. But after a day like today where my feet were trapped in soaking wet shoes the whole day it feels so nice and helps smooth everything out. A+, would recommend. There's a Walmart in Gorham so I'm gonna see if I can pick up some better stuff. I think burts bees makes dedicated foot lotion, so hopefully I can find some of that.Dealing with moisture and wetness is such a pain. My clothes were all chosen with the idea that they would be able to keep me warm when wet (fleece, wool), but the downside is they all take forever to dry. Even hanging it out overnight there is just so much moisture in the air that stuff is more wet in the morning. And on a constant drizzly day like today there is no way to dry everything out. Hopefully the weather lifts, because multiple days of wet everything starts to cause real problems beyond just comfort and convenience. As I think back to all my hiking I can't recall a day that had consistent rain the entire day, I'm pretty sure its lifted before the evening every other time. The one fortunate thing is that everything in my garbage bag (pad, quilt, hammock nest, and clothes) stayed completely dry. Regardless, I've got to get better at dealing with all this before I start my winter hiking. I think the first step will be to simply bring more clothes.Earlier today coming up speck mountain I broke my watch so times are iffy. I'll have to check my phone during breaks and rely on woody more, which is dangerous to do.