Date: 2005-07-11
From: Cloud Pond, ME

To: Leeman Brook Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 16.1

16.1 miles todayLeeman Brook Lean-to, Maine I layed down last night at 11pm to sleep and I didn't move again until 5 o'clock this morning. I slept great!! When we set up our tents on the only flat ground we could find last night, there was another hiker already in his tent and sleeping nearby. We were as quiet as we could be last night so we wouldn't disturb him. He got out of his tent while I was laying in mine having my coffee this morning. I apologized for coming in so late last night and explained that we didn't see any place we could set our tents before we got here. He said that he only heard us once. His name is Grandpa Dude and he's doing the Maine Wilderness. We had a good chat with him and I gave him some of my extra food because he was taking a little longer than he had planned. He looked at Quincygirl after she got back from swimming in the pond (Yeah, she's crazy...it was cold this morning) and asked if he could try some of her coffee to see if he liked it. You don't have to be out here long to become a good Yogi!! ;-)) We got out of there before he wanted to try anything else. I stopped by the lean-to and talked to Running Moon and Lovevoy. Running Moon asked me where Moosie and Goldilocks were. I told him they should be just about in NH by now. He asked me what was taking them so long. I said; "Moosie." Oh well, I was going to get in trouble for saying that to Jukebox yesterday anyway.  ;-))) We hiked on up to the summit of Barren Mountain, then hiked a long way down to Long Pond Stream Lean-to. I stopped and waited for a while on Quin. I hiked on when she didn't show thinking that maybe she walked by when I went and signed the register at the lean-to. I realized pretty quick that she hadn't been by yet, so I walked on by Slugundy Gorge and Falls, then to where we had to ford Long Pond Stream. I waited there until she showed up. That stream was flowing pretty hard and was fun to cross. We hiked on to Wilson Valley Lean-to. Quin stopped to eat some lunch. I hiked on because I had already eaten. I got to Big Wilson Stream and forded it. There was a big rock in the middle, so I went back out, set my pack on the rock and I sat down in the middle of the fast flowing stream. The water felt great. I had been sitting there for about 10 minutes enjoying the day when I heard a voice behind me say; "Smile!!" I turned and looked in time to see T-Rex snap a picture. T-Rex and another nobo started fording the river. The other hiker was having problems with the swift current and fell backwards, but got lucky and sat on a rock that wasn't too far under the surface. That rock saved him and his pack from getting soaked. Quin showed up about that time and when she got across, we hiked on. We climbed up and over another bump, then forded another stream before walking by the beautiful and fast flowing Little Wilson Falls. We had been told there were 4 fords waiting for us today. We got by a small stream that we forded, then climbed up to Bear Pond Ledge. I let Quin hike on while I took my shoes and socks off to let them dry out since we had forded all 4 streams. When thay were good and dry, I hiked on down and had to ford another stream...with newly dried shoes and socks!! Oh well, my shoes were dry for about half a mile anyway and that felt good. We got to Leeman Brook Lean-to and decided to stay there and hike into Monson in the morning. We set up our tents and made dinner. It was a good night, we spent alot of it talking about the great time we had hiking through the Wilderness. We lived alot of life in the last week and became better friends because of it.