Date: 2007-07-30
To: Little Bigelow Lean-To
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

mi. 16dest. Little Bigelow Lean-tosleep hammockday 18Well I am glad I went with the tarp. I woke in the middle of the night to thesound of light rain hitting the tarp. Nothing serious but enough that I neededa tarp.I didn't get hiking until just before 7am. When I was packing up Ginger cameover to me and gave me their phone number and email and said to get ahold ofthem when I get in N.H. and that if it worked out they would meet me and help meout. I thought that was really nice. Thanks again.They also said tht they met Bluebird who I stayed in chairback gap shelter with. Funny how some people have a lasting impression on people. She was one of thosegreat people you meet along the way that everyone remembers. Someone just outto hike to enjoy themselves and the outdoors.Today's hiking came really easy. I was walking around East Carry pond. I waseying it for a good swimming spot. I walked around it and came across a nicesandy beach. There was already an older woman swimming there. I thought for asecond and asked if she minded if I joined her. She said not at all. So I wentfor the first swim of the day.Afterwards I talked to her a little. She was in health care and worked for theState Department. She works over seas in Mongolia. She gets 6 weeks paidvacation every other year and was from Maine. She was using 1 of the weeks todo some hiking. She also said her daugther thru hiked last year. It was herlast day out and she offered up some of her cheese to me. Can't say I was goingto turn down my first trail magic of the day. I should have stopped and talkedlonger and made coffee she was a really interesting person to talk to, but Ipressed on.A mile or so later a hawk flw low overhead and landed on a nearby tree. Thiswas all in a wooded area. I looked around and saw it sitting in a tree directlyoverhead. But yet again the camera was in the pack. I was still wet fromswimming. I sit the pack down and got out the camera. I thought there was noway, but it sat there looking at me and making that long hawk sound. I took abunch of great pics of it. I think I need to start leaving the camera in thepack. That seems to be when I get the best animal shots.Later on I got some great shots of a snake on the trail. Just another smallgardner snake. But he just sat there to. I didn't want to step over him andget bite. But he didn't move until I tapped him with my trekking pole. Bangingthem together didn't even get him to move. Most snakes I see move off the trailas soon as I get close.That means I now have shots of:moose cowmoose bullfrogstoadsrandom birdswood peckersbeaversnakessnailslughawkduckslooms {really close this morning}clamssqurrelschipmonksIf you hadn't notice I am trying to take pictures of all the aminals I can. Isaw a fisher run across the road, but did not get a pic. They are a bigweasel/mink like animal. Thee are tons of little frogs and toads on the trail. I'll have to get some of them.Later on I got to the next lake and saw a sign that said Arnold Point 50 yards. It was a big lake with almost whitecaps, so I figured why not. Lets just way Ishouldn't have. The trail was small and twisted around trees. At one point Ifigured I went that far, I may as well go the whole way. I really wanted to goswimming and take a lunch break.I got to this place where It looked like the best route was to set down intothis muddy area. It looked acklle deep if that and was 2 feet below where I wasat, so I steppd down hard into it. The next thing I knew my right leg was inmudd up to my waste, my right arm and trekking pole was submerged in mudd, andmy left leg was knee deep. I somehow managed to grab a small tree at some pointin all of this with my left hand. I was lucky and was able to grab my trkkingpole from under the mudd and poled myself out.I was covered in mudd on my lower half. It could have been worse. If I wouldhave jumped down I would have been swimming in it. I was able to puch on it andget out, so I donkt think I would have been stuck. But it would have been a lotharder and muddier.I decided that was far enough. I put my pack down, took off my shirt, andjumped into the lake. My feet where already soaked at this point, It felt gretto get all the mudd of me.After that I walked the next mile and took a break at the shelter. 2northbounders where taking a beak there. One of them was Cheeze. He wassomeone who called that I talked to over the phone when I was maning Shaw's. Ithought that was pretty funny.I managed to get there by 12-ish. Not bad for 10 miles with all the breaks. The terain was pretty easy though.Today I crossed the road that is the historical 2000 miles to Springer. It ispainted in this 2 lane road in the middle of nowhere. Just beyond that wastrail magic number 2 for the day. A cooler with soda, beer, and snackes. People along the trail leave them from time to time for the hikers.I sat there and had a soda and a couple cream pies. I also took 3 beers for theshelter tonight. It was only 3 more miles with only a small uphill. I figuredI would share them with any northbounders that showed up,I came apoun my last swim for the day, Flagstaff lake. Right next to the trail. It was a great spot and a clear lake. I have been thinking about it all dayafter reading someone's entry in the priece pond shelter registry, and seeingsomeone else do it earlier in the day. So I figued what better spot for myfirst swim sans clothes. Ahh a great feeling.After that I got back on the trail and crossed on of Maine's many bridges on thetrail. People tell you there are none, but don't believe it.Just past the road to little bigelow I got my 3rd trail magic for the day. Someone left some apples at the sign next to the road. I took one to make agreat breakfest.I got to the shelter and put 2 of the 3 beers I got eariler in the frig{otherwise known as the stream next to the shelter}. I slowly drank the 3rdwith dinner. My first mac and chz of the trip. Throw in some tuna and somechz, and I had a decent tuna casserole.Right was I was finishing up eating 2 northbounders rolled in by the names ofthe dog father and stix {I think or maybe trix}. I had a pretty goodconversation with them.I talked to him about a hiker I saw in different registers by the name ofL-train. He did rediculous miles at the end because he had to finish by acertain day. Dog father told me something funny he did in Virgina. He did aVirgina is for lovers in the registers. He came into the possion of a cheapgraphic romance novel and would write excerts in each registery.