Date: 2005-06-25
From: Monson

To: Long Pond Stream Lean To
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Even after everything I have been through in the past 5 months, today still would have been an intense day in comparison. As one of Smoothie¢s first days on the AT, she is experiencing a big taste of the miseries that certainly are apart of a long distance hike.We are a little late for 4AM breakfast. At 4:15, we are the last hikers to sit down for breakfast. The main dining table is full. I can¢t believe how much energy everyone has at this hour, everyone is loud and talking. Smoothie and I certainly are not morning people! The breakfast is gigantic and wonderful, a great start to the day. The air never cooled off last night, it must be in the high 70¢s and the sun is not even out yet. Today is going to be rough carrying full packs to get us through the 100-mile wilderness.We were too tired to pack last night, so after breakfast we organize supplies for the next days. Smoothie is carrying two backpacks, one waist pouch on the front holding all of Sniffy¢s food. She looks like a tank, but it is smart to get the weight off the back. We are at the trailhead by 7, and I am flipping out about seeing a ¢miles to Katahdin¢ sign that just over a hundred miles. ¢Can you believe it, Smoothie?¢ Again, these miles mean very different things to us. The first few miles aren¢t bad, but the heat to the air is getting increasingly uncomfortable. Sniffy has black fur and we are a little nervous about the dog overheating. I thought I was paranoid about myself getting enough water, having a dog along is really stressful in this heat! The dog won¢t stop rapidly panting, even after long breaks. So we walk what we can, taking many breaks at the water sources. This is far from the enjoyable hiking I was imagining with my sister. This is a little bit on the miserable side. It¢s too bad we have a schedule to stick too; it¢s a good day to not move. I can remember calling home and complaining about schedules to Smoothie. ¢Can¢t you just gun it and get it done?¢ I remember Smoothie suggesting while I replied, ¢I AM gunning it!¢ Now I think she is starting to understand!It is the afternoon, the hottest part of the day when I am most worried. We are crossing the Wilson Cliffs, an uphill climb on exposed rock that is an inferno in the afternoon sun. Sniffy is dragging her paws and holding her head just inches from the ground. ¢We are killing my dog!¢ Smoothie yells. Okay, this is getting a little intense so we find some shade and take off our boots. It¢s time for an afternoon siesta, enough of this heat. But it isn¢t much cooler in the shade. Sniffy is panting nonstop. I¢ve become tolerant to many uncomfortable situations out here, but everything is intensified when I look into the eyes of my sister and her dog who are not exactly having the time of there lives! ¢I don¢t know how the &@#! you did this trail Heidi,¢ Smoothie is telling me. I try reasoning that it wasn¢t always like this...Eventually the sun drops and our shade is no longer shade, so we move on. We get our first two big river crossings next. Sniffy and Smoothie are both new at fording rivers. We test out the dog at the first crossing. I cross first and ditch my pack on the other side just incase there is a catastrophe. Sniffy tries her best but isn¢t strong enough to swim against the current when she gets to the deepest part of the river. There is Sniffy, drifting downstream. I jump in and grab the dog by the collar. She is shaking like mad and I guide her across to the other side where I tie her to my pack before I cross again to get Smoothie¢s pack.   We get to Wilson Valley Lean-to by 5:00 and cook dinner. The shelter is near full, but we were thinking about hiking in the evening to the next shelter anyway. It is completely up to Smoothie. She is up for it, better to do the miles tonight when it¢s cooler. The next shelter is five miles away and mostly downhill. I said today was an intense day and would you think we had a nice uneventful stroll to the shelter? Of course not. Dark clouds roll in and we start to hear thunder in the distance. Smoothie is a little nervous, but nothing like a threatening thunder storm to get her moving down the trail! We are running down the trail to try and beat the rain. It starts to downpour and we are still miles from the shelter. It feels good to cool off for the first time today. Smoothie falls for her third time. It¢s all part of the complete AT experience! We have one last ford across Long Pond Stream. Someone has piled up some trees, and we use the trees for balance as we wade across a thigh-high rushing creek. Again, I return to guide a reluctant Sniffy across the creek. It is still down pouring on our last mile climb to the shelter. It is near dark and everyone is ready for this day to be over with!¢Aren¢t you going to run around and make me a campfire Smoothie?¢ (Smoothie¢s response has been censored from this journal)The rain clears and hundreds of fireflies light up the bushes surrounding the shelter. Sleep comes quickly.