Date: 2017-09-14
From: East B Hill Road (Andover, ME)

To: Sawyer Brook Campsite
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

9/14East B Hill Road (Andover, ME) to Sawyer Brook Campground7.5 miles Total miles:  1940.4I was up at 6:00 and was pretty much packed and ready at seven when Yukon announced that it was time for all-you-can-eat blueberry pancakes. The pancakes were huge, and I was feeling full after only two of them.  Kimchi gave me my copy of my hiker card, and she put her copy in their book. The card is a wonderful keepsake.  Several of the hikers who stayed at the hostel last night opted to zero and spend another day, but I was ready to push on. Yukon gave Tengo, Gravity, and I a ride back to the trailhead. A special thanks once again to Yukon, Kimchi, and Eywa for making my stay at their hostel so wonderful. We were back on the trail by 9:45. The trail went up and over Wyman and Hall Mountains. I passed Surplus Pond a few miles in, and for being surplus, it is certainly a beauty. I again wondered how some natural features acquired their names. The forest was again a delight to see, and I also saw numerous red squirrels and chipmunks.  The trail was somewhat steep and rugged, but was again more hiking trail than mountaineering. While there was no view at the top of Hall, I did find one nice outcropping on the way up, for my only distance view of the day. I had a mishap with one of my trekking poles today.  As I approached Hall Mountain Lean-to,  my right trekking pole punched through some very soft dirt alongside a rock. The end of the pole slid almost a foot into the hole, causing me to trip over it. I landed behind over appetite, with my head several feet lower than my shoes. Fortunately, it was in soft vegetation alongside the trail. I was unharmed, although I searched for nearly five minutes before finally finding my hat. My pole was not so lucky. It broke in two about ten inches from the end.  For the time being, I stowed the end in my pack and extended the middle section as long as I could, and continued on with one pole six inches shorter than the other and with a sharp, aluminum tube for a tip. I continually switched poles so the longer, undamaged one was on the side of the trail with the drop-off. The descent of Hall Mountain was steep but, again, not too terribly difficult, and my broken pole was merely an inconvenience. I arrived at Sawyer Brook at 3:45, completing my descent of Hall Mountain. There is a very nice campground by the brook, with several flat tent sites and a picnic table.  Tengo was already there when I arrived, and Gravity showed up by 4:00. We were faced with the same dilemma of a few days ago. We still had three hours of daylight on a beautiful day to hike. This time, we looked at Moody Mountain, which is one of the steepest climbs on the entire AT.  In 0.8 hiking miles, Moody goes up 1,367 feet. There are numerous rebar ladders to climb. After reaching the summit, there is a 1.8 mile descent to the next possible camping area. We decided to set up camp early and tackle Mount Moody first thing tomorrow. I was able to see her peak rising just to the north, offering a silent reminder that I'll have my work cut out for me tomorrow morning.  Immediately after descending Mount Moody, the trail goes up and over Old Blue Mountain, which is also steep, although nothing as extreme as Moody.  Bemis Mountain follows, and then there is a lean-to and camping area just past her peak. Our ambitious goal is to make it to there by tomorrow evening, a distance of 11.3 miles.  We all enjoyed a leisurely, restful evening, setting up camp, obtaining water, and cooking dinner. I was able to use a rock to round out the broken end of my trekking pole, and insert it into the adjusting collar. I made sure there was sufficient metal inside the tube so the pole won't be weak at the joint. By the time I was done, my damaged pole again sports its carbide tip and is only three inches shorter than its sibling. I'm thinking it should get me to Katahdin. Darkness came on a bit after 7:00 and, with it, an early hiker's midnight.  The weather should be clear again tomorrow, and has actually been quite warm lately. We plan on an early start tomorrow to give us as much daylight as possible to hike our mountains.