Date: 2014-07-26
From: ME 26

To: East B Hill Road
Miles today: 10.1

I awakened on my end of the pop up at 4 AM and was able to slip in and out of sleep until I got up for good at 6.Our breakfast this morning, made lovingly by Bear, was served at 6:45. Of course coffee was ready sooner and I was halfway through my first cup when I sat down to eat. The array of breakfast food is amazing to say the least. We feasted on blueberry pancakes with more blueberries to put on top, biscuits with gravy, fried potatoes (served daily and the best ever!), bananas, fresh cantaloupe, and strawberry preserves....all washed down with orange juice.Beerdra and I left at 8 AM for our shuttle to Grafton Notch. We would be hiking the 10.1 miles between Grafton Notch and East B Hill Road. Don, Honey's son and our shuttle driver would collect us again tonight at East B Hill Road and take us back to The Cabin where we would zero for a day or two to wait out the storms. We went into Andover a day early, but didn't want to zero on a beautiful day, then have to hike out in the rain down the line. By 8:30 we were hiking.We were doing what they call a slack pack today, which means we carried only what we needed as we were going back to town this evening. I carried first aid, food for the day, rain gear and my sleeping bag. I don't expect to use it, but it nicely fills my empty pack for a mere 1 lb 12 oz. It's amazing how easy it is to hike with only 10 lbs on your back. The hike began with a 1000' up. The ups are coming easier now with stronger thighs, calves and arms on my poles. I love the way my legs feel when they are lean and strong and I love the change in my biceps when I'm constantly aiding my tired legs with their ups and downs.I fell twice today, the second time onto my hiking pole, and bent the bottom third of my right pole. Damn. Will let the Leki guys fix it at Trail Days next spring. In the mean time, it works just fine.At the top of the first peak, at Baldpate Lean-to, we stopped for a quick break to rest and eat. Then we climbed another 1000' up Baldpate Mountain. Beerdra had been talking for days about how Baldpate was her most favorite mountain and it didn't disappoint! It was unlike anything I've ever hiked up before. We broke at the top, out of the wind, for lunch. From there it was a 2 mile drop onto East B Hill Road and our ride back to The Cabin.At Dunn Notch and Falls we took a short break. My knee had really been bothering me all day, so while I sat by the water, I pulled out my essential oils and applied some Pan Away and Wintergreen to try to alleviate the pain. I downed 4 ibuprofen and when I stood to put my pack back on, my knee buckled and the pain was intense. It had happened once or twice before this hike, so I knew to just start walking and it would ease up in a few minutes....which it did.We arrived at the creek right before the road early, so I put my troubled knee in the icey cold water. Beerdra went up ahead on the chance that Don had arrived early. I heard her whistle from above and knew that our ride was waiting, so got up, collected my things and went to the road.Honey and Bear don't feed hikers just one night out of the week, because it's all you can eat pizza night in town, so we were thinking we were going to be on our own tonight, but Don had made pork and potatoes on the grill and invited us to join him, so we had a wonderful supper anyway. Thanks Don for being such a good friend to us while we were in Andover!I showered, called Jack and went to bed. I knew I'd sleep good tonight.