Date: 2005-08-27
From: The Cabin in Maine, E. Andover, ME

To: The Cabin in Maine, E. Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

South Arm Road 12:04pm - The RisingYesterday's trail surprised me - it was far too easy! Who on earth put an easy stretch of trail in Maine? There was also truth in advertising at long last. Baldpate Mountain was indeed bald and composed of nothing but rock slabs, also known as "pates." It was dry and thus a fun scramble up and down but would have been a nightmare on a wet day. And as advertised, the east peak was found to the east of the west peak, and Little Baldpate Mountain was scarcely a bump.I did notice the first red squirrel of my trip. They were small, cute, and quite friendly. (Those who know me may recall that I am tyically none too fond of squirrels. My beef is with the grey squirrels and their evil cousins, the black squirrels. I have no bone to pick with other squirrels, such as the red or flying squirrels.) I did wonder if Marshall would become jealous of these rival rodents vying for attention and scraps. They're both intelligent, resourceful creatures. If a small war erupts bewteen Marshall and an army of red squirrels, I pity the poor hiker that gets caught in the crossfire.I reached East & Hill Road around 2pm and caught a hitch into town within twenty minutes despite the low volume of traffic. I called The Cabin from Mills Market, and they quickly dispatched a shuttle to pick me up.The Cabin is a wonderful hostel located in nearby East Andover. It's run by an older couple named Bear and Honey, two of the nicest people one is bound to meet along the trail. They nearly bend over backwards to make you feel at home. They built their cabin themselves and never seem to be wanting for business. It's little wonder that when a certain someone named Phoenix Rising showed up six weeks ago and asked if they needed help, they didn't hesitate to say yes.That's right - Phoenix is in Andover. It was wonderful to catch up with her again. We browsed through her scrapbook of the summer and had a great time reminiscing. She gave me the grand tour of the place and even took me out to see a nearby covered bridge dating back to 1867. Eventually, of course, the talk turned to the other guys...To make a long story short, they're a week behind me. I will not be waiting around for them to catch up to me - it's simply too long to wait. I'm taking my time though Maine, but I don't want to completely kill my momentum. So how did they get so far behind? It's partly Professor's parents' fault - they kept meeting up with the group along the way and they'd dally so he could spend time with his folks. I also slowed them down. They wanted Phoenix to meet them at Pinkham Notch and asked if she could be there yesterday. "Sorry," she said, "that's when Razzi's coming through and I promised him I'd be at The Cabin."A new plan emerged. They slowed down so that they'll be at Pinkham Notch tomorrow instead. Phoenix and I will drive down and meet them. Actually, she'll drive and I'll ride shotgun to fend off Indian attacks and the like. So I'll end up with my chance to catch up with the guys again, just not how I envisioned it. But I'm still looking forward to it. I'll be back on the trail Tuesday morning, August 30th.Dinner at The Cabin last night rocked. The food was wonderful and there was plenty of it. I hadn't felt that stuffed for a long, long time. There's also another guy helping out at The Cabin named Wandering Bull. We've met exactly once before, on my first night in the Springer Mountain Shelter. He had already hiked the Florida Trail and was hitting the AT with a running start. He shot way ahead of me the following day, quickly moving up toward the front of the thruhiker pack. He finished the AT a month ago and came back to help out Bear and Honey.Today I rose early to a wonderful breakfast - an omelette bar, biscuits and jelly, hash browns, and blueberry pancakes with freshly picked berries. After eating my fill Phoenix dropped me off for a ten mile slackpack. I made excellent time. Once again, the trail was easy, with the exception of a very steep, rugged climb up Moody Mountain. It was a good stretch to slack - none too scenic and I had a much easier time with the climb. I finished about an hour before my pickup shuttle is scheduled, so I'm just hanging out by the side of Black Brook enjoying a nice, sunny afternoon.