Date: 2021-07-05
From: Height of the Lands

To: Eddy Pond 
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: mist

Night two at the cabin was a little more chill as there were half the hikers as the day before. Iceberg sweet talked Miss Honey¢s son Don into getting us a 45 minute shuttle back to the trail at 6:30 instead of 8:30. Don was ready and off we went on schedule to Maine route 17 ¢Height of the Lands¢.On the drive there we were shocked to see hilltops and mountain tops as previously all we had seen of Maine were clouds.  The forecast for the day was mostly sunny and 68 degrees. Perfect hiking weather. Naturally the section we planned to hike had mountains to cross so our views and vistas would be limited. Still, it was a great improvement over 50 and rain. We got on trail at 7:25 with a planned rendezvous about 13 miles away in case we hiked separately through the day. As of turned out, the trail was fairly tame and we never got more than 10 minutes separation all day. We came across a pond 8 miles in and Quiksilver took one of the canoes out for a spin. Several of the ponds in Maine have canoes for anyone who wants to use them. I choose to sit and eat some lunch and then talked to two local fisherman who came out to try and land some Brook trout. Speaking with lifelong Maine residents is interesting as their accents are so pronounced.  They also told me they scour the woods for Moose Antlers, using the droppings to track the animal¢s paths. After the break at the pond we decide to hike to the next road crossing and take a short road walk to The Hiker Hut outside of Rangely, Maine, a well known off-grid hostel.  We were in search of a cold drink and found what we were looking for with free sodas and $1.50 Gatorades. Iceberg and I opted for the $3 fried egg sandwich on offer as well while Quiksilver continued his quest to eat-down his 10 pound food bag. Just as we were finishing and packing up to leave, a Trail Angel calling herself ¢Pineapple¢ pulled up in her car and offered us trail magic (she had spent most of the day back where we started serving hikers). Although we had just eaten, we didn¢t want to disappoint her (there may have been other motivations) so we helped her unpack her car and she made us sandwiches, gave us chips and cucumbers and cookies as well.  She said she had lived in Maine for a few years and had a hard time finding a sense of community, so she decided this year to become a Trail Angel. She had already driven down to New York earlier this spring and did magic for a week before returning to Maine to continue to feed hikers. She was very emotional about how the hiking community had embraced her and helped her feel connected. Stuffed, we helped her pack her car back up and then began the last five miles of the day uphill about 1000 feet to Eddy pond where we had read that there were camping sites next to the water. We got to the pond about 4:30 and got set up for the evening and chatted a bit about the next few days. Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for Tuesday and we have to traverse about 4 miles of exposed alpine areas first thing in the morning. Hopefully everything holds off until the afternoon After dinner Quiksilver and I took a canoe out for a paddle on Eddy Pond and on the far side we came across a beaver lodge and one very agitated beaver who let us know by smacking his tail on the water that we were not welcome in his world. Naturally, this meant we went back to our camp so Iceberg and I could switch places so he could go and agitate the critter. My knees are telling me that the hiking over the last fortnight has been rough.  My many encounters with rocks and scrub brush have left my shins looking like a feral cat had a go at me and then ran a cheese grater over them for good measure. The next 45 miles are going to have more to add to that ledger before the trail in Maine will flatten out a bit. Tomorrow I¢ll be climbing over two 4000 footers, a 3600 footer, and two 3000 footers. Today though was a gorgeously pleasant day in Maine. The sun was out, the trail was dry, the humidity non-existent, and the people awesome. Another great day to be on trail and I¢m grateful for every single one.