Date: 2003-08-27
From: Hurd Brook Lean-To

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It is a shame when you have the opportunity to sleep late and your body will just not allow you to do it. I only had a few miles until I would reach the Abol Bridge Road so I tried to just take my time this morning. I went back to sleep after I woke up, read the guide book, looked over the map and finally realized that my body no longer wanted to lay there in the tent. It was all of 7:15 when I unzipped the tent door and started the day.I took my time breaking camp and eating breakfast. I tried to hike at a slow pace so I could enjoy the last of the wilderness. Not that it felt as if I was deep in the woods since I could hear the big logging trucks hauling butt down the dirt roads. After a mile of hiking I caught up with a thru-hiker by the name of Dirty Harry. He had not taken a single day off from hiking since the beginning of July. He said it was dumb since his body was now falling apart and he had a bad limp with each stride of his right leg. I figured that the only way I was ever going to catch up with a true thru-hiker would be one with only one good wheel. We both reached the road a little after 10:00. There was a big note taped to the sign with "Crockett" written on the front. Sure enough it was from Penny who had driven up the night before. I felt bad because I could have made it to the road yesterday afternoon and seen Pen a day earlier. It has been 20 days since I've wrapped my arms round her so it took a few minutes to get over the disappointment. Penn's note said that she would be back around 11 and that the camp store had chips. I decided the disappointment of not seeing Penn the day before would be more easily handled with a big bag of Wavy Lays chips and a half gallon of chocolate milk.Dirty Harry and I sat on a picnic table and chowed down. A really young couple came out of the woods 20 minutes later. The guy looked all gung ho and ready for more. The poor girl looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else besides out in the northern Maine countryside. As her boyfriend went to the store she pulled off her boots and socks. Both her feet were totally torn up. She had blisters all over the place and you could tell they were painful. The guy came back with ice cream and two big packages of mole skin. They had only been out for two days and their goal was to summit Katahdin. My advice would have been for her to stop hiking but she started putting moleskin all over her feet and I offered her my duct tape which she gladly accepted. They were both back up and hiking before I was half way through my bag of chips. The strength of youth, I remember it fondly.A few moments later up rolls this little red car with my beautiful partner behind the wheel. I'm sure it was not the first time that two people made out on the Abol Bridge Road but from the honks of the passing truckers you would have thought that was the case. Come to think about it I heard honks starting as soon as Penny stepped out of the car. I was sooooooo glad to see her.We were going to camp but the thought of a bed and a hot shower had us changing our minds. Instead we grabbed a hotel room in the cute town of Millinocket. Three hours later we came up for air and went exploring. We went and had a wonderful picnic on the shore of a nice lake in Baxter State Park. It was relaxing and a great way to unwind after all that hiking. We stayed at the lake until the late afternoon and then drove the 20 miles back into town. Getting very close to that final climb. Take care,Pasta & Crockett(Maine in 2003)