Date: 2006-07-28
From: Hall Mountain Lean-To

To: Black Brook Campsite
Miles today: 4.1

South Arm RoadBlack Brook Campsite.      It was just Long Haul and myself at Hall Mountain last night. We both crept into our sleeping bags early, and neither of us was in much mood for long philosophical discussions and were both soon asleep.   Awoke to a dull and overcast morning, and was on my way as Long Haul began to awake and arise. The first order of the day was the very steep descent down Hall Mountain. Everything was still wet and slick, and despite being very careful, I took another fall.   As I fell over to my left side, my left hiking pole got caught in the rocks, and with a loud snap broke completely in two. I lay on my back contemplating my predicament. First I did the anatomical check ¢ all parts of my anatomy still attached and no broken bones or dislocated joints. Slowly I stood up and realized how ¢ once again ¢ lucky I was. Apart from the snapped pole, I was OK.   I continued on ¢ even more slowly ¢ down to Sawyers Notch, where I could hear the sounds of power saws and logging. I picked up a stick to replace my broken pole, and strapped the broken pieces of my Leki to my backpack. By the time I reached Sawyer Notch the sounds of logging had ceased and I saw no signs of activity as I crossed the old logging road and started the ascent of Moody Mountain.   The South face of Moody Mountain is tough. It reminded me of Dragons Tooth ¢ with sheer exposed faces of rock that had been fitted with rebar to give some hand and foot holds. Long Haul passed me on the ascent with the cryptic comment ¢Its steep¢   At a rest stop halfway up Moody I had a brilliant idea. I fashioned a 10 inch long piece of wood and rammed it into the hollow broken end of the Leki. I then forced the other broken end of the pole over the protruding end of the piece of wood and ¢ Vola! ¢ had an intact pole once more. Climbing on up, feeling very proud of myself, I was soon humbled once more as, during a hard plant of the repaired pole, the piece of wood shattered in two. Great idea ¢ it just didn¢t work!   It took me a long time to reach the top of Moody Mountain, where a gaggle of adolescents and two adults passed me going down. There were numerous false summits before I got to the top. As I did so, I heard the sound of logging resume back down behind me in Sawyer Notch, with the distinctive crash of falling trees. This is, after all, a working forest and such activity is to be expected.   The descent down off of Moody was not bad at all, and I was at South Arm Road and Black Brook Notch by early afternoon. As promised by Wingfoot, there were indeed tent sites on the north bank of the brook ¢ and trail magic [gallon jugs of water] on the south bank.   I had just got the tent up when it started to rain ¢ so I did my ¢wet tent- dry tent¢ division and got out of my wet cloths and into my dry ones without getting the ¢dry tent¢ wet. It has continued to rain all afternoon. It did ease off on one occasion, but as I ventured out to try to hang out the wet gear, it started to rain again. It is still pouring down as I write. I have already collected my water, so I am well content to sit it out in my tent ¢ well con-¢tented¢ - get it?   I realy like this tent. There is room at the head and the right side ¢ the dry side of the tent ¢ for the dry gear, and plenty of room in the vestibule for the wet.   Dividing today¢s hike into two parts was a good idea for me. I had originally planned a 12.8-mile hike ¢ Moody Mountain and a bad knee would have put an end to that!Thought for Today ¢   Man has a Place in Nature also.