Date: 2015-08-01
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: clear sky

The day began with a steep downhill avoiding large rocks and tangled roots. We proceeded as best we could and eventually came across a river to ford. There have been quite a few river crossings since entering Maine, though many of these crossings could be qualified as some more intense rock-hopping. We began climbing Spaulding Mountain, which imitates the shape of an inverted and markedly pointed "V", and followed a crest along the mountain's shoulder to reach Sugarloaf Mountain. Along the way, we spotted a commemorative plaque underlining the completion of the last section of the AT. It was done by workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. The Trail was, at the time, only 2,054 miles long.We continued on and gazed worrisomely at the sky as clouds were gathering and a strong wind was bending the trees. A sprinkling of raindrops left a few isolated wet spots on the ground. We saw a barrage of dark grey clouds looming ahead. The wind continued blowing, echoing the far-away sound of rain falling and dragging along the smell of wet dirt; we were hiking towards a storm.We hastened our pace and suddenly, Shrugs halted. I lifted my gaze and saw a large figure in the woods. A moose! It shifted and we crept closer along the Trail to get a better view. It was a female and she stood among the trees, motionless, her droopy face silently observing us with a zen-like gaze. The moose-cow held us in a trance and we stared at her ignoring the falling rain until we were pulled back to reality when another hiker behind us yelled "OH HEY GUYS!!!" "SHHHHH!", we hissed "there's a moose." The hiker stopped to see, but the moose-cow had been annoyed so she unhurridely left the scene. The rain, which had fallen in a few distinct and short bursts, suddenly stopped and blue spread throughout the sky. Had we been visited by the Moose-Cow of Fair Weather?We continued hiking along Sugarloaf Mountain and headed towards the exposed facade where the Trail went down. The terrain had been getting progressively rockier so I should not have been suprised to see that the descent was a jumble of boulders and steep rock stairs. A large cloud floated above us and hard raindrops began falling. We could see blue skies on the other side of the mountain so we were exasperated by the impending rain's choice of target (are we hydro-magnetic?) especially since the prospect of scrambling along a rocky and uncovered ledge during a downpour is discouraging. We began screaming "MOOSE-COW OF FAIR WEATHER! HELP US, PLEASE!" A few tentative raindrops fell, then nothing. The massive clouds glided through the sky and rumbled over the adjacent mountain. The sun was uncovered and warmed our skin. We continued slowly over and around the rock boulders and were amazed by the fact that they were completely dry even if we had received rain only a few minutes prior. The rain cloud must have passed and turned a 90-degree angle to narrowly avoid us. The steep climb down was slow-going but we were infinitely grateful to be dry. Thank you, Moose-Cow of Fair Weather. We happily hiked on and had animated discussions. After another river fording, we arrived at the campsite. The sky was clear and the air was cool. What strange weather we have had today.- Axon