Date: 2005-09-13
From: Monson,ME

To: Little Wilson Falls
Miles today: 10.1

Up and gone around mid day this day. The morning breakfast at Shaw's was a fine one. You made your order by asking for a number, mine was three. Three pancakes, three eggs, three sausage, easy enough to figure out. The tables were full of hikers and plans were being made on when they were to enter the 100 mile wilderness. Section hikers were there as well as Shaw's was a popular place for them too. My plans were first to do laundry, purchase the supplies that I could not find in the hiker box (which was well stocked) and to use the internet located across the street from the laundromat, in the town hall.    Monson was a town full of history. I discovered that the walls in the laundromat were loaded with photos of the town in another time period. Pictures of former businesses, hotels that burned down and some rough looking men. WWI vets, trappers and woodsmen, I bet they would laugh at the gear we carry today. I was still carrying the same load as I was carrying when I left Hanover around mid August (around 35 pounds worth). When My load was full of food I strapped my tent to the outside of the back pack. There was plenty of water so there was no need to carry much. Food was again mainly all dehydrated goods, all light weight and enough to get by.    The Trolls were there doing laundry as well as the Hemlock Muppets. I stocked up on five days worth of rations and went back to Shaw's. I said my good byes to all and headed off alone to where I left the trail the day before with Ug. Just as I was leaving I saw Professor Nutbag and yelled a good by to him. I was sad to see them all for the last time (at least most of them, some I would see again). Paul and Tom left early that morning and now were a half of a day's walk ahead of me (plus I still had the 6.7 miles to do from the point where I stepped off, to where they entered the trail at the 100 mile woods). I read their log entries but never spoke to them again. Two things I failed to mention about Tom. He is Polish and speaks the language (we conversed in what little Polish I remembered from when I studied it years before). The other thing, the one that struck me the most, was the fact that the man could whistle. I am not talking Andy Griffith type of whistling, I am talking Beethoven (many other hikers commented to the same), he was extremely talented.   About three hours later I was standing at the entrance to the 100 mile wilderness. The famous sign warning those who enter to be well prepared was gone, I imagined it was taken probably for a memento by some day hiker. I stopped at the Leeman Brook Lean-to and found a set of ski poles that belonged to Paul. He left a note there in the Log book asking anyone to please carry them south back to Monson, that he no longer wanted to carry them and apologized for not leaving them in Monson earlier that day. I also left a note in the log, for me entering the 100 mile wilderness was indeed a dream come true. All along the trail I wrestled with many issues, mainly of my military past. That day I wrote in the log that the warrior was finally at rest, and I meant it.   The Lean-to was infested with mice and chipmunks, a thing I disliked the most was shelter mice. The critters were running around everywhere in the daylight, I could just imagine what it was like to sleep there. Earlier that day, before I left town, I talked to Fig and Just Visiting. They said they were going to set up camp near the Little Wilson Falls that evening. I found them at the base of the falls and asked if I could join them. We sat up and talked for a while around a fire. It was a beautiful evening and we soon turned in for the night. It was a short day because of a late start, I adjusted the daily mileage I needed to do in order to meet up with Brian (17.9 per day). Once again the planned meeting place was the Ranger Station and the back up was the store at Abol Bridge on the 20th.   Today was the first day of the last leg of the trail. By night fall I only had 107.7 miles to go.   Personal note: Happy Birthday to my son Joshua.