Date: 2009-09-03
From: Whitefield, NH

To: Upton, ME
Miles today: 0.0

September 3 --I headed over to Rangeley which took the better part of the day, a slow drive on back roads, where I picked up my last mail drop and set of ME maps from the ATC. They're nice, a lot more info, lake/pond elevations better resolution on the elevation profile grids and detailed way points on the back side. I bought a deli sandwich and stopped at the library before heading 9m out of town to the AT parking lot on ME4 where I started my hitch that would take me through Erroll, NH back down ME26 to Grafton Notch. There was major road work going on so I began to walk toward Rangeley when the driver of a stopped pickup heading the other way yelled to me, "Trail's shaw-ta!", with a big grin, he was right. Before long I got a ride to the other side of Rangeley, another to ME16, another a few miles to King's Spring, one more for about 5 miles then the next all the way to Erroll and NH26 where I started walking/hitching until dark. Realizing that I probly wouldn't make it, I stopped by a suitable spot on the roadside deciding to wait until total darkness before pitching the tent, still hitching. A pickup drove by, went out of sight, then I heard it coming back. I wondered how he had turned around so quickly, well, it hadn't, it was backing up at about 30mph!, and stopping, the 4 guys made no secret about drinking beer, one of them said, "Need a ride man?", I repled, "Yeah, I do", as my little voice asked me, "Is this wise"? Ignoring that little question, I said, "I'll climb in the back". "We're goin' to the Bull Moose, how far you goin'?" to my reply he said, "Wow man, that's another 10 miles". The 20 minute ride was chilly in the night air, bracing myself in the open bed, holding my hat tightly in my hand, and along the way I realized that I gave up my camping spot and would end up really in the woods. At the turnoff for the bar my hosts offered for me to join them, "Where're ya comin' from?" one slurred, "GA." "Wow man you hitched all the way for GA?" "No, I walked." "What, that's crazy man!", his garbled voice fading through the opened back window as they drove away. I began my walk down the dark road used now only by the big, noisy logging trucks, heard a mile away shifting up/down the hills, and eventually I came to a street light and houses, the first was a small farm with an apple orchard that looked suitable for camping, but I continued to several more spaced houses, one of which had a for sale sign out front, no cars in the driveway and a big back yard with a few trees, most suitable for sleeping I thought. So I quietly, under moonlight, set up the tent, climbed inside, boots off, resting, when I heard a woman's voice, "Hey, get outta there you!", followed by a clanging what sounded like a metal dish beaten with a stick. Impossible! How could anyone see me? I very slowly, quietly opened the zippers and could not see anything or anybody through the small trees. Coincidence? Was she chasing a raccoon or something? And what if there's a dog around here? I heard mumbling voices for the next 5 minutes which was enough to chase me, I wouldn't sleep now anyway. I packed and snuck out quieter than when I had arrived, and back on the road I saw and heard no activity, more of a mystery. I continued south and came upon a small building offset from the road with its own bright street light attached, a pay phone in front and a sign in front, The Upton Town Hall. Next to it a small building, the library, with a nice, small lawn and hedge front, finally, my spot.