Date: 2010-08-11
From: Shaker campsite

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 23 - Wed Aug 11Plan: Hike 10.0 miles from Shaker campsite to Upper Goose Pond Cabin.Weather: Fair and sunnyWe had a good night's sleep protected from the mosquitoes. I must say I will not be terribly disappointed to leave this dark swampy woods. We have a hearty breakfast of oatmeal with heaps of brown sugar followed by several peanut butter globs on crackers and powdered milk. Peanut butter seems to be the best energy food for hiking. The milk still has some chunks in it. Genevieve says, "One of the advantages of being on the trail is you can chew your milk". We filter and treat enough water for the day from a cold clear trickle stream and are on the trail by 8:30 but I am quickly diverted as there are several stream / ponds about a half mile down. I spend about about an hour fishing and then feeling guilty I begin the climb up Cobble Hill. Near the top I find Genevieve. Turns out she has been lost for about an hour. The trail is marked badly at this spot and she got diverted down what we guess is an old AT trail that leads one back down Cobble Hill. I would have made the same mistake. We consult the trail map and together figure it out. We decide to hike together for the rest of the day so Genevieve slows down a little and I speed up a little. After Cobble Hill we are in sunny pastures glad to be out of the swamps. We stop at 12:30 in a break of large pines for lunch and rest. We are so thankful for Sofia's wonderful trailmix. When combined with Pracek's jerky it is the perfect hiker's lunch. We have some 500 ft climbs ahead of us but everything feels good and strong. My pack is about 7-8 pounds lighter because we ate as much food as we could and I'm not carrying extra water. We hike until 3:45 and then I need to break to change to dry socks and take a rest. I always take off my shoes and socks when I stop to help with circulation. I pull out the contractor garbage bag I've been carrying for pack cover and seat and spread it on the pine needles. Using a boot for a pillow I take a 45 minute nap. Genevieve reads her book. We have 3.75 miles into Upper Goose Pond cabin and we make it in 105 minutes - 2.14 mph - a personal best for me. UGP Cabin is a hiker's heaven. There are bunks (with plastic covered mattresses) upstairs for 16 and downstairs a kitchen, living room, fireplace and front porch. When we arrive we are met by the caretaker who explains the operation to us. There 40-50 gallons of fresh spring water for our use. A wash station out back. A glorious pond for swimming or canoeing / fishing...and unlimited pancakes and coffee for breakfast. The caretakers rotate weekly from May 1st through Labor Day. Kim is here with her two teenage daughters. We decide to bunk upstairs, get 2 large containers of spring water. Genevieve uses the wash station to clean up but I just go swimming in the pond. Beautiful clear water. You can see the perches swimming around the little dock. We are hungry so we fix two backpacker meals - Cheese Enchilada Ranchero which we supplement with the cheddar cheese sticks we got in GB. Also fix Pad See You Tum Yum Gum asian noodle dish which we improve by adding extra water to make it soupy. Hot coffee and chamomile tea round out a perfect meal. There is nothing like a healthy appetite to make food taste really good. There are a few thru hikers here too: Just Annie and Matt who are SOBO from Maine. Giant and SlowGo who are NOBO. April is doing a section hike with her dog Lady. April is in the middle of chemo treatment for cancer and decided to do 2 day section hikes to build her strength up. I admire her. After dinner everyone goes down to the dock to look for meteors. The highest count is five - the peak night I believe is tomorrow Aug 12. I head off to bed early because I am getting chilled. I sent my extra clothes forward to make pack weight room for the computer. My only camp clothes are a pair of shorts and I went swimming in those. So I spend time in my sleeping bag updating the trailjournal. Kim the caretaker reports there is limited cell service but only in the SE corner of the cabin - luckily where my bunk is. Sure enough I get a weak signal but sufficient to get the updates in. Genevieve has warned everybody about my snoring but since I am early to bed it is a quiet night and there are no complaints next morning. We will zero here a day and play and fish on the pond. Goodnight to all. 1.0 and Bea.