Date: 2005-08-31
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Lyme NH
Miles today: 6.6

Dowd¢s Country Inn B+B   ¢The Captain¢s Quarters¢   The shelter was crowded last night with wet hikers and their gear. Zip Lock, Linneus, and Sweeper ¢ The Three Blind Mice, so called because they did not know what they were doing when they started out ¢ and Moss, seem to be hiking as a group. Harmonica and Toolman stopped by, but left late to try for Trapper John¢s Shelter. Crazy Horse arrived, with his dreadlocks pilled high upon his head and his guitar on his back. A skillful guitar player, he played for the assembled multitude after dinner. There were two people tenting, and another hiker with us in the shelter.   This group has been together, on and off, for some time, and much of the talk is of final plans to push through NH and into Mane, since they are now finally envisioning the day that they will summit on Katahdin. Much laughter and high spirited antics and many in-jokes made for a pleasant evening, in cramped and damp quarters, with the rain and the mist swirling around outside. I finally fell asleep to the sound of Crazy Horse singing and playing.   I awoke during the night to the sound of thunder and the flash of lightening and the cold wet feel of water in the foot of my bag. The roof of the shelter had decided to spring a leak and was spreading a small pool of water between a still sleeping Crazy Horse and myself. I made do as best as I could, although there was not much room to move to a drier spot.      Awoke again at 5:30 AM to a wet and misty pre-dawn and was back on the trail by 7:00 AM, leaving a shelter of still sleeping hikers. I realy do not know why hikers do not get up at, or before, dawn. There are only so many hours of daylight and you need to take advantage of all of them. There was a lot of discussion last night about some of the hikers doing an 18-mile day today, but all decided to sleep in.   Not that I blame them. It was a cold, wet, foggy and windy morning with the rain streaming down and the mist being whipped every which way by the wind. I started out along the crest of Moose Mountain to the North Peak and then started on, what was today, a tricky wet muddy and surprisingly rocky descent down to Goose Pond Road in weather that was steadily growing worse.   Then it was a steep ascent up to Holts Ledge ¢ a peregrine falcon habitat, although today the falcons seemed to be sleeping in late also. Although the Ledges are not too much exposed, the screaming wind was shredding leaves and small twigs off of the trees, as I hiked by the mist filled abyss. It reminded me of the windstorm on Blood Mountain, although this was not as bad.   I had passed a still occupied tent during the ascent, and before I started down its occupants, Blaze and Half Dread ¢ who use to have dreadlocks ¢ and their dog Sampson, passed me. At the road junction I caught up with Harmonica and Toolman and we tried to take each other¢s picture in the pouring rain and mist filled wind at the road junction.      Since there was little traffic and standing still on the roadside was an invitation to hypothermia, I started to hike in to Lyme. After about one mile ¢ past the Lyme Center P.O. ¢ car #4 picked me up and deposited me here at the door.   This is a very nice B+B. I have my own bathroom and have spread out all of my wet gear ¢ much of it in the bathtub ¢ to try to get it to dry. Spoke with all at home on the cell.   Even though it was a dreadful day from the point of view of the weather, I was actually feeling good! Everything was clicking along nicely, and physically, mentally, and emotionally, I felt realy in harmony ¢ what the Native Americans call ¢Horzo¢ Both of my feet got wet from all of the water running down into my boots, but I still felt good.   Now that I am safely ensconced here, the rain has stopped and there is even a little light in the clouds ¢ still windy.      Today I was very much ¢in the moment¢, not letting myself worry about the next events in the hike. I think that that helped a lot in keeping ¢The Other¢ away ¢ the self-induced specter of worry and self-recrimination and self doubt that I constantly struggle with.Thought for today ¢   Almost all of the things that I worry about never happen!