Date: 2005-07-13
From: Greenville, ME

To: Bald Mtn Brook Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

22 miles todayBald Mtn Brook Lean-to, Maine I was up until 1:30am catching up on my journaling and emails and sorting out my bounce box. I got up at 6am and answered somemore emails. Lew said he had some coffee ready about 6:30 so we sat by his picture window and enjoyed the views of Lower Wilson Pond while we talked. We didn't plan to talk so long. I looked at my watch and it was 7:30 already. The restaurant opened at 7 and we had planned on being there then. I made sure I had all my stuff packed and we went down to Boom Chains for breakfast. We sat at the same table Quin and I sat at yesterday and we were able to enjoy Moosehead Lake from there. We went to the po after breakfast and I mailed my bounce box to Gorham, NH and I mailed my Florida Intangible Taxes which I thought I had already mailed. They were due June 30th, so I'm sure the government will want more. Lew dropped me off at the trailhead at almost 10am on Rt 16 near Monson and I started walking south. Thanks again Lew...I enjoyed talking with you. Four miles into my walk today I ran in 3 nobos by the names of Bob, Boomerang and Biscuits. They were all heading into Monson for the day. Five miles into my hike I ran in Scrubs, another nobo. I forded the East Branch of Piscataquis River and then headed on to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to where I ate lunch. I ran into a lady by the name of Xcaver who's heading to Katahdin to finish a multi-year section hike of the A.T. I walked along a river for several miles today. It was warm out and the sun was shining most of the time. The bugs were about the same...mosquitos, knats, deer flies and a few black flies. I forded the West Branch of Piscataquis where two rivers come together. I sat on the south side and dried out my shirt and air out my feet for a while. I forded two more streams within the next couple of hours. I've never had to ford this many rivers south of Monson. I got to Moxie Bald Lean-to at 5pm and found a big rock in the water of the lake, but near enough to shore that I was able to jump out onto it. I sat there and made my dinner and watched a couple of loons nearby. There was no one else there...just me, the pond and the loons. I ate my dinner and the wind picked up a little and started blowing small waves of water onto the rock I was sitting on, so I finished up and hiked on. I walked on about 6pm and shortly after I started walking, I ran into a 6 year section hiker by the name of 7 Sisters. I ran into a guy that looked familiar right after that. It was a guy I did some trail magic for last May in Harriman Park, NY when I had brought some food out for Frogcaller and Zulu. I dropped him off at a motel near Bear Mountain Bridge in NY. His name is Robo and I'm glad to see he's still on the trail. He was hurting pretty good back then. As I was leaving, he turned and said that he's talked to people who've said good things about me. He hasn't talked to Liteshoe, Dewdrop, Chief, Mrs Gorp or Goosebump. ;-))) I climbed Moxie Bald Mountain next. I stopped a little before the summit and filled up with enough water to spend the night at the summit, but the wind was blowing too hard and that would have kept me awake all night. I spent some time up there and got some nice pictures and cooled down after the steep climb. Some of the trees at the summit of this mountain were still smoldering when I hiked through here in '02 after a fire. I never did find out if it was a controled burn or not. I hiked on down the mountain because I knew I needed a good nights sleep since I got so few hours last night. I got to this lean-to area and no one was here, so I set up my tent near the brook. I went down and took a bandana bath and when I was walking over some rocks in the brook, my foot slipped off and I took my first fall of this hike...right in the water. See Quincygirl, I can go in a cold brook fast sometimes!! ;-)))