Date: 2015-08-12
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean to

To: Monson, Maine - Shaw's Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 15.7

8/12, Monson Maine Shaw's Hostel, 15.7, 120.8 to goIt was an interesting night last night wherein I slept off and on for different periods of time. We all laid down around 6:30 to sleep and I fell off just after writing the journal. Around 8:30 I was awakened by two other hikers, who apparently arrived mich earlier as I slept, hanging a tarp over the shelter opening to sleep on the front benches shielded from the rain. It was reminiscent of a couple of bights we spent in the smokies when the weather was so bad we filled a twelve person shelter with eighteen people. These two boys were very quiet and polite about the fact the shelter was full and many of us were sleeping. They had cooked dinner and changed to dry clothes before I woke up, the. Hing the tarp so they could lay out their sleeping bags. When we awoke this morning ey cleared out of our way so we could pack and were very respectful. In conversation we learned hey were on their first night of their first backpacking experience and felt like they did not know what hey were doing. We assured em they would be fine and that they had just survived the longest day of rain we had seen in three weeks. After all the commotion of 8:30 I was off to sleep again but tossed all night with my sore leg and back, trying to sleep comfortable. When I woke this morning I was pleasantly surprised that my back felt OK and my leg was manageable. It was sore to stretch and jar, like stepping hard, bit I could endure the pain so I left my knee wrap over the swelling to control it as best I could and took ibuprofen to start my day. Breakfasted and packed I decided to hike out at 6:30 ahead of the others since I was not sure how hiking would be affected by my leg. Fortunately I had no loss of strength, I just needed to be careful how hard I stepped on the left leg to keep from jarring the large swollen area inside my left calf. I basically limped except when we were climbing, which I was able to do with no pain. We hiked steady up and over Moxie Bald mountain in cloud cover but rose above the clouds on top. It made for some interesting photos with the nearby peak tops showing above the low cloud cover. Along with the view we were treated to a large harvest of wild blueberries, as we have on several Maine mountains, and took our time savoring many mouthfuls. Off the top I hiked with IB and JP since Trudge and Otter had hiked ahead. I slogged through mud bogs and over roots trying hard not to slip or jar my left leg while trying to keep my boots dry, relatively speaking. Not long later we came to the edge of the first stream ford we would actually need to make. Previous streams were low enough to step across on the rocks, but not this one. The stream was knee deep and the only way across was through so off with my boots and on with my Crocs I forded. The cold water felt great on my knees and especially my bruised calf so I enjoyed a lingering moment before exiting the stream to return to my boots. There were two more fords today, the second was knee deep and the third just ankle deep, all requiring a Croc walk. Through the afternoon, perhaps as a result of the cold water treatments, my calf started feeling much better so I am ready to finish. We rested at the two shelters along our path today but hiked purposefully toward Monson. After getting soaked yesterday and not doing laundry for a week we were ready for a hostel stay. We arrived at the Monson parking lot and called Shaw's for a shuttle to their hostel. Shaw's is the oldest continuously running hostel on the trail and is under new ownership and when we got to the hostel we were offered a seat, a cold beverage and sat and visited with the owner about hiking. Poet, the owner, had thru hiked in 2008 and was a great host because his mantra was whatever you need we will get if we do not have it. We chose to resupply here and I was even able to get my pack belt buckle replaced since he is a ULA dealer as well. Additionally we are having him drop us a resupply half way through the 100 mile wilderness so we can hike with 3 days supplies instead of 6. After showering and starting laundry we headed for dinner. Otter has actually completed his section hike of the entire trail by reaching Monson but is going to hike the wilderness and up Katahdin with a friend who is joining him here tomorrow. That means we bid goodbye to him from here and will miss his company he rest of the way. Trudge has decided to hang in with us crazy old guys, even though he thinks we hike long miles, and I suspect will summit with us in seven days. When we hike out tomorrow we will have 105 miles to he other side of the wilderness where Kathy and Maxine will be waiting to reunite. We will spend the night in Millinocket and then summit the next day before heading home. I will post a final set of hiking journals then and I am certain to have a few reflections on the journey.On to Katahdin!Silverback