Date: 2006-07-05
From: Little Boardman Mountain, Me

To: Antler's Campsite, Me
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

12.5 miles todayTentingAntlers Campsite, MeI was tenting on the summit of Little Boardman Mountain last night and about 11pm it started thundering and raining really hard.The hardest rain lasted about an hour, but it rained for several hours and I even had my tent set up wrong. I set it up to be away from the wind last night, but the wind changed and blew a fine mist into the tent, so I was a little damp this morning. :-)))I woke up at 5am and started my coffee and ate a couple squished fruit pies.This is one of those times when it seems like everything you own is wet. There was so much dew after the heavy rain last night that I think all of Maine must be soaked.I put on wet clothes, socks and shoes and packed up and started walking shortly after Mrs Gorp had packed up and left.The trail was soaked yesterday, but it's really soaked today...very muddy and slippery.I got down near Crawford Pond and had to stop and put on some deet because the bugs were hungry.I stopped by Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to and took a short break and signed the register.There was a sobo thru hiker there, but I couldn't catch his name. It had something to do with Mohawks.Cooper Brook was roaring through the normally nice swimming hole.We walked the 3 1/2 miles to where we were meeting Zulu, Lew and Frogcaller at Jo-Mary Rd and got there about 10:30am.I got out in the sun...yes, the sun was out!!, and spread all my stuff out to dry.The bugs weren't even bad out in the sun.Lew, Zulu and Frogcaller showed up at 11am, about an hour early. They had some cokes on ice. :-)))This is the reunion that brought me up to Maine.Frogcaller and I met on the trail in March of '02 when we both started walking north from Springer Mountain in Georgia.She has been section hiking the trail ever since and is now on her last 56 miles of the trail and I get the honor of summiting Katahdin with her to see her finish her 5 year section hike of the whole AT!!!Her husband Lew, her son Zulu, Mrs Gorp, maybe John Galt and I are all planning on climbing Katahdin together.If we all survive, we then plan on taking a seaplane and flying over Katahdin, then down the 100 Mile Wilderness and back to a lake landing near Millinocket.After getting some pictures, Frogcaller (who was pretty excited about this last short section), Zulu and Mrs Gorp started hiking.I said goodbye to Lew and finished repacking all my DRY stuff. :-)))The bugs were bad again as soon as I got back into the woods, so I sprayed myself with more bug dope.I ran into Sweet Cheeks who was sitting down taking a break. She's a sobo and said she's taking that name because that seems to be where the bugs like biting her the most. :-)))I caught up to Frogcaller and walked with her about 10 minutes, then told her I'd see her at Antlers Campsite in a little bit.I got to Antlers and Mrs Gorp and Zulu were sitting there talking to Pooh Bear who is also just about 50 miles from finishing all of the AT.I had seen her name around for a few years, so now I can put a face with the name.Congratulations Pooh Bear!!!I went out on the point and set up my tent. The breeze was blowing nicely and there weren't any bugs, so we all sat out for a few hours talking and eating dinner.It was so nice to be able to sit outside and have no bugs biting and to be DRY!!! :-)))While we were eating, a loon started calling.A seaplane flew over about the same time and Frogcaller says that loons almost always make a call when there's a plane nearby...I learned something new today. :-)))We ended up sitting around for about 4 hours before we all went to our tents about 6:30pm for the night.