Date: 2004-07-26
From: Tenting at Hall Mountain Lean-to

To: The Cabin, Andover, Maine
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: broken clouds

6 miles todayThe Cabin, Andover, MaineIt felt colder last night, but it was still just in the lower 50s...maybe more humidity is coming back. I slept with my rain coat on and slept good. I made coffee and ate a small breakfast, then packed up and was hiking by 7:20am. I burned a small hole in my Sunday bandana...well, it's really my everyday bandana because it's the only one I have. I have this new cook pot and it came with a metal handle that gets real hot when I cook, so I have to use my bandana and the fire got it this morning. Now I'm going to have a strange tan on my forehead...one tan spot right in the middle where the whole is. My old, but larger pot was an Evernew and it came with rubber on the handle. I guess I'll have to add some rubber to this new pot because I only have that one bandana and I can't afford to burn it up. No one else was up yet, but I'll probably see them in Andover today. Within about 5 minutes I came up on a good size buck with a small 4 point rack still in velvet. Either his horns were still growing or he eats real well to get to be that size. I had been seeing alot of fresh moose prints in the mud. Way more than I usually see. Just a half a mile before I got to East B Hill Road, I scared a young bull moose. He ran up the hill making lots of noise. I had to walk forward a little to get a better look at him. He had about 10 or 12 inch horns. He was standing there looking back at me and then took off again. About 2 minutes later, I started running into the hikers that were dropped off from Andover. First was Einstein and then I coundn't believe my eyes...it was Doc and Wounded Knee from back in '02. I was with them in Hanover, NH the day they left the trail because Doc was accepted to medical school. They were probably the last two people I would have expected to see out here. They have a month off and came out to finish up the trail. I had a good time hiking around them a couple years ago. Then Skyline and Sundance came up. They said they had heard about me from Hippie...uh, oh.Next came a guy I recognized from down in Tn, MainSail.I had been standing at the road crossing for 45 minutes and only one car had come by going my way and he didn't stop {the bum} and then a car came by and stuck his thumb out like he was hitch hiking and when I could see the driver, it was Bear from The Cabin. Talk about things just working out on the trail...that's where I had planned on staying. We talked quite a bit on the way to The Cabin and he told me Rambunny was there. Her and I had hiked around each other alot back in '02, but had never run into each other, so it was great finally meeting her.Bear had to run into Rumford, so I rode along and resupplied to get me to Gorham, NH....about 43 more miles. We talked about some hikers that I had forgot about. It was nice to talk one on one. When we got back, I took a shower and washed my clothes. Bear had to go and pick up some hikers and I stayed and had a chance to talk to Rambunny. She was doing a sobo hike this year, but fractured a rib and is staying here for now and helping with the chores. Bob and Rabbit came in and then some maintainers. Looks like a full house tonight. Aqua is here helping out, been here about a week and showing no signs of leaving. I got to grill the chicken for dinner and aqua made some hamburgers. I had the second best potato salad that I've ever had...my moms is still the best...that should give me some points on the homefront, eh mom? We had all the ice cream we wanted and strawberry rhubarb cobbler. I called Dr. Doolittle and finally got her to put John Galt on the phone. I am meeting him in Gorham,NH on the 30th or 31st and then we get to go and do the 100 mile wilderness. Dr. is mad at me for taking John Galt away from her. Well, Dr, you could come too. I located my name on the bottom of the dinner table from when I came through in '02. Alot of hikers sign their names on the dinner table.I helped clean up and put things away after dinner. I checked my email and was surprized by how many I got...it's good to be loved, or in some of the emails...scolded. I'll take either. It really makes it fun to recieve so many emails when I get to towns. One of the hikers played a fiddle after dinner and I sat and enjoyed that. He was good too. It's amazing how fast a day can go by, but at the same time how long ago it seems that I woke up. It's been another full day...living my life to the fullest.I'm staying upstairs in the bedroom on the third floor and even have a fan in the window and The Weather Channel on the t.v. Looks like more rain coming back to Maine. Another great day on the A.T.