Date: 2016-08-11
From: Palmer House Resort.

To: Big Branch Stealth Site
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

I set my alarm for 7 as a just in case. I was worried I would sleep in really late. I snoozed a bit more and finally got up and packed it all up. I had scattered my whole pack all over that motel room. I checked out and returned the key and started walking into town. I stopped at Starbucks to get an iced coffee as it will most likely be my last until Hanover, New Hampshire. I sat outside drinking my iced coffee when Dragon Head texted me. He had gotten on trail around 8am and was on top of Bromley Mt. He said he wasn't sure of his end point but said he would go around 15. I told him I'd catch up. I finished my coffee and started walking down Main Street headed toward the trail. The trail is 5.4 miles from town and I hoped I would get picked up and not have to walk all 5.4 miles. I stuck my thumb out and proceeded to walk. I know some hikers just stand still with their thumb out or holding a sign but I feel if you show your willing to walk it people seem to stop quicker. Sure enough I only walked maybe 5 minutes and I guy in a truck pulled over and brought me to the trailhead parking lot. We didn't get to talk to much as a work phone call came in but I was most grateful for the ride as it was super hot out. I grabbed my pack and thanked the man and started towards the trail. I see out of the corner of my eye a van with AT symbols on it and I was like it can't be. Miss Janet!!! I had walked 1650 miles missing her by minutes or seeing her van drive by but there she was. Hunny do you want a soda she said. Yes please! I hugged her and proceeded to tell her how I had wanted to meet her but kept missing her. She was taking a lazy day but had been following the bubble north and was in Massachusetts the few days before. She is trying to catch up to people to give back some of their warm weather gear that she had been holding for them. Miss Janet was always ahead of me as the bubble was always ahead of me well at this point I have caught up to the bubble or the backside of it. Miss Janet is such a wonderful person and does so much for the hikers. She asked me "do you have everything that you need". I thanked her again and pushed off. The day started off with the climb up Bromley Mt which was 3 miles from the parking lot. The trail and grades were not too steep and in no time I had reached the ski slope and began the climb up from there. The trail followed the ski slope for .30 miles before reaching the summit. Wow what a view with the bluebird skies. It was hazy but you could still see far. I descended Bromley Mt down to Mad Tom notch and then started climbing up styles peak. The climbing on this was much steeper and the trail went through really thick spruce forrest. There was a small view at the top and then I descended down to a small notch before climbing up again up Peru Peak. This peak had a wooded summit so no view to be had. I climbed down stopping at Peru Peak Shelter and eagle was there having lunch. I asked him if he had seen Dragon Head and he said he had and that he left at around 1:30 from the shelter. Eagle said that DH was shooting for Little Rock Pond shelter. That would be a 20 mile day but dragon head got an early start more so than me. I didn't think I'd make it but decided to keep chugging on. I continued on climbing next up Bakers Peak. The climb was easy except for the last .10 miles where it was open ledge scrambles on an incline. There was a bad weather bypass so I always know they will be a tricky climb when there is a bypass. There was a blowdown across the trail and it was to high to step over and it was almost too low to go under. Needless to say I had kneel in the mud to duck under the tree with my pack on. I should have taken it off as it would have been easier but it looked at first it would be easy to duck under. No such luck. I stopped at lost pond shelter to wash my hands as they were covered in mud. It was only 1.7 to big branch shelter so I decided to push on. I thought Dragon Head might be at the shelter as the one eagle said he was going to was a fee shelter. On the descend down from lost pond shelter the trail followed the big branch creek. The trail crossed the creek on a footbridge and I could see a fantastic campsite and swimming hole right next to it with no one at it. That's gonna be home. DH I'll catch up tomorrow. I'm sure he caught up to Lt. Dan and they hiked together. That's what's nice about the trail, it's nice to hike with others and your trail family but sometimes due to circumstances you part ways or can't catch up and it's ok. You will see one another again. I walked over the footbridge and took a side trail to an awesome campsite. I quickly set up my tent and laundry line and stripped down to just my shorts and went in the cold cold creek. Boy did it feel good and there was a pool in the creek that was over waist deep. I was able to submerge myself and clean up the mud on my legs. I started a fire and made dinner. I climbed into my tent around 7:30 to write some trail journals. Tomorrow hopefully the rain holds off. It's supposed to be a rough wet weekend.