Date: 2005-09-03
From: The Cabin, Andover, ME

To: Summit of Old Blue
Miles today: 12.9

Up and back on the trail this morning by 9:00. As predicted the breakfast was great and surprisingly enough, we cooked our own omelette's. I thought that was a nice touch. Choose the fixings and then wait your turn to cook, not a bad idea. Home made preserves on top of pancakes with real maple syrup (wow) everything was so good. It was not easy leaving that place.    A quick stop in town and then the ride from hell in the back of a pickup truck (provided by the Cabin, the only flaw), we soon were hiking north. This day I was hiking with Protieus, Buttah and Leviathan or better known as "Team Hustle". The three had been together for so long, I first met them at Harpers Ferry. I asked if they would mind if I hiked with them, they didn't care, they enjoyed some of my stories. It was nice to have some company as well. I figured I would hang with them for a while, try not to wear out my welcome and leave them alone when the time was right (that is exactly what happened).    We stopped and bathed at the Sawyer Brook ford and then played Frisbee along the "Old Logging Road". It was nice to just have a relaxing day with some interesting folk. There was a second ford across Black Brook a few miles ahead as well. It seemed that every time we crossed one we spent time in the water. The water was clear and it made you think that you could just drink it without pre-treating it (though I would never recommend it). I still looked at water consumption the same as before, if it came from a Spring, I would take a chance. If it ran along the ground I would pre-treat and if it came from a pond or lake I would boil it.   I tried to imagine what these river crossings must have been like when they were swollen and cold. South bounders told horror stories on their experiences in this state at the beginning of their thru-hike. So far the rivers were not a problem. There were a few that were a bit deep further north however. South bounders not only contended with the rivers, they also had to deal with the Black Flies (May, June and July time frame). There were plenty of south bounders still however, most were those who flipped from the south. To flip was when a NOBO realized that they may not make Katahdin in time so they went north and from the summit, finished where they left off by going south from Katahdin.   We all ended up on the summit of "Old Blue" at 3600 feet (a 2200 foot incline up from Black Brook ford). We were lucky enough to catch the sun as it set. I passed on to these boys on how I prepped my camp site when in Bear country (there wasn't any fresh bear sign). The reason why I prepped camp was that Old Blue was covered with dwarfed trees and the trail was an easy path that "Old Hungry" could move along with. Not only Bear, we also were in Moose country as well and, they liked to use the AT as well. I talked to a hiker further north who told me of his experiences night hiking in Maine. He would come upon the Moose sleeping along the trail and literally was knocked over by one once. Stories like that solidified my past efforts along the trail to keep unwanted guests from stumbling on through camp. I never had any problems, not even from those lurking Porcupines, perhaps my preventive measures paid off.