Date: 2013-09-07
From: Hall Mtn Lean-to

To: South Arm Road
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: clear sky

I'd told Susan I'd be at South Arm Road by Noon -- five hours to do less than 5 miles didn't sound too hard. And it wasn't. Tho I've been averaging much less than one mph, things have been picking up lately, 1.3 at the end of the day yesterday. I got there just after 11:30, a few minutes after Susan. Coming down Hall Mtn took some time. It's not difficult trail, but I'm so stiff in the morning, especially going downhill. By the time I got to the big climb up Moody Mtn, I was warmed up some. When I came thru here 5 years ago, the slope was a mess -- a large bunch of trees had fallen, taking much of the hillside with them. It was hard to even figure out where the Trail was supposed to go, much less how to get there safely. The Maine ATC has done tremendous work since then, including a lot of stone steps, tho there are still a few tough spots. I remember a discussion several months back where a hiker claimed there were no switchbacks in Maine. I pointed out that I had seen one above Piazza Rock. Now I have seen some on Mt. Carlo, right at the beginning of Maine & again here on Moody Mtn, where the whole way up is one big switchback, composed of multiple little ones, more like the "slalom" switchbacks in NC. Although I got up the Mtn pretty well, numerous hikers passed me. One was complaining about all the roots, yet he was using them to pull himself up, along with the steel bars the trail builders have put in the rock to help. At several places on the Mtn, there were good viewpoints. I always wonder which mtn or lake is which. If they're not pretty close to the Trail, my map doesn't usually show them. From Bald Pate, I'd seen a wind farm to the East; today, I could see one to the West also. Some people think of them as an eyesore, but I like to see them as signs that someone is getting serious about renewable forms of energy production. I've been giving some thought to Rates of speed vs nutrition. For the first half or more of the hike, I could count on averaging about 2 mph. At first I was eating mostly snacky stuff all day & a bigger meal at night. Then I figured out that that didn't give me enough energy for the afternoons; so I started having a cooked (or at least re-hydrated) meal in the middle of he day as well. By the time I got up to Ct or Ma, I figured out that I was only going 1.8 mph while feeling like I was expending the same amount of effort. About that time, Susan recognized that I was depleting my reserves, not just of body fat but of muscle as well. No wonder it takes more effort to produce the same (or less) result. Since then, I've been trying to eat more ¢ 2 full meals plus lots of snacks, including cheese & peanut butter, & even eat more energy bars. I've gone easy on those because they don't always agree with my stomach [too sweet??], but I'm learning what time of day works best. They claim to be a good source of protein, as is tuna. Probably, eating alone doesn't do all I need; I suspect my body needs more rest as well, to help recuperate, likely more rest than I have time for if I'm to finish on time. I have been pretty regular with a weekly zero day or "sabbath" ¢ here comes another one! [At least if you count Noon to Noon as a Zero Day ¢ it's probably more recuperative if it involves TWO nights.]We stayed at the Cabin, near Andover. I highly recommend it! All the private rooms indoors were taken, but we didn't want the bunkroom, so we ended up in one of their campers parked around the property. I didn't think it was too bad ¢ I slept well ¢ but it reminded Susan too much of her experience living in a trailer just after college. The supper was great (about 12 hikers sharing it) & Susan got to help with it & make a pasta salad that people seemed to like. She stayed a couple of more days in one of the private rooms & helped some more (also with shuttling) ¢ not exactly "work-for-stay" but "work-for-a-reduced-rate".It was an enjoyable evening, & I got some laundry & re-packing done .