Date: 2015-09-03
From: ME 4

To: Woods Road at Oberton Stream
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm in a pretty sweet non-shelter camp spot about 20 yards from a stream and waterfall. It's not a stealth spot, as this is clearly an established site, but it was in the perfect location!This morning we were supposed to get shuttled back to the trail at 7, but there had been some miscommunication and it was past 7:30 when we left. Aside from that hiccup though, the stay at the Farmhouse Inn was really good and I'd consider it one of the better hostels on the trail. Unlike, say, Pine Ellis in Andover.Right away we started the longest climb of the day, up Saddleback Mountain. Because it was long, it was not overly steep for long stretches and overall it wasn't too bad. I ran into Burl and Treebird who were going slow because Treebird has a hurt knee. It was twice the size of the other knee. Poor guy also has a broken finger but he's still hiking! We hiked and chatted for a while until the climb made conversation hard. . Not too far from the summit I ran into Kansas, who I hadn't seen since Hot Springs. She is doing a supported slack pack thru-hike with Advil, with Mudder being the support. I knew she was roughly in the same spot as I because I had run into Mudder in Gorham. Kansas and I started at the same time, she was in the parking lot at USFS 42 when I left there, and we might end up finishing on the same day as well. Considering we have not run into each other for roughly 1500 miles, that would be pretty funny. I'm still a day behind schedule though, so who knows.We met Advil at the top of Saddleback Mountain and took pictures. It was very humid this morning and the views, which were far and wide, were very hazy.From Saddleback you can see the next mountain you need to climb, which is called the Horn. It is much shorter, but steep. Just before starting the climb, I found a nice semi-sheltered spot and had lunch with some of the best lunch-views of the hike.The Horn was shorter so it didn't take too long to climb and at the top I met Cygnus, Corn Silk and Glacier Swiss all of whom I met before in the past few days. Again you could see the next climb, Saddleback Junior (I am not making this up!). This was a pretty short climb but the descent from the Horn was tough and by the third mountain of the day my legs were tired! There was a camp site with suspicious water on the way down, so I skipped that one. Hikers who have used the water, and treated it as per normal, have been showing up sick in towns nearby, apparently. The ATC had issued a warning and everyone on the trail today seemed aware of it. When I got to the shelter that was my 'minimum goal for the day', I was tired and tempted to stay. But it was only a little past three and I'd have a lot of time to kill, with only Loner Boner for company. I'm not making that up either, that is his trail name, but it's because his real name is Bohner. He is 74 and on his third thru-hike. That will not be me, I can tell you!Anyway, I decided to hike on to the next stream, which was listed as a ford so I figured it was unlikely to be dry. Water levels seem pretty low. There was a woods road listed right past it and I was hoping that would give me some stealth options.Those last 2.7 miles were probably the hardest of the day because I was tired and because I had thought the stream was at 1.7! But eventually I got there, rock hopped across (because of low water) and then took my shoes off anyway to soak my feet.The woods road was .1 straight up, but there was this really nice spot that I set up in, so it was worth it. I made tea and took it to the stream/ waterfall and that's when Cruise Control showed up! We had started the hike together but she took a break early on while I kept going and I hadn't seen her since. We shared a two servings freeze dried meal and now it's once again dark as I write this.When I was talking to Kansas and Advil earlier today I mentioned that Gary is coming up to hike the last 100 plus miles with me. They asked when he was coming and I said this weekend. This weekend! That means the hike is almost over. It's a crazy thought.,.Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?