Date: 2007-06-27
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 28.5

I was the last one up in camp today. Everyone was already on the trail except for the young couple headed back to IL. They were hiking to Abol Bridge today to set up camp and wait for their ride, which should be there in a few days. I¢d go crazy camped in one spot like that for 2-3 days.Last night was a rough night. Somehow, a lot of rain made it into my hammock. Not just a little, I could have dealt with it. No, there was enough to completely soak my down sleeping bag and the clothes I was sleeping in. It was pouring rain all night and the shelter was full, so there wasn¢t anything I could do about it. I slept the night in my rain jackets and pants and tried to make the best of it.Unfortunately, I woke up with a sore throat, nasal and chest congestion and a horrible wheezing cough. I figured I¢d complete the 100 Mile Wilderness and see if it has gotten any better. I¢d come too far to turn around at this point.Shortly into my hike I came upon Rainbow Ledges. What a beautiful little spot. I found I was able to get a cell phone signal, so I stopped for a bit to update my wife on my trip and let her know about the cold I¢d come down with last night.I came across several nice view spots above some lakes that were spectacular. There were several boats cruising around the lakes.I was meandering down the trail, completely lost in thought, when I heard a loud ruckus to my right. It sounded like someone stomping their feet in shallow water. I just walked on for a few seconds when a voice in my head said ¢it¢s probably a moose you big dummy!¢, so I crashed through the underbrush to see two moose (a sow & a calf) dashing for the opposite shore. The sow made it to some shallow water and stood there staring at me, while the calf was swimming across some deeper water, only its head visible above the water. I was able to get some good photos of them crossing the water. They both made it to the opposite shore and just stood there and stared at me. I was able to snap off a few more photos before they calmly turned and faded into the trees. I was praying that I¢d get to see a moose on this trip and I was ecstatic I was able to get some good photos to boot! Shortly after the moose, I passed a young couple heading to the Rainbow Springs lean-to. They were SOBOs and were only hiking 5 miles today. Sort of a rest/easy hiking day.I had planned on stopping at Rainbow Spring lean-to to cook lunch and take a break. There was a guy there from Massachusetts and a lady from Maine taking a break there as well. They were friends and were hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness. After a lunch of chicken rice with harvest vegetables, I packed up my stuff and was ready to knock out the remaining 15.9 miles that would take me to the White House Landing.I arrived at the White House Landing dock and per the instructions, did one short blast with the air horn hanging on a nearby tree. I dropped my pack, took off my shoes and dipped my feet in the water at the edge of the dock. It was really refreshing to have the cold water on my feet. It was almost 25 minutes before the shuttle boat arrived to take me across the lake.First order of business - a HOT shower. I¢d been hiking all day in my rain gear, to keep the mosquitoes at bay, and I was stinking to the high heavens!Ahhh, now it was time for a 1 pound cheeseburger. This burger tasted like a little slice of heaven and I quickly devoured it along with 3 Mountain Dews and 2 Barqs Root Beers.I went and dropped my gear in the bunkhouse and decided another 1 pound burger was sounding pretty darn good. So I went back and had another one.With my belly full, I decided to take a kayak out in the lake and cruise around for a bit. It was very relaxing but after about 20 minutes, I was ready to head back in and kick my feet up. So I grabbed a book and headed for the front porch swing. I love porch swings and this one was doing the trick. I felt like I was at home here. I¢m a very restless person and I was amazed at how easily I was able to just ¢bum around¢ for hours.I had the bunkhouse to myself but there were 11 fishermen in camp. They were up from Connecticut for their annual fishing trip.Bill & Linda are wonderful people. Very gracious hosts and made me feel right at home immediately! They also have a very sweet Chocolate Lab named Pooh Bear. He is very calm and sweet and would sit on the dock, tail wagging, to greet everyone who came to White House Landing.I continued to lay on the swing with my book until it was dinner time. And yes, it was another 1 pound cheeseburger. I was wanting to try one of their homemade pizzas, but didn¢t think it¢d be a good idea with my current cold symptoms. Pizza has a way of ¢jacking¢ with my stomach sometimes, so I thought I¢d stick with the safe bet ¢ a cheeseburger.After dinner, I headed right back for the front porch swing to read for the evening. All the fishermen were out for the day and it was late in the evening when they started coming back into camp. They had an awesome day of fishing, quickly filling up their coolers with fresh fish fillets, which they proceeded to cook on the grill for dinner. I¢m not much of a fish eater but it smelled delicious!As the sun was going down, Linda surprised the kids who were with the fishing group by building a fire and making Smores. Needless to say, it was a HUGE hit!It was around 10PM and the bugs were coming out in force. So I decided to head to the bunk house and get ready for bed.