Date: 2004-06-05
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: moderate rain

Day 97 Start: Quarry Gap Shelter Dest: Pine Grove Furnace State Park Miles: 17.4 Total: 1087.7 It was raining when I went to bed. It was raining when I awoke at 5:30am. It was raining when I finally got up at 7:30am. It looks like it may rain all day. I am going to wait till 9am and then start walking. It will probably stop raining at 9:10am after I get good and wet! Ok, I started hiking at 9:10am...it was still raining. I hiked to the Birches Shelter, 7.4 miles away. It rained the whole way. When I got there I was cold and very damp. Today was actually the first time I wore my rain gear, in the rain, while hiking. Usually it is too hot to hike in the rain gear and you end up just as wet inside from sweat as you would ge from the rain. But since today was so cold I was able to wear the gear without sweating too bad. I ate a hot lunch, the last of the food in my bag. This is the first time I have actually emptied the food bag as well. After a 45 minute break for lunch I was back on the trail. It was still raining...harder than before. The trail became nothing but swamp. I swear I saw salmon trying to swim up the trail. It was really wet with big puddles. I kept thinking about last year¢s hikers who had rain for 20 days in a row! I can not imagine puting up with that. I finally got to the Iron Masters Hostel at 3:30pm...pretty good time to cover 17.4 miles in the rain, I think. The hostel didn't open till 5pm so I left my gear on the front porch and walked next door to the campstore. The campstore is home to the 1/2 gallon challenge! Yes, you eat a half gallon of ice cream because you are now HALF WAY to Katahdin!! Its kind of weird knowing I made it halfway today...and yet I am only halfway! So, I had a loaded hotdog, cheeseburger and fries just to warm me up for the 1/2 gallon challenge. Seeker, 30-30 and Giggles showed up as I was getting ready to get icecream. All of us got our half gallons and set out to concure them. It was still raining, the temp was probably in the low 50's and we were all soaked. We all sat at the table outside the store shivering as we ate our ice cream. I had a 1/2 gallon of chocolate. It took Seeker about 35 minutes to finish his Moose Tracks icecream. It took me an hour to finish my chocolate. 30-30 was next but Giggles was only able to eat about 1/2 of hers. So the three of us got our 'el cheapo wooden spoons that are stamped with "Member of the Half Gallon Club" on the front and back. As we were eating our icecream Slick pulled in with his wife and offered us a free stay in his friends cabin just up the road plus a drive into town for laundry and supplies (i.e. beer). We quickly took him up on the offer. Slick and his wife ran down to the cabin to clean out the car and then Slick came back to the store as we were trying to finish off our icecreams. We droppped our packs off at the cabin and then headed into tow to do laundry, get food and of course beer. I had a foot long sub for dinner even after eating the ice cream. What an appetite I have developed. Back at the cabin we sat around a warm fire having a few beers and enjoying the conversations. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing evening. In the morning Slick dropped us all off back at the trail and we were on our way again. ~Dances with Wolf Cookie