Date: 2013-07-23
From: Stealth Camp on Pleasant Pond Mountain

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 2.6

So today sucked. I mean really sucked. I woke up early around 5 AM and was tired and not looking forward to this climb. So I did what any lazy hiker would do and I rolled over and went back to sleep. I finally found my motivation, got up and piddled around breaking down my camp. I was packing my gear into my backpack around 7:30 when I began to feel the first raindrops. I hurriedly finished packing up my gear, put on my rain jacket as the first large raindrops began to fall and walked out to the trail. Lucky me! As I walked the first one hundred yards the skies let loose. Now I have to do this climb and not only deal with the slippery slate, slippery granite slabs and boulders as big as trucks, everything is wet muddy and even more slippery. I made the conscious decision to go slow even though it was raining and carefully make it up to the summit without getting hurt.It took me about 2 hours to make the climb to the summit. I never found a source of drinking water and as I made it to the summit I drank the rest of what I had. The summit was wet and slick and due to the weather afforded minimal views. This mountain just become a pain in the butt with no reward. Haha. As I followed the stone carins marking the trail on the rock slab summit, I took a couple of pictures and started making my way hopefully to the other side of the peak and coming down the last mile or so where I could get to a shelter, warm up a bit and dry out for the day. I had decided I was going to spend the rest of the day in the shelter. I was done with the rain and cold for the day. However, the carins that were used to mark the trail were confusing and I lost the trail on the slab several times. Finally I figured out where the trail led down and back into the tree line. So, I walk down the tree line a little bit happier as I knew in a short time I would be warm/dry, supplied with water and probably asleep in my warm sleeping bag at the shelter. Well with elation also sometimes come with the opposite emotion, frustration and I found that emotion less than a minute later. I turned a corner of the trail and looked down the trail. I mean literally down the trail. It looked almost strait down for as far as I could see. Roots, mud, boulders, ledges and other nasties waited for me. I could hear their nasty song they were singing to me. "Come on and play with us my friend if you dare. Can you get past us without falling off the mountain? And if you do will your body be intact with no sprains, strains or broken bones? I swear the trail was actually singing. Either that or I was more hypothermic than I thought. Haha. Well an hour later of bouldering, climbing, sliding, cussing and gymnastics I finally get down off the mountain in one piece. I defeated those nasty obstacles that wanted to ruin my hike. So to youNasties. #*.?! You and you willHave to find someone else to play with. I made quick time to the shelter and who was there sleeping the morning away nice and dry? Well none other than Lumber John. He looked a bit surprised to see me this early until I told him what my morning was like. We both decided that we were not going to hike for the rest of the day so I dried out, listened to music on my phone, read, slept and listened to the rain. Several NOBO thru hikers stopped in for lunch and during the afternoon Led Stepplin, Pixie, a German just getting on the trail and another section hiker heading north shared the campsite and shelter. I am just glad to be dry and warm right now. Tomorrow about 6 miles of mid and I will be in Caratunk.