Date: 2005-08-08
From: Shaw's Lodging - Monson, ME

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 10.4I woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m. to the smell of breakfast cooking and wandered downstairs. At 6:20 a.m., we were asked to sit at the table and our orders were taken. I ordered a "4-by scrambled," which meant 4 of each item that was being served plus 4 scrambled eggs. Breakfast was delicious, though I was still stuffed from dinner last night, so it took me awhile to finish my huge plate of food.After breakfast, I returned upstairs to read for a bit, then hopped in the shower. I was back in the bunkroom when Keith Shaw, Jr. came up to collect the fee for my overnight stay with breakfast. The total was $27.50 and after paying, I asked Keith about Shaw's t-shirts. He took Bones, Opa, and I down to the campstore and told us the t-shirts were free, as he was trying to clear out the old merchandise.I returned upstairs to finish packing and also packed a box to mail home. I walked to the payphone to send my e-mail, then mailed my package home before proceeding to the library to update my trailjournal for what I guessed would be the last time on the trail.After updating my trailjournal, I returned to Shaw's to grab my gear and met Opa, Michael, and Sean by the post office. I remembered that I needed to buy a bus ticket from Bangor to NYC, so I returned to the library, though my purchase was denied, as it was necessary to purchase the ticket 10 days in advance and today was only 9 days in advance. I sent an e-mail to my Mom to see whether she could purchase the ticket for me and have it held at the Bangor Greyhound will call.At 11:00 a.m., Opa, Michael, Sean, and I began hitching out and were picked up in less than 10 minutes and were quickly delivered to the trailhead. Also at the trailhead was Humpty Dumpty doing trail magic. He's been the one to take Opa home and was glad to see him back on the trail. I picked wild raspberries, sat for a bit, had a soda and packed out a banana, heading into the 100-Mile Wilderness at 11:30 a.m.The temperature was in the mid 80s and it was quite humid. On the way to Leeman Brook Lean-to, at 12:40 p.m., I slipped in a patch of mud and had nearly regained my balance when I fell, sitting down gently on a rock. Cha-ching, fall #40. 10 minutes later, I arrived at the lean-to and stopped for a 20 minute break. In the register, a number of people had adopted new trail names for the 100-Mile Wilderness. I followed suit and was dubbed "Peepshow" by the others, while Michael, Sean, and Opa were, in turn, dubbed "Deerboy," "Daisy Duke," and "The C.O.B. (Crotchety Old Bastard)" respectively. Over the next section of trail, I was feeling less than grand due to the heat.Despite a slight feeling of nausea, I kept pushing on, reaching Little Wilson Falls at 2:55 p.m. I stopped for a 5 minute break before continuing on to Little Wilson Stream, which was listed in the data book as a ford, but was only a slightly tricky rock hop. I crossed Little Wilson Stream at 3:15 p.m. and hiked on to Thompson Brook, arriving at 4:20 p.m. I took a 10 minute rest and water break, then hiked a short distance to Big Wilson Stream.Big Wilson Stream was more than a simple rock hop. While I was almost able to cross the entire stream on boulders, there was a 3 foot wide gap with water rapidly coursing through it. I didn't believe that I could make it across, so I returned to the South bank, changed into my Keens, and waded through chilly water that was just above my knee in the middle of the stream. After 10 minutes of exploring the crossing and actually wading across, I was on the North side. I dropped my pack and took a 30 minute break, eating my leftover pizza while Michael cooled off in the water. At 5:20 p.m., I hiked on to Wilson Valley Lean-to, arriving at 5:40 p.m.I wasn't extremely hungry, though I ate the banana I'd packed out, as well as some triscuits with a few sealed sour cream packets left over from my taco pizza. After a bit, a German hiker named Rhino showed up and made a gigantic fire over which he boiled water for his pasta. The pre-burn size of his fire was at least 3 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall and he said that he builds a fire of this magnitude each evening. The scary aspect is that he doesn't put it out at night, stokes it up in the morning, then leaves it to burn out while he hikes on. He's a nice enough guy, though his behavior is careless and I told him I thought it was dangerous, though he disagreed. I'm not sure there is much more I can do. Frenchie and El Jefe showed up around 7:00 p.m., which made for a good evening of conversation.After dinner, I journaled and settled into my sleeping bag to read. My earlier nausea had gone away around the time I crossed the Little Wilson Stream and was probably due to having eaten too much last night and earlier in the day. Tomorrow I plan on getting an earlier start so that I can hike a bit further before the heat intensifies. Excitingly, I'll be breaking the 100 mile remaining barrier in less than 5 miles.Bedtime at 9:35 p.m.