Date: 2006-08-31
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To

To: ME-15 (Monson, ME)
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

This morning was very nice waking up to the sounds of the Piscataquis River in the valley below and the sun peaking over the ridge just to the east of Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To. I decided to get up and start packing pretty early due to the number of people that was staying at the shelter and surrounding campsite. The temperature was a little on the cool side so after packing our crew settled in a sunny spot for some breakfast before making our way to the trail. We had to backtrack slightly due to the two separate entrances to the lean-to before finding our way back on the actual trail. Shortly after starting we crossed a nice little campsite along the river that if we had known about last night would have been a great place to camp. All of our tents would have fit nicely and water would have been a lot more assessable than from the actual lean-to. Just before the east branch of the Piscataquis River we crossed paths with a south bounder camping on the river and he informed us of the river ford just ahead. It is nice to start the day off when it is a little cool outside but when you throw in a river cross with cold mountain stream water it sometimes becomes a little chilly. To help matters though on the north side of the riverbank someone had left a little trail magic. After a few pieces of fruit and some canned drinks I forgot all about my feet being cold. For most of the next seven mostly flat miles all the way to ME-15 I hiked alone. Not for any particular reason but the group got broken up a little and we were hiking at out own paces. We did however regroup at ME-15 to hitch a ride into Monson. On the way into town we notice a little Bar-B-Q shack calle Spring Creek Cookhouse just ahead and just about that time got a good smell of the grill. ¢Could you stop here please?¢ We all asked. The place looked pretty new and had several others inside already eating so we dropped our packs and went in to order. This place was nothing real fancy but they sure know how to cook Bar-B-Q. Besides the best Bar-B-Q shacks are usually the ones that look as if they are about to fall down. After filling our bellies we settled up our ticket and headed for Shaw¢s Place. On the way over we met up with a few familiar faces that haven¢t been seen in a while. Park Bench, Lunchbox, Cash, and the Jersey Boys had just gotten into town and would be starting onto the wilderness with us. These guys are always characters and should lead to an interesting finish on the trail. Once at Shaw¢s we were greeted and given our choice of rooms. Jelly Bean, Jangles, Shasta, and H-bomb decided to share the room upstairs with a few open bunks while Baro and I took the loft out inside the garage. I think this is a wise move because it will give us a break from the girls, as Baro tends to want a break from them every couple of days and this would be his last chance before entering the 100-Mile Wilderness. We settled in and all showered up before catching the 4:00pm shuttle down to the grocery store in the next town over. It was a short 20-25 minute ride but gave us a chance to get a list together of what we thought we might need to get us through the wilderness. On the way back to Shaw¢s it was getting dust so we scanned all the little ponds along the road hoping to catch a glimpse of a moose. Although we didn¢t see one we still have our hopes up to see another one before reaching Katahdin. We dropped all of our goods off at the hostel and walked into Monson for some dinner. With not a lot of choices we decided on a little deli attached to the side of the towns general store called Lulu¢s. Now Lulu is definitely not from the area but is quite a character. We ordered up a few to go dinners and in no time she was handing them out the window. To add to the feast Shasta bought a ton of broccoli at the store and Lulu cooked that up as well. We ate until we could eat no more and returned to Shaw¢s moaning and groaning. Back at Shaw¢s we all began to unwind and settle in for the night. Since we have had a few trail birthdays this past week (Shasta, Kingpin, and David) we baked a cake and through them a small party in celebration. We gave Shasta control of the TV when she quickly tuned in the US Open. She is an avid tennis fan so for the rest of the night we watched Andre Agassi and Marcos Baghdatis duke it out until the wee hours of the morning when the Jersey Boys returned after a trip to the bar. Finally in bed sometime round 1:00am.Tonight at Shaw¢s: Shasta, Jangles, H-Bomb, Baro, Jelly Bean, The Jersey Boys, Cash, Sandman, Irish, Two South bounders called the Kentucky Boys, David, and I