Date: 2012-08-01
From: Stealth Camp

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 10.5

August 1st. I have been on trail for five months now. Wow. I¢ve had a lot of time today to think about the whole of my hike and am surprised by how much ownership of it I feel. I think a lot of this was prompted by the stress over the deadline but unlike yesterday where I walked with this nagging notion that I was unhappy about progress, today was very different. With great certainty, deep in my bones, I feel that this is my hike, my journey, my experience. It is my own. Not subject to opinion, comment, or judgment. It cannot be tarnished from the outside. How I feel is a result of my own wishes and drives. Any measures of success or failure are self-induced. Perhaps some of this came from running into so many thruhikers today and listening to them discuss their own views of their hike, how they feel about other hikers out there, and in general the emotional and physical state we are all in. But I know for sure that there has never been anything in my life I have felt this way about. I am soothed, proud, content. What other words could convey this warm secure feeling of this ownership? It is simply right.I have accepted the reality of the hike in terms of timing and miles and the amount of ground I can cover with the hike experience I would like. Currently the plan is to hike as far as I can until around the 10th going as far into Maine as I can. Then I will travel to the start of the 100 mile wilderness and complete my journey. I feel this will give me as much opportunity to experience the trail of Maine and make my commitments in the other areas of my life. Most importantly it will give me the long awaited and anticipated process of slowly approaching Katahdin and being able to do so without stress, pressure, or a rushed feeling. The day started off cool but clear and sunny. There was a huge steep climb up to wildcat ridge the equivalent of a stair master workout. But unlike the first stairs I climbed at the beginning of this journey, these were easily handled and soon I was weaving my way along the top of the mountain on a surprisingly easy trail. I settled onto a nice outcropping and finally getting signal made a few calls and took time to enjoy the weather and the sights as I climbed back up this time viewing the eastern side of Mt. Wash. Lunch was had in the dryness of the last hut along with a warm cup of soup. The view continue to be spectacular. Tonight I am camped out on a steep descent coming down from Wildcat ridge. I as racing the sunset trying to get off the ridge but with rain most of the day, progress was slow and the rocks were conveniently turning themselves into a death trap. There were no steps and huge larger than men sized boulders that turned into shoots when you tried to inch down them. Already dangerous and tricky with the light, In the wet hazardous conditions I wasn¢t willing to risk a hike ending injury and found a little 8 foot section of cliff with trees and some degree of space to hang in. There is a large rock cliff above me and a drop only two feet past my tree. Not my first pick, but it was this or curling up on the wet ground. I¢m hoping for a calm night, since I¢m not sure of my position should a storm blow in. Tucked into my sleeping bag, under the shelter of my tarp, I am very happily warming up and depruning after being rained on for a few hours off and on today. No warm dinner tonight and perhaps it is simply lingering tension from the scary descent but I¢m overly alert for sound tonight as the rock outcropping I¢m next to looks very bear den friendly.