Date: 2004-08-17
From: Rivers & Trails Hostel

To: Moxie Bald Shelter
Miles today: 18.8

Steve gave me a ride back to the trail at 8am even though he didn't need to be there till 9 and he had a load of log length fire wood being delivered. It was only about a mile up the road, easy walking distance but Steve wouldn't hear of it. He insisted on giving me a ride.The woods were thick and tangled with small tree on this section of trail. Around 10:30 this morning something in that web of wood caught my eye. It was a moose. He was on the move but didn't completely escape my camera's eye. Some of the photos are pretty blurry but one is kind of fun.The day had started out kind of gray but it got bluer later. The trail did a little climbing up from the road and then flattened out for a while. Not more than a half hour out, an amazing thing happened. I was moving along at a fair clip when something bounced off my cheek and right arm. It was almost imperceptible. Something told me to stop and check it out. There on the mud in the trail was my contact lens. Yes, my contacts still went on every morning. This was an amazing find. The chances of finding a dropped lens on the trail were slim to none. Finding one you didn't even know was missing yet, well, just forget it. This was no time to stop and fiddle with solutions and stuff. Just rinse it off in my mouth and pop it back in. All was good.The trail spent a lot of time following old logging roads today but around noon it began a more respectable climb of 1,100 feet in 1.1 miles to the summit of Pleasant Pond Mountain. By now it was a warm blue day with puffy white clouds once again just dotting the sky. Toward the upper part of the climb there were lots of day hikers from kids to adults struggling to the top. Joining the lead group we found the summit with great views in all directions. This was a led group of families from a local camp. They were having a blast. Some were more exhausted than others. It was a real mix of folks form seemingly every walk of life. They had lunches prepared by the camp of sandwiches, chips, cookies and fruit. I'd had a good time talking with one of the leaders as we summited but now it was a free for all. There were so many questions from so many folks. There were moms and dads, little kids and teenagers and they all had their own brand of questions. Some of these folks were real city slickers and this little dayhike was way out of their comfort zone. The whole AT was just incomprehensible. It was lots of fun. I took pictures of them with their cameras and they reciprocated. Some wanted pictures with me. Then they realize that I could relieve them of their excess food so they wouldn't have to carry it back down. There was only so much of that I could take and had to say no after 2 bulky roll sandwiches (with roast beef removed), 2 oranges, a cookie and a little bag of chips. Still it was a mighty fine yogi.The day continued on just fine. There was no ford required at Baker Stream. That was nice. Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to was just off the trail at about 4:30pm. The shelter journal there, a few sheets of graph paper showed that No Worries and Minus One were just ahead of me still. An hour later found me on Moxie Bald Mountain. This had become just a beautiful day. Shadows were getting long. The wind was blowing some prayer flags tied to the sign post. The temperature was perfect. Who could want more. The Handbook said that Katahdin was visible from here but who knew where to look. There were mountains everywhere. Maybe it just wasn't clear enough. Oh who cares. It's coming anyway. Reason finally got the best of me and after a long hangout time, sent me down to the lowlands for another 4 miles of pleasant hiking.Moxie Bald Lean-to was the destination for tonight. This was another good trail day of 18.8 miles. No Worries & Minus One were there. It was nice to have some company. This was my chance to go for a swim before cooling off too much and that's what happened. The pond was big but shallow. Oh well, it was wet and that's what mattered.Sleeping in my tent had been working so well lately that I opted for a tent site down by the lake despite the protestations of the girls. Don't take that the wrong way. They were just being hospitable and looking for some different company. Beside they were half my age. Don't be silly. Just the same it was fun to hang with them while fixing and eating dinner at the table in front of the shelter. My wet clothes hung on a line between some trees till morning. Darkness fell before dinner was done of course. I cleaned up quietly trying not to disturb the sleeping girls in the shelter.