Date: 2009-08-25
From: ME 4, Rangely, ME

To: Eddy Pond
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Bob is so laid-back, that we didn¢t know what the protocol for breakfast was. We eventually figured out that we could help ourselves to the cereal and English muffins on the counter. I had to get mine quickly before Gaspard ate them all up! It turns out that Tinman was waiting for Gaspard to drive back from a wedding, so they were both at the table for breakfast with Andy, Poptart, and I. Gaspard cooked eggs and bacon and cheese for Tinman and himself, but did not offer anyone else anything. Then, he piled his dirty dishes into the sink and left the dirty pans on the stove for the imaginary maid to clean up! I couldn¢t believe it!      I was able to talk to Andy a bit about the Mississippi problems. He told me, ¢Wendy, he¢s evil. Stay away from him.¢ Andy said that he was being antagonized by him as well, and that Mississippi gets his kicks from making others upset. He advised me to ignore him, which is exactly what I did in Andover. I was so thankful that someone else had picked up on his behavior, and had come to the same conclusions as I had.      Andy and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful lake that Bob has for a backyard, and the boats that he lets his guests use. I took the kayak and Andy took the canoe. I always knew that I would like kayaking, and this was my first opportunity to use one. I was not disappointed! They are so much smoother than canoes, and I love to do things on my own. After we paddled around for an hour, we both decided that we were tired and wanted to take naps! So, we went back up to our room. It was just like being at camp!       I packed up my things when I got up and wondered when everyone else would be ready to hit the trail. We had a good 8 or 9 mile car drive to get there, and I didn¢t want Bob to have to make more than one trip. Andy said he had a bunch of things to do, including checking the internet at the library, and resupplying. I decided to go into town to get lunch. Unfortunately, the diner had just closed, so I had to go to the ice cream shop instead. I got a burger and lemonade there. I checked my e-mail and found an extremely obnoxious anonymous guestbook message. Then, I looked up to see Canteloupe and Shorty walking across the street. I had assumed that the big group had hit the trail early in the morning, but seeing these hikers meant they had not. I looked at the time the guestbook message was posted and knew exactly who had written it: Mississippi! He had gone to the library in Rangely. It must have made him mad that I paid no attention to him in Andover. Few people know the depth of hatred, sickness, and maliciousness that lies in the head of that person. It is truly frightful. I deleted the posting and made a couple of phone calls to friends. Then, I saw Bob¢s car pull over across the street. He came over and ordered an ice cream cone, and I ordered one as well. When we had finished, he picked up my pack. ¢No!¢ I protested. I didn¢t want him to hurt himself! It was heavy! He said that I was making him feel weak and insisted on carrying it to the car. I asked him how it felt. ¢Wonderful. It¢s very comfortable.¢      We returned to the hostel to find none of the boys ready! They were still sitting in the living room watching TV! The Phoenix decided he was going to zero, and Andy and Poptart reluctantly started to gather their things. It was going to be a very late start today! I told Andy about the guestbook message, and without hesitation, he said that was definitely left by Mississippi. He said that is exactly what he would say, and that no reader of my journal would write such things.      We had to stop at a store to see if they could fix Andy¢s trekking pole, and then had to go to the grocery store so they could resupply. I ran in to get a couple of extra candy and power bars due to the dog incident. Then, Bob filled the tank with gas, and we were on our way! Poptart and I both felt a little nervous- kind of like being driven to school in the morning. We would feel better when we were actually on the trail again.   Both Andy and Poptart thought my pack was huge and said they could never do this endeavor with such a big pack. Andy said he had a lot of respect for me. I took off first, crossing the road where the construction was being done, and then heading into the woods. A sign was posted warning not to start this section of the trail after noon. I looked at my watch. It was 4:15. I met a husband and wife who were hiking south to their car, and who were thoroughly impressed with what I was doing. Then, I had the trail to myself for awhile. I soon saw something that I had heard a lot of in the south, but had so far never seen: a woodpecker! And it did not fly away! I kept trying to take pictures of it, but the light was not bright enough, and I wasn¢t close enough to it. Still, I was able to watch it for quite some time.       As I got closer to the shelter, I wondered who would be there. I thought some of the big group (including Mississippi) might have had the same plan as we did, with a late start, and I felt uneasy. Andy and Poptart caught up, just before we reached the shelter, and we all stopped in together. It was the shelter with the privy that had two seats and a cribbage board. No one was there at first, but the caretaker, Slayer, came out and wanted to give us the ¢Leave no Trace¢ lecture. Andy was hamming it up around her, and I was amused watching. I began to want to stay there for the night! Andy and Poptart had originally planned on hiking nine additional miles to Poplar Ridge Lean-to, but Slayer convinced them that hiking over Saddleback mountain in the middle of the night was not smart.      We all decided to hike a couple more miles and stop at Eddy Pond. I started off first, but stopped to look at the outside of some caves, and Poptart took the lead. We came to Ethel Pond, and I wished it was our pond, but it was not. A little ways ahead, I felt the air very still. I saw Poptart¢s pack on the trail and knew something was up. I quietly took a few more steps ahead until I saw him standing on a large rock, and with my heart racing, asked him if he saw a moose. Yes! He was watching a mother and baby! I was so excited! This was my lucky night! He motioned for me to climb up on the rock, which was sitting in a swamp, and not easy to get to! Unfortunately, the moose were moving away and I could barely see them. Then, Poptart saw the mother prick up her ears. She heard Andy coming! We thought that was the end of our viewing until we heard Andy mooing at them! He had an unobstructed vantage point! I had to get off the rock and make my way back down the trail. However, I had the swampy part to get through, and my legs sunk into the mud! I had to put my hands down, and got swamp water on my camera! One leg was having a hard time getting out of the muck! Finally, I made it back to the boys and we watched the two moose for several minutes. It was wonderful! They didn¢t seem bothered by us! Unfortunately, there was little daylight left, and my camera does not function well in low light, so my pictures did not turn out well. The boys started antagonizing the animals by mooing to see what they would do. They thought it would be exciting to be charged! Poptart said they could knock me down and take off running. (Great... thanks guys...)   Eventually, the moose had had enough and returned to the woods. Andy became our leader, and found the camp spot as the light started to fade. I was tired already and glad to have finally reached our destination. I went over to the water to find a spot to set up my hammock. It was beautiful! Andy got jealous and decided to move his tent closer to the water. Poptart started gathering firewood and said the party would start at 8:30. Yay! Fun!   We brought some snacks over and talked. At one point, we heard some twigs snap and thought someone was coming... someone whose trail name begins with an M! The boys said they would protect me!       At 10 o¢clock, I headed off to bed, as I was just too tired. Poptart and Andy stayed by the fire, dreaming of a future canoe trip together. The moon was beautiful over the lake. This was one of my favorite camping spots on the whole trip. I wasn¢t tired of camping by any means...