Date: 2008-09-19
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Crocker Mountain
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

This morning is very cold and I am prolonging getting started by catching up on my journal and eating my breakfast of mini bagels, spam slices and cheese.The girls had left about 40 minutes earlier. I am not looking forward to hiking this terrain without my poles. Some people have gone the entire trip with out them, I used too, but a few years ago I found them to be useful and have used them ever since. I have especially come to rely on them since my knees aren't what they used to be. The springy, shock absorbtion and recoil in my knees are pretty well gone. Years of abuse, a motorcycle accident and several hard parachute landings from the past have all taken it's toll.The hike today offered views of Maine as it is changing into a rugged and beautiful landscape of bursting autumn colors. Breathtaking is the only word that could best describe it. The mountains and valleys are alive with colors.As I stand on a rocky outcrop on the side of this mountain, I am mesmerized in it's splendor. If only to be an Eagle right now, with a gentle lean forward I could spread my wings, catch the air and soar above this beautiful land.I have been told that this section of Northern New Hampshire and Southern Maine is the most difficult on the AT? It certainly is rugged and challenging, my speed has dropped to about 1 mph through here. Factoring in things like the time of year, weather, terrain, and the fact that our bodies are getting tired after all this distance, I can see how that statement has merit.The bogs and surrounding areas are presenting more and more signs of Moose. They could actually be just a few feet away but the thick growth of fir and cedars could easily hide them. I have found a stealth site just below Crocker Mtn. I have hiked alone all dayand was happy to find one good stick that I still have. I had two, but broke the other one about a mile back. Tomorrow I will hike about 7 Miles until reaching Hwy 27. From there it is a 5 mile hitch into the very small ville of Stratton, where I will resupply.Good food is heavy, good junk food is heavier, and I go through twice as much as I did when I first started. So taking advantage of good resupply opportunities simply falls under the addage of "Get it, while the gettin' is good"Just before dark, a southbound section hiker named "Stamper" stopped and pitched his hammock near my tent. I think he was glad to share the woods with someone? There are not alot of people hiking around here, I spend most days alone sometimes never seeing anyone until the end of day and sometimes not at all.Heading south as he is, might create the opportunity to come across and pass more people along the trail, but it would be rare and especially at this time of year to find someone moving south at the same time. You have to really enjoy your solitude in spending several days alone like this. That's the way I have always backpacked until I came to the AT. The wilderness was my church, and the longer I could stay out, the more right with myself and with the world around me I could be. It was the only way I could recharge my internal batteries and rejuvenate my well being.The only draw back that I could ever find, was that there were so many experiences with animals and incredible sites, that a picture could never do justice. You had no one to share the experience with.For those times, It would have been nice to have atleast one person in the world who could have shared those moments with me. One person who you could say to, "remember when"? And the images and feelings would instantly come back to be re-lived.That's why I try to take in and imprint as permanently as possible, things and people that I always want to remember and hope that I can.During the night I had awakened at 01:15 with back pain. What is going on, this is unusal? It would be nearly 05:00 a.m before I finally passed out and had any more sleep.