Date: 2017-08-02
From: Carl Newhall Lean-to

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

8/2/17 Day 67 - 16.7 milesCarl Newhall Lean-to to Cloud Pond Lean-toI slept so good last night!! I was asleep in my tent before 7:00pm! Up at 5:30, on trail by 6. It was a very cool morning and I had to put on my thermal layer before I got started. I do like these cool mornings. The bugs are gone and it's just a nicer hike in the cool weather. The trail is going to keep getting tougher from this point on. I'm entering the Barren/Chairback range which is very rocky and has a lot of short steep climbs and descents.  After about 20 minutes I was warmed up enough to lose the fleece and thermal layer and the sun and bugs were coming out. I had my 1st water crossing at West Branch Pleasant River. I had to take off my boots and put on my water/camp shoes. I hate how much it slows me down but it has to be done so I filled up with water while my pack was off as well. As I started to get my rhythm back, I came to a road crossing where I met Plodalong and Grandma Shortie - they had the best trail magic I've ever seen!! A table set up with food and resupply, a cooler with soda and Gatorade, and even a phone charger!! They said how they just wanted to help the hikers and that some outfits were profiteering so much off of the hikers that need resupply in the HMW (the cost of a resupply is $35 for someone to drop off your food in a hidden location in the woods-For example, when I set up my resupply, so did 5 other guys so that's 6x$35 for a single trip to drop off food- either do that or carry 8 days of food). Plodalong had recently retired and they plan to thruhike next year- they should have a ton of trail karma built up by then.  It was a pleasure meeting the and chatting for a while. I had a beef jerky and a Mountain Dew and that was it. I didn't want to make my pack any heavier than it already was. After that I had a long, steep climb up Chairback Mt.  I got to Chairback Gap Lean-to around noon and was ready for a break and some lunch. The heat had come in for the day and water was scarce but I had enough to get me through lunch. I had a couple tortilla sandwiches and took a nice long nap in the shelter.  There have been a lot of groups out in the HMW including Girl Scouts and a group of Canadians. They share theses huge loads of gear and are out here for 15-20 days. Incredible.  As I was hiking along, I metTip Toe who gave me a good water report for up the trail and filled me in on Monson. Apparently some organization with deep pockets is buying up a lot of land and going to make the town into an artist destination. I wasn't sure which shelter I was going to be stopping at but I heard that the further one doesn't have water. I can always carry extra water, that doesn't bother me. By 6:00 I was pretty wiped out so I decided to go to the Cloud Pond Lean-to, the only downside is that it is .4 miles off trail. When I got there, it paid off with the view. Set right on a huge pond, I set up my tent on the last flat site there. Made my dinner and did my camp chores and off to bed by 8:00.  Plan for 16 tomorrow then a short 3 into Monson for Friday unless I get the itch to go all the way into town.