Date: 2010-10-08
From: Pollywog Stream logging rd

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Abol Bridge,    I got started at about 7:30 this morning at Abol Bridge and was heading south to the road crossing after Rainbow Stream Lean-to. It was a 17.3 mile day. I have not hiked a big mile day since NH. I was a little worried but I knew I could do it. I decided to head south again to see everyone that has been in my hiking group/pod to say congrats and to find out there summit date that they were looking at. It would also probably be the last time I would see some of these people.   When I got dropped off there was another couple there waiting for The Barbarians to come out. They have been following there progress on the internet and were anxious to meet them.   I meet The Barbarians wife and daughter within the first 15 minutes and told them about the couple waiting for them. They told me they left the lean-to earlier to get a head start on the father and son.   When I got to the lean-to Yeti and Sequoia we packing up. They said they were looking at a summit date of 10/10/10. Ronnie was there also and we talked a little about summiting. I told him the Riff Raff group was looking about going up the mountain real early to get the sunrise. He said he did that one year and it was not worth it.   Next I ran into Wondering Jew and Lasher and while I was chatting with them Q Tip and Tom Thumb walked by. I told Q Tip that there was a note at the Golden Road for him.   I ran into Rock Steady and Mini Muffin and they are going to summit tomorrow. Rock Steady has to get done because he has to drive cross country. Mini Muffin told me that she already had a job in Utah at a ski resort. I ask Rock Steady what he was going to do and he said he is thinking he wants to get into the firefighting field, and may go to school for it.   I passed quite a few people during the day.   It started drizzling rain after the first hour of hiking. The rain did not get heavy until about three hours before the end of my day and it sure did rain. I was wet when I got done today.   There were a bunch of stream crossing today and they were all high from yesterdays rain. Some of them had fallen trees across them that required a good balancing act to get across. I made through all the stream crossings without getting my feet wet. Then when the rain came in my feet got wet.   On the drive out I got a text message from Bismarck and Bluesky. They said they were in Millinocket now and had jumped from Monson.   Here are the people I ran into throughout the day; The Barbarians, Boston, Tunes, Tootsie Pop, Yeti, Sequoia, Ronnie, Wondering Jew, Lasher, Q Tip, Tom Thumb, Big R, Superman, 151, Fish, Rock Steady, Mini Muffin, Lobo, Minty Fresh (The Cornel's brother), The Cornel, Crazy Fox.   We at at the Appalachian Trail Cafe and ran into Red Fox and his girlfriend. He had summited today. He told us he went to the table lands yesterday and had to turn around becuase he was not prepared and almost got hypothermia. He summited today and was prepared this time but there was rain, sleet, snow and heavy wind up there. He showed me his summit photo. He is now heading to Bar Harbor to spend some time with his girlfriend and have some lobster he said.   After dinner I went over to Peliteres resturrant and bar and met Bismarck and Bluesky. We also ran into Lift n Step and Hook who had summited today in the snow and ice also. They showed us ther summit photos and The Wolf Pacs summit photos who summited with them.   Somehow we got on the subject of Rocket tonight and Blue Sky told us that Rockets stayed at The Lake Shore House house in Monson while they were there and did work for stay. Her work for stay was to be quite and not talk. I got a good laugh when I heard that.    We will be summiting it looks like on 10/10/10 with Bismarck and Bluesky.