Date: 2005-09-20
From: the whites await

To: MAINE!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hey there!!?Yes, I have entered the great state of Maine, coincidentally enough (or perhaps, "appropriately" enough would be more fitting) on my 6 month anniversary. It's really hard to believe that this journey is nearing its end, and I think that the reality of it still eludes me quite frequently. But, the daily reality of life on the trail is still fulfilling and fun-filled, and I love it. Maine has definitely thrown some curve balls at us. (Yes, I'm still firmly ensconced w/in the Pod.) The weather was rather wet and rainy and foggy for the first 4 or 5 days, which made for lengthy ascents to fogged-in mountaintops (aka -- NO views), and slippery descents down wet rocks. But yesterday, the weather cleared and we were treated to immense blue skies and, wonder of wonders, the SUN. The glorious, yellow sun, beaming down glorious warmth. And I saw a MOOSE. Hiding in the brush, just off to the side of the trail. I had been following some fresh tracks, climbing up Spence Mountain. (If the quantity of moose scat is any indication, the meese definitely utilize the trail as a highway through the mountains. Or, at the very least, as a convenient privy...) I heard some crashing in the bushes to my right, and, upon looking over there, I could make out a bull moose, amidst the branches. He immediately scooted off, in the opposite direction, barreling noisily through the underbrush. Then, I heard what I assume was a second moose, ahead of me on the trail, thundering down the trail at a thudding pace. I never caught a glimpse of that one, but I could see the tracks it left behind, as it slid in the mud. Quite a show. I have to admit, it's rather comforting to know that these giant creatures are more afraid of me than me of them. They're _huge_, and I wouldn't relish a show-down w/ one of them. But, they seem much more inclined to run first, and confront later. An excellent philosophy, in my opinion. ?In addition to the moose sighting, yesterday was also brimming w/ ponds and lakes. We walked by at least 5, and even got to go canoeing. Yes, canoeing. On the trail. In the middle of the woods. Poet and I were walking along, and we came to a campsite (where the privy was smack-dab right on the trail, which was somewhat odd in-and-of-itself). And, lo and behold, there were several canoes, just sitting there, right on the edge of the pond. They were practically _begging_ to be used. So, well, we just sort of borrowed one, just for a little while. Free joined us, and so the 3 of us just paddled around for an hour or so. It was amazing, in a very surreal way, to be rowing around on a pond. Amazing and awesome. A perfect middle to a perfect day. And the ending was perfect too. We're staying at Gull Pond Lodge, which is situated on the waterfront, w/ a dock that extends out into the water. The four of us sat out there as dusk descended, the sun setting below a ridge across the pond, colors dancing and shimmering in the relatively still waters. It was one of those moments, one of those days, that you can't plan for or manufacture, but that simply evolves and develops and exists, that you feel fortunate and privileged to have experienced. So much of this entire journey is filled w/ moments and days like that, from the Pod, and the other hikers, to the people that go out of their way to help a stranger, to breathtaking views. Everything. ?My good fortune extended into this morning, when I returned to the dock to catch the sunrise. The skies were fairly clear, just a few clouds catching pink hues from the rising sun. I watched a family of loons, as they bobbed and swam underwater in search of breakfast. Gulls flew overhead, emitting coarse cries of "Kree, kree, kree". A light mist rose from the still waters, and warm air wafted up on gentle breezes. Slowly and silently, a downy blanket of clouds crept across the sky, replacing the cerulean blue w/ a lightly-tinged pink. Shortly after I went inside, the rain began. There's something immensely satisfying when it rains on a zero day. When you know that you'll be inside and dry, no matter what the weather throws at you. We weren't quite so fortunate the day we traversed Mahoosuc Notch. No, it rained that day. We decided that it wouldn't be challenging enough to hike the notch on a clear, sunny, dry day; we wanted those boulders to be as wet and slippery as possible. And, we got our wish. Lucky us. It only (only!) took us a measely 3.5 hours to walk that mile. Although, "walk" is a bit of an exaggeration. Scramble, crawl, slip, slide, heave, climb. Those are more appropriate descriptions. It was actually kinda fun. For the first 2.5 hours. After that, I was ready to be done. But, we all survived, w/ no repercussions or battle scars other than some scraped knees and knuckles. And, after our ordeal in the Notch, scaling the Mahoosuc Arm was nothin'. Yeah, we covered a whopping 5 miles that day, but they were the most grueling 5 miles of the entire hike. ?Well, although I have much more to say (I realize that I haven't posted in quite a while, and haven't said _any_thing about the Whites (which were AWESOME)), I have to sign off.....Okay, just a _few_ words about the Whites. I loved 'em. Hiking above tree-line was fan-tabulous. Our first day, climbing up Franconia Ridge, we were virtually fogged in, couldn't see a darn thing. We ended up opting to hike the mile down to Greenleaf Hut, b/c we wanted to be able to see _some_thing. On the descent down to the hut, the skies, of course, cleared up. And stayed that way for pretty much the rest of the Whites. The views were incredible, the hiking phenomenal. Mt Washington was too congested w/ tourists and gift shops, but the rest of the Presidentials were beautiful. We mooned the cog rail, but avoided being pelted w/ coal. The terrain was very rugged and harsh, but extremely beautiful; very reminiscent of the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. I'll definitely be coming back to explore more of this region in the future. Anybody interested? ?Okay, I'm really going now. Love hearing from all of you, and maybe in a few weeks (eek!), I'll actually get around to writing to you personally, when I have the spare time.? The Pod's planned summit date is Oct 8th.? As to my plans after that...? Who knows?? I'll probably end up in Ligonier, at least temporarily, as I try to readjust and reacclimate.? But beyond that...? Any suggestions??