Date: 2016-07-13
From: Rt 4 and Rangeley

To: Bemis Mtn lean-to
Miles today: 17.0

Got up early at 5 am after an ok nights sleep. Still coughing at night some and it wakes me up. Boiled water and ate a two days helping of oatmeal and knocked down two Starbucks Via's with sugar and I was ready to go. My pack was heavy with 6 days of food weighing in at just over 41 lbs. Really, that's too heavy for a thru hiker and I'm going to have to figure out how to cut some of the weight. Strapped on my boots and noticed that they are starting to feel like an extension of my feet now, although my feet are always slightly sore now. The bottoms are starting to feel leathery. On the trail walking at 7 for an initial 13 miles of rolling up and down. Shawn told me to look for the sand beach on Long Pond about 10 miles in and targeted that spot for lunch. Past a number of Nobo's along the way, some you talk to, some you don't. I did stop to talk to Don Quoxite and Chatterbox for a while. They are a couple in there 60's from England section hiking up to Mt Katahdin. I tried to end the conversation a few times and Chatterbox would pull me back in to another topic until Don Quoxite slapped her hiking poll with his and said to his wife, let the man go. With that I said happy trails and was off. A few miles after I came across Froggy Pete sitting on the side of the trail. He is in his early 70's and I asked him if he was ok. He said yes, just St takes a lot of breaks. He hikes a section of the AT every year after completing a thru hike at the age of 63. Hmmmm.... That's how old I am. After talking to Froggy Pete for a respectful period of time I was off again and getting hungry. I past the Sabbath Day Pond lean-to and started to look for the sand beach. Found it in about another 1/2 mile and stopped for lunch around noon. The MATC built a nice wooden bench on that spot just for hikers like me needing a break. Shortly after a mom and daughter team came down from the ridge to the south and stopped too for a bite to eat and a swim in the lake. They had a very friendly dig with them who also went in for a dip. Lunch over I drank some Nuun, said happy trails and continued south first over a moderately steep but short Bates Ledge, followed by a lovely Moxie Pond, Spruce Mtn and then a climb down to Rt 17. The MATC put another bench on the south side of the highway looking over a breathtaking view of a series of lakes and waterways. Stopped there for2 mins to soak it in and was off again down the steep decent to Bemis Stream. Crossed it and started up a very steep climb of about 1500' over First Peak then Second Peak and and finally a final 1 1/2 to Bemis Mtn lean-to, home for the night. The Nuun and lunch helped me power up the climb. I met a few Nobos climbing First Peak, both friendly young guys in there 20's. One was from England and clearly was suffering from a summer cold and had an inch long bugger hanging from his nose. He pressed the other nostril blew and a huge wet bugger flew through the air and landed in his shoe on the outer side just where your sock meets your shoe. He looked at me and said, ewh, that's disgusting. I just smiled and thought yep, but better your shoe than mine. Back on the climb up the balding rocky ledge and on to the lean-to. The top of First and Second Peaks was lovely with alpine zone pines, huckleberry interspersed with Boggs, but the last 1 1/2 miles seemed really long. Saw Sunny Daz, Creature (another Sobo, cute female blond in her 20's) and Jack & Jill, a young Nobo couple. We talked for a while ate dinner and called it a night. Jack & Jill told me about a slack pack out of Gorham for 21 miles through the Wild Cats, and I decided then that I was going to do that. One thing that is characteristic about thru hikers in Maine is that there legs are filthy with mud and blood from minor cuts and abrasions. There are almost no exceptions to this, Maine is brutal on your legs. I normally wash my legs off in a stream or shower (when available) at the end of the day. Jack & Jill didn't and there legs were filthy, I found that odd. Will that be me after I hike 2000 miles?