Date: 2007-09-23
From: South Arm Rd.

To: Campsite at Bemis Stream
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Miles Remaining: 233.9...getting close, but oh these last miles seem to betaking forever.It feels so good to be back in my tent. I'm afraid that when I get home all I'mgoing to want to do is put my tent up in the yard and sleep in it! I lovesleeping in here, so safe, so cozy, so comfortable.I'm camped with Moon Pie tonight, a guy from Raleigh NC who started a weekbefore I did. We know a lot of the same people, but didn't meet until justrecently when he recovered my dropped croc coming into the Zealand Hut. It'snice here tonight in the woods. Moon Pie made a fire and cooked his dinner overit. Like me, he really enjoys the living in the woods part of this journey. "The Boys" slacked today into Rangely. The guy at the hostel in Andover tookthem out to the trailhead where they hiked north (the same section I hikedtoday), then drove their packs to the hostel in Rangely. The guy at the hostelin Rangely will pick them up tonight at the road near there. I chose not topartake, wanting to sleep in the woods tonight. GQ, Google and Sunshine werealso carrying their packs but they decided to move on a bit further north ofhere for the night. It's getting dark early, so I stopped about 5:30. Butthen, it's always darker in the woods!The Pine Ellis hostel in Andover was in a big old house. Ilene and herex-son-in-law, David, operate it and live in the house too. They put a bunch oftwin beds in the rooms upstairs, there's one bathroom, and we could use thekitchen and living room...a computer too. There were about 10 of us hikersthere last night. In town there was a general store/diner in one where we atebreakfast and dinner, and got our lunch to go. There wasn't much else in thetown...pretty quiet place.Virginia, I want to thank you for the box of goodies you sent me and mybuddies...we enjoyed them all immensely! The brownies were a special treat. It's so heart-warming to think that someone I've never met and only emailed tookthe time and trouble to help support me on my journey. Trail Angels come in somany ways, and you, Virginia, are definitely a Trail Angel. THANKYOU! You're anexample of the goodness in people that this trail brings to the forefront.Tomorrow's terrain should be gentler getting me into Rangely for resupply. Don't know if I'll stay the night, or hike on to the shelter a few miles out oftown. The 32 miles between Rangely and Stratton are supposed to be the mostdifficult in Maine as we cross Saddleback and Sugarloaf Mtns. I'll probablytake it slow and may have to do miles in the single digits again...but then it'ssupposed to get easy all the way to Katahdin. I sure hope so. What I'm findinghard now is all he exposed roots, they're quite a tangled mass all along thepath. Add to that lots of mud and still lots of rocks, and you've got Maine. It's quite tiring to hike here...reminds me of PA.I'm dying to see a moose. There are lots of signs of them, moose droppings allalong the AT. The obviously use it too to get arouns the woods. It's no wonderas the woods are very dense and Idon't know how a moose would travel throughthem and with antlers no less. I'm also surprised to see droppings way up highin the mountains...don't know how they travel up here. But I'm on the lookoutfor one to make my trip complete!   Step lightly