Date: 2006-08-15
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Carrabassett River campsite
Miles today: 13.1

I was up and out on the trail just a little past 6am. I try to be very quite so that I don¢t wake anyone up. The only one who got up was the Professor, and he¢s an early riser like me. I feel concerned for him because last night he said his knees were hurting so bad that he might have to think about getting off the trail. I think he got off the trail the last time to get a hip replacement. He seemed to be a little better this morning, and he did say he was going to take it real easy for the next few days. It did rain last night, and cleared, but made the rocks very slick and dangerous at times. I dropped down to 1,500ft to the Arbeton stream which was an easy ford,and then I started the ascent up to Lone Mtn. at 3,260ft. The climb almost turned out to be a disaster. As I said earlier, the rocks were slick from the rain and this was not a climb where you could use your trekking poles. I reached a spot where I couldn¢t go to the left or the right so I picked my right leg up and place my right foot on a rock that I thought wasn¢t slippery. Then as I picked up my left leg to place it, the right foot slipped and I was falling backwards. In a split second I had to turn my body around in mid air to break the fall as I hit the rocks. When I landed on one of the hugh rocks,face down, I felt extreme pain and noticed my left forearm was bent and ready to snap at any second. At the same time, I was trying to stop my downward slide with my right hand that was up against another rock and my fingers were bent back so far that I thought for sure one or two fingers would break. Somehow, I managed to pull my left arm out of the crevas as my downward motion came to a halt. It is moments like this that tell us we have ¢Guardian Angels¢ working overtime for us. I believe my grandmother has been watching over me, on this whole journey. ¢ Nothing is left to Chance !¢ Needless to say I sat on a rock looking down, and still shaken from the near disaster that could have been. I then looked up into the sky and said, Thank You. Aside from a battered body and some very sore bones, I felt fine. I made it to Spaulding Mtn. Lean-to before 10:30 and took another break, As I sat there, I started thinking about my first thru - hike experience when I tripped on a rock and crushed my ankle and had to be rescued from the Smokies. Who knows what could have happened this time. I stopped thinking about that as I moved on to Spaulding Mtn. at 4,000ft. Then as the saying goes, ¢ It¢s All Downhill from Here!¢ on my way to South Branch Carrabassett River. Now I have to be careful, or should I say, more careful because of the very steep descent. It was 3pm as I approached the river. I thought I would have to ford threw it but someone put a plank on the rocks that made it easy to cross. Once I made it across, it was great to see a campsite with plenty of room for maybe five tents. I got my tent set up then made my way back to the river to soak my feet and cleaned up my injuries from the fall. As I was relaxing, the Professor came stolling into camp with a big smile on his face because he was glad the hike was over for today. As he was getting his new tent set up he said it was the first time he has had the chance to set it up. Once that was accomplished, we had dinner, talked awhile, and turned in for the night. ¢Tuff day!¢ Tomorrow there is only 8.4 into Maine 27.