Date: 2005-09-18
From: Maine 27

To: East Flagstaff Rd.
Miles today: 17.3

start Maine 27destination East Flagstaff Rdmiles 17.3 The alarm clock woke us up at 5:30.We needed to get an early start to hike themiles we had planned.I fixed some oatmeal and bagels, packed our lunch and weset off.Africa is hiking with us today. He is enjoying this slack packing asmuch as we are,and we get to split the cost of the shuttle which helps both ofour pocketbooks. We had hoped for a clear day today.Some of the prettiest sights on the trailcan be seen from the Bigelow Mountain Range. We were not able to see more than50 feet infront of us. It was a drizzeling rain,jst enough to keep you wet andcold all day long. The rocks were as slippery as any that I have hiked to date.The low temperature made it impossible to stop for any length of time for snacksor lunch. All we could do was just try to keep our feet firmly planted on theground. I was hiking ahead of the guys trying to stay warm,even as wet as Iwas,as long as I was moving it was not too cold. The clouds were so low,or maybewe were so high that you could see the humidity falling like a super fine mist.I had managed to hike all this time without a fall,but today was my day. Withslippery rocks and lots of mud,it was just too much and at one steep step downfrom a boulder,just as I stretched my legs to touch the ground with the toe ofmy boot,down I slid.My hiking poles wavi! ng in all directins,as I continued down the rocky trail.Of course the back ofmy shorts were now covered in mud and damp leaves. Litle did I know that in back of me,my two hiking companions were having aboutthe same luck. At one point Africa came up behind Papermaker just as he   did arear ended slide.Of course when he fell the wind was knocked out of him.Troublewas,it was not the usual end that let the air go. Africa stops dead in histracks,sniffs the air and says"Do I smell a moose?"Of course poor Papermaker hadto come clean and tell him,that was no moose you smell,that was me breaking windas I slid down the rock. For the rest of the day we all had some good laughsover Africa's moose tracking abilities! Contrary to the profile maps we had looked at,the climbs were not as bad asanticipated.Or maybe it was just because we were so wet and cold we didn'tnotice or care.We looked forward to the hot shower and meal this evening withmore enthusiasum than usual. This is the last mountain range for me.There maybea few more little bumps in the trail,but after today I am through with themountains. In two different places today there was w spring box buried in the ground for awater supply. The boxes were made of oak,with a lid to keep varmints out.Thewater was crystal clear,which means absolutely nothing.Bateria have no color,soa dirty muddy stream could be safer than a clear one,buthere the water cameright out of the rock,so we can safly say it was safe to drink. It was also likeice water. We got to the logging road at the end of the day,still cold,still soaking wetsbut with seventeen miles behind us. We stopped in town for supper.A hot cup ofChai Tea and a bowl of eggplant garlic soup warmed me up in short order. Papermaker had foraged some more Hairy Tooth mushrooms and Swinging Jane hadfound some Oyster Shell Mushrooms,so tonight back at the hostel we cooked upanother batch and shared them with some other hikers who were there. She hikedthe sectiowe did on Saturday,and she found Papermaker's glasses and deliveredthem to him tonight. It will be hard to leave this place,but the pocketbook isgetting thin and we have hiked the hard sections of rocks,boulders andmountains.It is time to once again shoulder our packs and head north. Bumpkin                           5 Million Steps for Polio