Date: 2004-07-24
From: Mailar's Hostel, Winslow, Maine

To: 1/2 mile north of Bemis Stream, Maine
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

13.5 miles todayStealth tenting1/2 mile north of Bemis Stream, MaineI was up late again. I finally went to bed at 1:15am this morning after going to bed at 3am yesterday morning. I got up at 5am and finished getting packed. Mailar has to leave here by 6:15, so he can get back in time for his appointment.We left on time after Mailar fixed me breakfast and coffee...and on his birthday!! Now that's a friend. We stopped by Big G's so I could pack out a 4 lb sandwich. Mailar drove me an hour and a half to get me back to the Rt 4 trailhead at Rangley, Maine. Bob, from Gull Pond Hostel drove up just as we got there and 3 nobos named the Wrens got out and also 2 long distance section hikers by the name of Bob and his son, Rabbit. They are hiking from Katahdin down to NY. The Wrens were just south of Mailar when he got taken off the trail and they had heard about him. Mailar was really wishing he was going hiking today. He left and I talked to a New England 100 Peak Climber who was getting ready to go up Saddleback and The Horn. I started hiking at 8:30am and I walked into a beautiful forest with temperatures in the low 50s. It really felt good. I just walked along slowly enjoying the day. I love the looks I get when I walk into the woods with a big bag of Wal-Mart popcorn strapped to the back of my backpack. I ran into 2 nobos by the names of BrickHouse and Jay Walker. BrickHouse said she remembered me and we figured out it was at Gooch Gap Shelter in Georgia when I was finishing my sobo thru hike and they were 2 days into their nobo thru hike. They've only got 220 miles to go. I got to Little Swift River Pond and there was a huge bull moose in it feeding on the vegetation on the bottom of the pond. I got lots of pictures and watched him for about 20 minutes before he decided to leave. He was about 75 yards away, but I got some nice pictures with the zoom on my camera. He was the biggest bull moose I've ever seen. He had a big hump on his back and a huge rack. After he left, I hiked on.I sat down where a nice breeze was blowing and ate 2 lbs of my 4 lb sandwich. I had some popcorn too. I stayed there from 12:30 to 1pm. I ran into Monte, a girl who started walking north from Duncannon, Pa. and plans to flip from Katahdin.Mailar, you did me a favor yesterday by twisting my arm until I agreed to take a zero day...the trail is full of water and mud. There must have been a pretty good rain again yesterday. I got to Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to and took a 20 minute break. I'm being real lazy today. The cool temperature feels so good. It never got much higher than the low 60s today with a nice breeze and low humidity. I took my first fall of this thru hike at about 3pm. I was going down a steep hill and just didn't pay as much attention as I should have with all the water flowing down the trail. I was on my back before I could do anything to stop it. Luckily, my backpack is on my back, so I didn't feel a thing. I landed totally on my backpack. I'm glad I had the rest of my sandwich packed in the top of my backpack, so it didn't get smashed...there are priorities! I hiked on down to near Rt 17 and took another break and ate an early dinner. I sat there for about 40 minutes and just enjoyed the weather. I don't think it could get any nicer on July 24th that it is today. I was going to go down by where Bob and Rabbit were going to tent, but I found a nice soft flat spot probably 3/4 of a mile away from them. They are probably wondering what happened to me because I told them I was going to stay down just past Bemis Stream close to where they planned on staying. I'm on soft leaves and I haven't had much sleep in the last 2 nights, so I don't think I'll be up to watch the sun go down today. I enjoyed today very much and am looking forward to another cool day tomorrow. My food bag is hung and I'm going to sleep at 6:30pm....good night.Another great day on the A.T.