Date: 2011-08-09
From: (124) Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: (125) Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Tridub was the first up today. His goal was to hike 31 miles to Monson ME where he will spend the night and then zero the next day. As for myself, I do not plan on zeroing or even staying in Monson, so I decided to do a smaller 22 mile day and then head in and out of Monson tomorrow, unless the rain is bad. Overall I am still feeling tired from the lymes and my joints are still sore, so I can well justify sleeping in and taking it easy, which proved to be fun¢¦I hit a creek mid-morning and saw that the trail led straight into the water, and then back out again on the other side. The water was very high, with large gaps between rocks, and it was obvious that I was supposed to ford it. I was feeling stubborn however, and decided that if I could not rock hop or jump across, then I would build a bride. After all, who wants to take their shoes off and get wet feet when they are trying to take it easy? I sure wasn¢t planning on it! Ditching my pack, I went into the woods where I began to knock down dead pine trees. Eventually, and after a lot of pushing, kicking, and name calling, I managed to topple a particularly large one without it shattering into a million pieces. It was horribly rotten, but I was able to drag it to the creek where I placed it over the water between two rocks. Then, confident in my architectural genius, I took a step out onto the log as it instantaneously exploded under my foot, sending me plunging down into the water. I landed on my feet on the bottom of the creek by using my poles for balance, and forded the rest of the way across. My shoes, which I could have tied to my pack to keep dry, were soaked. I had learned my lesson.While hiking (My shoes squishing with every step) I climbed up Moxie Bald Mountain, the top of which was a goliath dome of solid rock, and from it had a fantastic view of Maine; a sea of trees as far as I could see, and a massive lake that was full of tiny islands stretching out into the horizon. I ate on a flat part of the rock dome overlooking all of this, enjoying the view and drinking the last of my water. I had not checked my guidebook, and wondered vaguely when I would have my next drink. Now, some people freak out over water, but I have never cared. I often run out, usually several times a day (If I am even carrying any), and almost never bother to check to see when I will hit the next clean source such as a spring or stream (I don¢t do ponds, lakes, brooks, rivers, creeks, etc¢¦ if I can help it). I simply hike until I pass water, which can sometimes take hours or even the majority of a day, and then drink. Some feel that this is reckless, but I know that I can go all day without a sip of liquid, and that the trail will provide what I need. I have long ago abandoned all feelings of vulnerability and fear of dehydration and the elements, thanks to an undaunted faith in the simple fact that if I walk far enough, I will hit water. Always have, Always will¢¦ and I bet my life on it every day. Eventually I arrived at a shelter that was built along the huge lake I had seen. A hiker my age named Whiskey Slim was there, and he told me that he had found a canoe and paddle along the shore. Excited to explore the immense lake and its score of islands, the two of us teamed up to launch the boat out into the water, paddling between numerous boulders on our way to the nearest island. While talking, I learned that Whisky Slim had attempted a thru hike before, but had given up in Maine, of all places, due to injury. I also learned that last year he had hiked for some time with Hand-Me-Down, who had dropped out in New York due to giardia. Whisky Slim was now back with a vengeance, and a minimum amount of gear (He was freezing his butt off at night), to finish what remained of Maine and his completion of the Appalachian Trail. After landing on an island (there was no pirate treasure on this one either, much to my dismay), we turned back towards the shelter. We saw someone else had arrived and was sitting with our gear, who turned out to be Twigg. Together the three of us sat at a picnic table and ate lunch (Second lunch for me!). It was a beautiful day and I was tempted to paddle out again to one of the larger islands and set up camp, but the trail wasn¢t going to hike itself, and so I moved on. In the evening I came across another place where I had to ford a waterway. This time I took off my shoes and socks and safely made it across. Too lazy to put them back on, I ignored my shoes and instead tried hiking barefoot. I made it a good mile before my feet became too sore. I think that if I were to walk a mile or so like this every day, I would be able to build onto my miles until I could hike barefoot all day every day. Even with shoes, my feet have strengthened an amazing amount.Still experimenting, and thinking of ways to dry my shoes faster, I removed the cushioned insoles from my shoes as well as my socks and tried hiking. I found that my feet are tough enough that I no longer needed the padding in my shoes to hike comfortably, and that I could probably do the same mileage with just the rubber bottoms of my sneakers for protection from sharp objects and rocks. As for socks, I discovered that I did not really need them much either, and I hiked the rest of the day without them. I wish I had tried some of this sooner, because it would have been interesting to see how little protection I could have really gotten away with. Probably a lot, assuming that my feet would continue to strengthen. If only there was more trail to find out¢¦I had to ford two more waterways before the end of the day, one of which submerged me up to my knees in rushing water. It was loads of fun, and I walked through them in the shells of my shoes which dried out quickly as I hiked, and in return made me much more willing to get wet. I arrived at my planned shelter before 6pm and claimed a spot in it with some other hikers whom I had never met before. I was later joined by River Rat, Twigg, Hand-Me-Down, and Whiskey Slim. Tomorrow I will be entering the town of Monson ME, the last town on the trail. It is also the last town before the 100 mile wilderness, a hundred mile stretch of trail without resupply. The hundred mile wilderness has always been a much anticipated section of trail for me, but I now consider to be a bit of a joke. It is recommended that hikers enter the wilderness carrying 10 days worth of food. I will be lucky if I am carrying 4 days. Then after the wilderness comes Baxter State Park and Katahdin, the last mountain.