Date: 2005-08-26
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: East B Hill Road, campsite by stream
Miles today: 14.9

Quotes from the day:         "Maine is incredible, but you have to earn it".   "It's like a bumpy sidewalk, slanted upright". (referring to the climb up Baldpate Mtn.)    "Does anyone have any Sudafed?"   "My whole body hurts after contorting myself through the Notch!"   "Is all of Maine this hard?"    "I almost quit back there." (near the end of the long day)   "Good catch!" (after slipping down a rock face)   "Where are all the thru-hikers?"    "Red Wing, if you can just make it to the next road, we can take a day off in Andover and you can sleep in a real bed and use real kleenex for your runny nose."Hopeful:      We are definately in maine, and it is definately rugged. It's also very undeveloped. There was very little, if any, sign of people as we looked in all directions from some of the mountains we climbed today, including Speck and Baldpate Mountains. Those were the main ones, with lots of steep ups and downs inbetween. So far, all of Maine is steep. I'm almost embarrassed after writing what I did two weeks ago, about feeling strong at this point in the hike when we were beginning the Whites, at Mt. Moosilauke. Since then, we have gradually felt more and more the opposite, this is, very weak. Our only hope is that we've heard that the stretch from the Maine border to Stratton is the toughest section of the whole AT. We're in the thick of that stretch right now, and it's definately slow going. Our other hope is that Red Wing will recover from his cold/flu bug and feel more himself again. We know that Jesus strengthens and heals, we've experienced it before and we've been asking Him to do it again. Please ask for good health along with us! The day off we're planning tomorrow in Andover is what we're donig as to not aggravate the problem further. It's one of those things he doesn't necessarily feel sick enough to stop everything, yet it affects anything he does, especially such strenuous physical activity as southern Maine requires of us.   So, tomorrow, we're hoping to go to the famous "Cabin" in Andover, that besides being a cool place, also serves AYCE (All You Can Eat) meals. We haven't been able to make reservations. When we get to a notch to borrow a cell phone, generally there is no coverage. Yet, we're hopeful. We didn't plan to stay over in Andover... we've tried all along to be so careful with the money we've saved or been given for this hike, so stopping and paying for another night inside isn't a light decision, but seems to be a good one.   Today is day #150 on the Trail for us. I read the last Psalm in the book and the final verse calls out, "Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord". It immediately makes me want to start singing to the tune I've heard put with those words. And it reminds me not to be the one who neglects to give Him the praise due His awesome Name.   Tonight we're camped along a healthy stream just before the road. Streams aren't always healthy, there is much evidence of a dry summer by the trickles we've been passing. Roads aren't always good to camp by, but this is the one where we hope to get a ride to Andover in the morning. I'm sitting on a surprisingly comfortable rock in the middle of the stream as I write, and as the sun sets. Esoteric Ninja and Two Trackin' are at a campsite down the way, yet out of site. I can hear then breaking some more downed trees for their campfire. It's peaceful, the clear skies make me hopeful for a starry night, if we can stay awake long enough to see it!