Date: 2017-07-28
From: Pine Ellis Hostel, Andover, ME

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

7/28/17, Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to, MEMiles hiked: 1642.1, Miles to Katahdin: 229.8, Miles to go: 547.7I ended up with a snorer in the bed next to me in the hostel. He was this guy named Redlegs whose apparently been hanging around the hostel the past few days. He appears to drink heavily and pass out in random places. The first night I was there, he slept under the porch swing. Last night, he apparently discovered the bed next to me was unoccupied and crashed there sometime after I went to sleep. I awoke in the middle of the night to very loud snoring next to me. Luckily, I keep my earplugs handy whenever I stay in a hostel. I'm not sure why they haven't kicked him out at the hostel. The shuttle dropped me off at the AT trailhead and I was hiking by 8:15 AM. I started out immediately with a steep climb to the top of Old Blue Mountain, complete with vertical climbs, rebar rungs in the rock faces and log ladders. Once I reached the top of Old Blue Mt, the trail settled down and, though I had ups and downs, I didn't have any more vertical climbs. The weather was perfect! Full sun, light breezes, and temps in the 70s. The only real issue is that the trail is very rooty. The tree roots can be very slick and it's easy to trip over them. So, you have to watch your step. I ended up having lunch with J and his two companions. They were slack packing south from Rt 17 and back to Andover. I came upon them eating lunch near the summit of Bemis Mt and joined them. After lunch, several of the guys I've been hiking around lately started to pass me - Feathers, Scout, Wild Thing, and others. They were all making for Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to also. Late in the afternoon, as I was approaching a gravel road about 13 miles into the hike, I saw a hand written sign that said trail magic ahead. Woo hoo! As I reached the trail magic, the guy at the grill says, "Hey, Rusty! It's about time you get here! We've been expecting you all afternoon." I was caught off-guard to be addressed by my real name since I'm so used to being called Beaker on the trail. It turns out that Snowman and his wife Teddie drive 140 miles round trip weekly from Lewiston, ME, to do trail magic at this spot. It also turns out that they read my blog on TrailJournals. These guys really know how to put on trail magic - hamburgers, hot dogs, soda, blueberries, bananas, potato chips, and various snack cakes. Wow! Before long, Feathers, Scout, Wild Thing, Waldo, Giggles, Big Style, Misplaced, Hats, Lucky, 4 Wheel Drive, and Odin were gathered around eating burgers and dogs. It was great! I am once again amazed by the generosity of the trail angels we run into on the trail. Thanks again Snowman and Teddie! It was wonderful!Unfortunately, I still had another four miles today hike. So, I took my leave and headed out. Shortly after heading out, I passed a SOBO wearing a UT hat and commented on it. He stopped and said, "Wait! I'm supposed to give a message to a NOBO from Knoxville hiking in a kilt. 1st Sgt says to hurry and catch up." After another fairly steep climb and a hike along the ridgeline, I arrived at Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to (the shelters in Maine are called lean-tos for some reason). The slanting evening sun on the pond (which actually was a fairly large lake) was beautiful. And the pond has loons! I love to hear the loons. I am now set up in my tent next to the shelter  with most of the people that were at the trail magic. This is a nice group of people who have been traveling together for quite awhile. We had fun over dinner showing each other pictures of ourselves at the beginning of our hikes. We were all much fatter and much less scraggly. It's amazing to see the transformations. Most of the guys have lost 20-30 lbs. And we all have killer calf muscles! All in all, this ranks as one of the best days I've had on the trail.