Date: 2003-08-21
From: ME17 (2200') 

To: ME4, Rangeley (1600') 
Miles today: 13.1

Aloha! And we're off! Off from The Cabin that is. {sniff} It's been a wonderful stay but it was time to go. Katahdin awaits and I can't afford the expense of Bear slack packing me all the way there. {sniff} But wait! Life is still good. Gutsy was smart enough to suggest that she carry the majority of our stuff over to Rangeley. A slack pack! She's so smart. Such a good trail daughter.   With limited stuff in our packs once again, we were off. Honey delivered us to the same road as yesterday. This time though we were headed north. And a lovely north it was.   Should I even bother telling you that we went UP. Nah... why bother. You know that already. It really wasn't terrible though. Actually this was a really nice day. Pleasant would be the best description. A very pleasant day. Yeah, that's it - pleasant.   A mere 1.5 miles into the trail we skirted Moxie Pond (2420'), a lovely little pond perfect for seeing a moose. No such luck though. I believe they're going to be a lot like the bear - invisible. From there it was UP to the Bates Ledge (2700') viewpoint and then down to Long Pond (2380'). This is where I was happiest.   Long Pond is a gorgeous large pond. Personally I'm totally confused on lakes and ponds in Maine. What they call a pond I call a lake. What they would call a lake I'd probably associate with an ocean. Much like Texas, they do things in big ways here. Their "ponds" are a good example. Anyway, we found a perfect small sandy beach complete with two small tables for our sitting and munching pleasures and the soft lapping of the waves on the shore. The spot was idyllic. It was almost Hawaii. Had it been later in the day and there'd been a place to set up a tent, I'd have stayed. Since it wasn't later in the day we spent only an hour soaking in the sun, watching the clouds drift by, watching the soul soothing waves, and doing nothing. Loved it. The only thing missing was the swim but that's only because I'm a weenie and don't like cold water. Maine likes cold water!   We did finally move on but not before spending some quality time with Drifter. You remember him from back in North Woodstock and the Cascade. A nice chap with a wonderful outlook on the hike - slow and steady.   The rest of the hike was spent meandering along and chatting about everything and nothing. The terrain was relatively benign with its roller coaster pattern and nothing else specific. We passed Little Swift River Pond and South Pond enroute. Both nice but not nearly the Long Pond nice. That one was special. We were at the road to Rangeley long before we expected to be. It would be so nice if the rest of Maine were this pleasant. I know it isn't but I can dream.   Upon arriving in the parking lot we were joined by another NOBO named Grizzly. An interesting young man that I had met in passing once or twice. As nice as Grizzly seems to be, we weren't thrilled to see him standing there. Three hikers trying to catch a hitch isn't an easy thing to do. Two is okay, three is hard. Particularly with the gear. Surprisingly, our luck was holding when the third car passing picked us up. Bob the Golfer on his way to a game was our trail angel. He delivered us quickly to the Saddleback Hotel and was on his way. Nice guy that Bob. Hopefully one day someone will be as nice to him.   After checking in, we arrived in our room to be completely surprised by the appearance of our gear. It had already been delivered! No sign of the Gutsy Clan but the gear was here... in the room. Turns out that someone was picked up here by Bear so he brought the stuff on over. Now how great is Bear? Wonderful!   The Gutsy Clan arrived a little over an hour after we had. Mama Gutsy is pretty much as I expected her to be. A southern belle with a sharp wit to go with. I like that. Grandma Gutsy was also as I had imagined - a tiny, petite and sweet woman. It was apparent quickly where Gutsy gets her stuff. She is the youngest version of them - cool!   With introductions made and everyone settled in, the Gutsy Clan headed down the road for dinner and Coffee and I decided on the hotel restaurant. While eating I actually had a gentleman arrive looking for me. That was a surprise.   Originally we were going to stay at the Gull Pond Hostel two miles further but had heard rumors that the owners were away on vacation. That seemed strange since they were accepting mail drops and I couldn¢t think anyone would go off and not make arrangements for something like that. Upon arriving I called the Gull Pond but didn't get to speak to anyone, just a recorder. Well, it turns out that he did get my message, found one of the two packages I was hoping for and came to deliver it. They are open but are also hosting a wedding so things are busy. Very sweet of him to deliver my package especially since we ended up staying somewhere else. I do believe in supporting the establishments that support us so it would have been nice to do so. This place certainly doesn't care one way or the other. Next time. (Yeah, right)   Besides enjoying a glass of wine out overlooking the highway and lake, a pretty sunset and a dance with a 6.5 foot pink pig with Hawaiian attire, the day pretty much came to an end. A lovely ending to a lovely day. Just the way I like them.   Now though I'm quite tired. Have been for a while but still wanting to chat with you. I enjoy our daily chats. Hopefully you are too. If so then we'll do this again tomorrow evening after our first full pack day in quite some time. I'm looking forward to it. Our chat that is. Not the full pack.   Enough babbling. Gotta go to sleep. You probably should too. So for now, aloha and sleep well.