Date: 2015-07-18
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I'm now officially 3 for 3 on the high mtns of Maine: Katahdin, Bigelow, & Saddleback ¢ I've done all of them on rainy days with wind & no visibility. I think those have been the only rainy days so far!I started out at 5:30, so as to get across the high parts before the thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon. The light rain during the night had stopped but resumed & increased over the next few hours; by the time it stopped, I was up in the cloud, where the wind blows wetness into you anyway. First on the agenda was getting up & over Saddleback Junior. Then down & up, passing the entrance to Reddington Stream Campsite near the bottom ¢ trying to get there last night would have meant climbing down a lot of rocks in the dark. With both shoes now tied to their soles effectively, I was able to take full advantage of the nonslip soles on some granite that was not very slippery when wet. . . as long as I didn't have to depend on any side movement. Walking straight up some pretty steep slabs of rock worked really well, as long as I could keep the pack weight forward & use all that forward momentum. Going down those same kinds of rock, it's a little harder to keep as much friction surface in contact with the rock (heels are narrower, & I couldn't exert so much force on the toes without their slipping out thru the holes). As I went along this morning, I was feeling a bit of shame at not having had anything to say to the to the fire-builder at the shelter who was tearing up the area nearby (including pulling some little, dead-looking fir trees out by the roots), even tho there was plenty of dead wood out just a little farther in the woods. At the very least, when he said, "People here tomorrow night will thank me for leaving this pile of extra firewood," I should have said, "No, what they'll be thinking is, 'What kind of jerk was here tearing up the environment?'." He & the guy who was trying to slow him down a bit had had some whiskey ¢ I don't suppose there was any reasoning with him at that point. You'd think after 2000 miles on the Trail, everyone would have a good sense of "Leave no trace" ¢ it all seems so obvious, yet continual education is needed. I think the only other SOBO going over the mtns today was Moose-Snake-Bear, who had camped at Reddington, one mtn ahead of me. Most of the NOBOs had holed up in Rangeley, but I did meet one coming over the horn (with "Danger" in his name), who said it had taken him 1.5 hours to come across Saddleback from Eddy Pond -- it took me 2.5. Then near the top I met Leapfrog, who suggested I call the Farmhouse Hostel for a reservation because everyone seemed to be staying an extra day. Later I met Phoenix Rising & her friend, Sputnik, a father-daughter duo named Desolation Row & Baby Blue, & a hiker carrying a 4-foot sword.Shane at the hostel calculated he could pick me up at 2:30 (no service at trailhead), so I proceeded down as quickly as possible to try to meet that schedule (almost 2 mph ¢ faster than I've usually been going). As he said, there are sections of easy trail in that segment (including a set of switchbacks); as he didn't say, there are also some rocky & wet parts (Not as wet as 7 years ago, when the Trail around Eddy Pond was absolutely flooded!). I only got to my ride about 15 minutes late, but I sure was tired & stiff. But then I thought, really, this is probably the only day I've hiked 9 hours straight without a significant break. There just wasn't any place out of the weather that I wanted to stop for more than a quick snack & a drink. When I got to the hostel, I was given a choice between an upper bunk on first floor & a lower bunk upstairs. I chose the latter, not thinking how many more times I'd be going up & down those steep, narrow steps than I'd be getting out of an upper bunk at night. Oh well, the upper bunk was near the TV, where people might be watching movies all night. After a shower, sorting thru some wet gear, & opening the 4 packages waiting for me (SHOES!! I'd have had to wait till Monday if I hadn't thought to call the Post Office & ask them to deliver them to the Farmhouse), I went into town to have my birthday dinner at the Rangeley Tavern. While there, I called the rector of the Episcopal Church, to see if someone could give me a ride to the 9:30 service, since that was too early for the hostel's shuttle schedule.