Date: 2008-09-27
From: North of the West Branch of Piscataquis River, ME

To: Frogcaller & Lew's, Greenville, ME
Miles today: 11.7

It rained all night long! Boy o' boy...I sure do love my tent. :-)I slept good, but woke up at 4:30am and knew I only had 12 miles to walk to Monson. I decided to go ahead and start my coffee and I ate four cherry turnovers for breakfast. I was thinking I would have two turnovers each morning when I had resupplied, but I was going to town today, so I "et" all four! :-)I packed everything inside the tent and only had the tent left to take down when I got out. It was still dark at 6am when I crawled out and took the tent down and started walking north on the Appalachian Trail.The rain had stopped, but the trees were still dripping and making it seem like it was still raining.I had my raincoat on and the hood up with my headlamp on till it got light out a little while later.There were lots of small 100 foot ups and downs along the first part of the Trail. I got to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to in three miles. I planned to take a short break and sit down when I got there, but there were two hikers still sleeping and all wrapped up in their sleeping bags, so I didn't stop.I was at the ford for the East Branch of the Piscataquis River in another couple miles. It was only knee deep when I went through. I were running shoes to backpack in and never carry camp shoes. It just seems like a waste to carry two pairs of shoes. I never even slow down when I come to a ford...I just walk right into the water and walk across. I tried taking my shoes off one time, but I'm too much of a tenderfoot and the river rocks are always so slippery. My shoes normally dry out pretty quick...except on a day like today with all the water and mud on the Trail.There was a hammock still hanging and someone still in a tent just after I forded the river....and it was already 8:30am! :-)I made a 400 foot climb, passing by Shirley-Blanchard Rd and was at Lake Hebron in another couple miles.The trail got real messy from there for the next four miles to Rt 15. I had about half a dozen small fords for streams that are usually dry. I had lots of mud to walk through from where there used to be puncheons, but they had all rotted away.I climbed about 500 feet to Buck Hill, passed by the side trail to Doughty Pond. I had cell reception, so I called Frogcaller and told her I'd be at the trailhead about 11:45am. I knew I'd be there earlier than that, but didn't want them to have to wait on me. I got there about 11:10 and they showed up about 11:15am. :-)Frogcaller and her husband, Lew, have become two of my closest Trail friends over the years. I met Frogcaller early on in '02 and always look forward to seeing them several times each year now. I was with Frogcaller when she summited Katahdin in '06 and have to say that I admire her more than just about anyone I know. She is persistant! :-)I felt bad this time because last night I started feeling like I was catching a cold. I told them I'd be glad to go to a motel, but they wouldn't hear of it. I did get them to stop at the store and I got some Zicam. I have no idea where I picked this cold up from. I don't remember seeing anyone who was sick. Oh well. :-(Frogcaller had already made chicken noodle soup...and I needed it. ;-)Sometimes a hot shower feels sooooo luxurious...and today was one of those times.I had two packages here waiting on me...one was my maps that Mrs Gorp had sent me and the other was from my ol' buddy Chief. I wasn't sure I wanted to open that one...and I knew I didn't want to open it inside the house! :-)I bit the bullet and opened Chief's package. It was good! I couldn't believe my eyes! My ol' buddy Chief was nice to me! He bought a mp3 player and loaded it with books, sent along a special set of earphones...and instructions on how to use them while walking down the Trail so that......"I can look just like the ol' Chief." :-)Dang Chief...you're okay! :-)Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)