Date: 2003-09-29
From: Stream

To: Old Logging Road
Miles today: 5.6

Well, I did not sleep well at all last night, so when it started to get light, I packed up everything and hit the trail. Blue skies were starting to peep through the clouds, and I was feeling good, so I tackled todays hike with gusto. I was still really down, but I was determined to enjoy the beauty around me. And it was beautiful!! I started to climb Colombus Mountain and before I knew it, I was walking along the ridge line. I looked out over the view and a sob cought in my throat. Between the time I left Shaws and this morning, the leaves have changed! I looked out to see oranges, burgandys, reds, yellows and greens splashed across the mountains. It was literally the most stunning thing I have ever seen! If it had been a painting, it would have bordered on garish, but since it was nature, it was simply....wonderful. For the rest of the hike, I lived for those uphills, knowing that they led me to those amazing views. As for the rest of the hike itself, there were lots of rock scrambles, but I didn't have any room in my heart for self-pity! All I could think was, "Bumpkin did this in the pouring rain!!". I am willing to bet that as hard as yesterday was for me, it was ten times harder for her.I got to the first shelter, looked in the register, and sure enough, Bumpkin had left me a message. It really made me miss her. This hiking thing is no fun by myself!The trail itself, was one of two things today. A deep bog, or a running stream! Yep...water was literally pouring off of the mountains. I found out later that we got 8'' of rain!!! All of the creeks and rivers are extra high, and just like back in Virginia, there were places on the trail where water bubbled up out of the ground every where you stuck your pole! I recently bumped into the hiker that told me back in Southern Virginia not to bother trying to keep my boots dry. He said that once they were wet, you were free as a bird for the rest of the day! He is right about that, but I still tried my best to keep them dry! As the day progressed, I climbed another mountain, and as far as things go, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Then....I was walkin along the ridge line when all of the sudden, the trail ends. All there is in front of me is a hundred and fifty foot cliff of boulders..going straight down. I spoke to several other hikers later that day, and we all said the exact same thing. "You have GOT to be kidding me!!" I looked around in vain for the trail...surely it does't go down there! Then I leaned over the edge and, sure enough, way down near the bottom I see the glimmer of a little white blaze. I'll say it again..."You have GOT to be kidding me!!" Well, it took me almost a half hour to get down it. I would love to tell you that it was the scariest thing in the world, but the truth is, I was concentrating too hard to be scared! This is a little picture of the stream of thought going on in my head.."Focus Anna...plant your poles...wait,the right one is about to slip...now..step down carefully....now the other foot...DON'T lean forward...breathe.."Yep...that is about it for the next thirty minutes! The sad thing is that when I got to the bottom, I turned around to take a picture, (No one will believe that I did that!!), and it was so tall that I couldn't get it all in the picture!Well, I survived that and went on to spend the rest of the afternoon either wading through creeks, scooching down rocks on my rear, or hanging on to my poles for dear life. But, did I mention that it was beautiful?! I was starting to think that maybe I had been hasty in deciding to leave the Wilderness when I looked down at my watch. I had been hiking seven hours and had covered five miles. Well, that threw me back in the dumps again, but I consoled myself by saying that no one can say that I am not trying!A little after 3:00, I came to the old logging road that was my last bail out point. I knew that it was 27 miles to the nearest town, but I didn't know which way to go! I was standing there trying to figure it out when I heard an engine. I immediately ran into the middle of the road waving my arms! It was two angels dressed as Ernie and Gina Roberts. They not only told me which way to go, they took me there! This is the nicest couple! He is a wildlife photographer and they are on vacation, tooling around the back woods of Maine, looking for moose to photograph. The only other vehicle we saw that afternoon was a tractor/cutter thingie being operated by a logging company employee. One minute later and I would have been walking 27 miles in what I thought was the right direction! If anyone out there does't believe in fate or guardian angels, this should convince you otherwise!The Roberts took me straight to Shaws to pick up Bumpkins car. I stopped at the first hotel I could find and settled down to the long job of cleaning myself, my clothes and my gear. The feeling of failure has come back with a vengeance, and I am fighting it with every thing I have. I just want to climb in the bed and not ever come out again. Ever. I search through my pocketmail for someone that I can call and cry to, but everyone in there believes in me so much, and has been so supportive, that I just can't face them.So, I am going to bed, with hopes that tomorrow I can pull it all together. Oh, and...Iam heading to Katahdin.......Love, Anna aka Mud Buttwww.trailjournals.com