Date: 2003-09-10
From: Tom Leonard Hut

To: East Mountain Retreat
Miles today: 3.5

So, I think I was visited by a moose last night! After I finished writing my journal entry last night, I was laying in my tent reading when someone came walking over behind me. All that was back there was about five feet of ground and a small rock cliff, so I knew whoever was back there didn't have a clue because there was nowhere for them to go!They stomped around my tent a couple of times, and I thought it was one of the guys looking for the privy. I said, "Are you looking for something?". Silence. I could tell that whoever was there was standing right next to my tent...a mere foot away from my head! I said hello again, this time loudly enough to prompt a response from Bumpkin. We both called out hellos, and it finallylumbered off. My heart was racing, and visions of axe murderers danced in my head as I finally dozed off.The next morning, we packed up and headed out, stopping at the shelter to say hello to the guys staying there. After a few minutes, I asked the guys which one of them had been walking around outside my tent. They looked at each other, they looked at me, and then said in unison, "It wasn't us!". After much debate, one of the men said that it was a moose, and that moose sounded like that and that they weren't spooked by people. How cool is that?! I was probably-most likely visited by a moose! Next time I hear someone walking around my tent, I am going to get my camera out and go get me a picture of a moose!!Last night.... before the axe-murderer-moose visited me... Bumpkin and I consulted the map, guidebook and each other. We have several things going on here, the first being the East Mountain Retreat, which is just a few miles down the road. We had both wanted to stay at the hostel that is incorporated into this silent retreat, and so after much debate, we decided to head there. Owned and run by a retired minister, we knew that this was a special place and that we din't want to miss it.The other thing going on is that Bumpkin wants to go back and finish hiking the Whites. I have absolutely no desire to do that, so I think we are going to part ways for a while. We both think that being able to separate and each do what we really want without feelings of guilt or abandoment is indicative of a healthy trail partnership! :) So, the next few days might hold some interesting changes.However, we still had to hike this morning, so off we went! Todays hike might go down as one of my all time favorites. The weather was gorgeous, and the trail was spectacular. We still had pine needles strewn all over the ground, and big granite boulders decorating the forest floor. Now, however, the granite had grown and was towering above us. From time to time, great fissures would open up in the ground and we could see down ten, twenty, even thirty feet. It was like climbing Mount Everst without the snow....or ice...or $100,000 price tag! :) The crevices would appear next to the trail, and I always peeked in, expecting to see the secrets of the world down there. Towering granite walls, crevices opening at our feet, and a trail winding through it that was smooth and flat. The hike was awesome!Unfortunately, it was far to short, and before we knew it, we were climbing the road to the Retreat.For now, I am not sure what tomorrow holds, but I will fill you in when I do know! Rumor has it that my favorite band in the world, Eddie From Ohio, is playing near here Friday. The show is sold out, but what do you want to bet that I can talk my way in! :) We'll see!Love, Anna aka Mud Buttwww.trailjournals.com------------------------------Sent from my PocketMail MobileE-Mail Handheld (www.pocketmail.com)