Date: 2003-09-01
From: Monson (route 15)

To: Long Pond Stream Leanto
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, today is a big day! We start into the ¢Hundred Mile Wilderness¢! And I forgot to take a picture of the event, and the signs (maybe I can get a copy from the Wench¢s). We only have to average 15 miles a day to get to the road we meet Papa Wench at Thursday. So far, so good, and that last day (Thurs) is the easiest terrain. Tomorrow we go over Barren Mt., etc. (the Barren Chairback range), the next day we go over our last BIG mountain before Katahdin (White Cap mountain, 3,700 feet). Today6 was not a terribly difficult day, we bounced up and down over ¢hills¢ (1250 feet and under), but we had lots of roots, rocks and short climbs. We could have done more miles, but the next 4 miles are up over a 2,700 foot mountain, so we stopped at Long Pond Stream lean-to, just happy to feel good and be in the 100 mile wilderness. My new boots feel OK, my left heel feels OK (until I stop hiking, then it gripes a bit¢¦. But it will be OK)., no reason to push it, when we only have to go 58.5 miles in 4 days, may as well enjoy it. Damn, that sounds far to me now, 7 months later¢¦ A couple weeks ago I hiked 30 miles in 4 days (Springer to Neels Gap again), and thought it was gonna kill me¢¦ LOL! Oh to be long distance trail hardened again¢¦ 99.4 miles to go, finally our ¢miles to go¢ is in double digits!!! Maybe we will even see a moose out here (I¢m still dreaming¢¦)! We are finally seeing lots of Ponds and Moose tracks (and poop), so maybe we just need to keep our eyes peeled to see a moose (preferably keep my eyes peeled without tripping¢¦. I¢d rather NOT see a moose, and make it to Katahdin in one piece). It feels good to be out in the woods again after being in town for a day or so. No more town food to bother my stomach (Bar-BQ, sausage, bacon, eggs, coffee (OK, I DO miss coffee), back to trail food that I¢m used to. At the shelter: Notes, Eric (¢Dubya¢), Itchy foot, Big E, Stormin¢, Sarge, Recycled, and another guy I don¢t know (as well as Wench and I). From what I remember, the shelter was full and we camped up the hill behind it. I also seem to remember a woman and her dog showing up late after I was in my tent. At least I think it was this shelter, this is from my memory, not my journal. As I am writing this months later, memories creep back into my mind, that aren¢t in my journal, until I can picture every day on the trail as I transcribe it, but in more detail (too much to write it all). Well, dinner, snacks and dessert are done, I called home and found out I¢m staying in an Econolodge in Augusta, ME Thursday through Saturday, and will have a car from Budget rent-a-car. Shari also told me there is a CAT 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean that has a front pushing on it. They expect it to hit Maine sometime next week (maybe Wednesday) if it stays on this track. I could be hiking in a Hurricane, maybe even Summiting in one. But no worries, if the weather man says it will be here, we should be safe (weather always ends up something other than they predict). Anyway, it could make things interesting, stay tuned. I just wish I was tired now¢¦ (I was¢¦ zzzzzzzzzzzzz¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦). Life is good!