Date: 2007-08-05
To: Sabbith Day Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 9.0

mi. 9sleep hammockdest. Sabbith Day Pond Lean-today 24If I didn't say it before Bob really cracks me up. This morning I was washingout my cookpot for my jetboil. He said something like hygene is important. Isaid yeah I try to use hand sanitizer a lot and wash my pot when I can. Withoutmissing a beat he said yeah it's important to smoke clean pot.When we where all in the SUV headed back to the trail, Jason asked him if we canstop at the Store first. He said yeah, but we should leave his place first. Like I said, he really cracks me up. If you get the chance you definitly needto stay at the gull pond lodge hostel. Breakfest, bed, use of kicten, shower,lundry, shuttle everywhere for $20. Well worth it.One last Bob story then I'll move on. Actually more of a story or 2 he told me. He has been around awhile and really knows a lot about the trail and it'shistory. I learned a lot of little things. I knew a blind guy hiked the traila few years ago. I hear people talking about that all the time. He could see alittle, but was legally blind. What I didn't know was that his guide dog diedover the course of his hike. People know your dogs capability if you hike withit. It was probibly a great guide dog, just not a hiking dog. Also a guy hikeda few years ago with a cat that rode on top of his external frame pack. Hewould eat the shelter mice at night. I heard that story a lot. What I didn'tknow was the guy actually rehiked the trail. Because of the cat he could notstop and see a lot of things. The guy took USGS maps and would go and seethings far off the trail. Pretty cool idea. I also did not know that the catwas actually shot. Someone mistook it for a ! wild cat and shot it sometime after the hike. Also a lot of the old AT isstill there. It is some of the side trails leading in and out of towns. Ithink if I ever rehike the AT I will look into hiking the original one, or atleast as close to it as I could.He along with others I met from maine gave me a new found prospective on the ATin terms of how the got the land. I want to think about it and hopefully talkto a few more before I post some of my thoughts on it.Anyways, today was a pretty good and easy day. I have a lot more energy today. I think the larger amounts of food I am eating is helping. For breakfest I had2 eggos, 1 bagel with cream chz, 1 english muffen with butter and 1 with honey,yogart, a banana, 2 cups of OJ, 1 cup of cranberry juice, and 2 cups of coffee.We hit the trail around 11:30 or so. One thing I learned is if you are stayingat a hostel or in town, do your resupply shopping the night before you leave. Idid, but the other 3 did not. I was able to repackage things and leave behindof trade some extra back at the hostel. The others where doing that in theacing lot of the IGA and the trailhead. When I got to the trail, I was ready toput the pack on and go. That makes a huge difference. It is so much easier todo that at the hostel when you can take your time.The plan for taking food into the first site and cooking it up never wentanywhere. I wanted to, but no one else did. They are all carrying 5 or so daysof food. They want to make it into N.H. by Wednessday. That will make the 1month day for them. They started just before me. I think that is a little toambitious. They are planning a 17 mile day tomorrow. BTW the part of Maine wehave left is the toughest. I am going to be right around a month, but it makesno difference to me.Side bar. My hammock just moved 2 inched down. It'd done this a few timesbefore and scares the crap out of me and a choice word comes out my mouth eachtime. The slack in the webbing builds from it's stretching under my weightaround the tree an releases through the biner all at once. I have been droppeda few times. But I have over 30 nights in this setup, so I am fairilyconfident.I stopped at the campsite with Karl, Clay, and Jason. Btw just incase you don'tbelieve me when I say I am bad with names, Karl is who i been calling Clint orCarl. I call him the right name to his face, bt for some reason couldn't get itright here. That probibly will help make sense of a few things for you.We ate lunch. I had a carmation instant breakfest and some sugar cookies. Iadded some of Clays powdered milk. I am going to have to add some of that to myfoodbag.The others took off for the next shelter and Clay and I took out 2 canoes. Theyhad 3 there complete with pfd's and paddles. It was fun paddling around a smallpond. Stacking the boats up brought back memorys of my days workng at a canoerental place.I was on the fence about staying there. Clay took off for the shelter as Chrisshowed up. I talked to him for awhile and ended up hiking on. The miles wonout over staying in a spot this time. Which is probibly a good thing. It meansa smaller day tomorrow. It might thunderstorm tomorrow and wednessday, so thatwas probibly a good decision. I rolled into the shelter feeling good at around6pm. I also had 2 snickers as snacks.I arrived to a full house. I woman, 18 kids in 2 different groups who are alltenting, Clay, Jason, Karl, a northbounder showed up, and Chris finally showedup.I fixed a great dinner of mac and chz wiht 2 oz olive oil and some pepper jackchz. A great 1500 or so calorie dinner.A woman that goes by the trailname woodstock is also here. She is actually themom of a brother and sister southbounding just a day in front of us. She showedup yesterday afternoon, but must have just missed them. I did share some coffeeher and the other 3 guys. We used her msr stove to help save some of my fuel. I forgot to remove the cozy and melted just a little bit of the new black one. The coffee was made better by a little 151 that Clay packed out.Funny side story. You really cannot believe to much of what you hear on thetrail. A lot of it is dead on, but some of it is just a little off. Forinstance we were told there was a group of young french girls just infront of usby someone. Actually I thionk someone told on of the other guys and they blewit a little out of proportion. It turns out all but there 2 adult leaders arearound 14. And the speak very litle english. I mentioned something to jasonabout it. It said it wasn't exactly what he was expecting. The group of 15year old boys at the shelter looked like they were happy with it though.I have been ramping up the food intake and i am going to keep it up. I think itis helping. The miles are seeming to come easier and I don't run out of gas