Date: 2007-12-09
To: Beech leaves and the Stabilicer report
Miles today: 0.0

Maine got clobbered this past week. Lots of deep, clean, fluffy snow. The air is dry and clear, and staying in the 20's most of the time, in stark contrast to recent winters when, as I recall, we had warming, thawing trends immediately after our major storms. This morning the sun slanted across the fields outside, showing a network of intersecting deer trails. It still amazes me how silently deer appear and make their rounds, probably seeking out old fruit on the apple trees and left-behind bits in the vegetable garden. I had planned to hike with Jan (V8), and arranged for her to meet me at the house at 10:30. Tom got wind of this and wanted to come along, so the three of us took off for Bald Rock in Lincolnville with our lunches packed, extra layers in the packs, and a thermos each of hot drinks. Jan recommended we use our Stabilicers, which are hard rubber footprints with studs on the sole. I thought they would be awkward and heavy, but after strapping them onto my light weight ankle boots, was very pleased with how much they improved the footing. You know, fresh snow packed down partially by a snowshoer or two, along a trail that followed a steady incline up a boulder strewn, forested hillside. Firm in places, then lumpy and loose, punctuated by a post hole now and then.We took off up the approach road to the turn off for Frohock Mtn trail. For the first half hour or so I did about the best ever in that I stopped infrequently and then only for about a minute to let my breathing even out. I was a tad embarrassed, though, when I found myself sputtering and cursing during the last section before the top, as it steepened and went on way beyond what I expected it to. So, one point for increased stamina, and one point off for that little fit under stress.Up top, we came by an ancient lean-to that looked almost buried in the blue-white drifts. Jan and Tom sat down on the little bench inside to wait for me. The stone fire ring was just heaped with snow. Someone had left two dog bowls and some tools stacked neatly in the corner, so perhaps there are some frequent visitors here. I could imagine their pleasure at making such a stunning spot their own, and could relate easily to what I imagined to be their enjoyment of simplicity. We slabbed across a diagonal trail along a rock face to reach the top, where we perched on some slightly exposed rocks to eat our lunches. This hill top has a panoramic view of Penobscot Bay: Vinalhaven, North Haven, Islesboro and the coastal towns. All but a 60 or 70 degree section was visible today. I could feel the dampness in my zipneck once I stopped, so I peeled off the windbreaker and put on a jacket while I ate. The thermos of tea with lemonade hit the spot. Since it was exposed, there was a bit more air moving around us than there was on the trail, and we did not linger much due to rapidly chilling off as we ate. The trip down was on a different path and it seemed set just right for romping and skittering downhill. The boot grippers really shone then, as I avoided a few nasty slides by virtue of my studded soles. Big Agnes had had snowballs building up between her toes, which we cleared out a few times. I felt kind of badly about that, and asked Tom if he'd tuck her in his jacket for the walk down. She settled in next to his chest and appeared to be very content for that last leg of the journey. We encountered 4 men heading up the trail, who looked as happy as heck and full of life. Two or three looked like brothers, with deeply lined faces and expansive beards. The first one had told us to tell those old geezers back there to shake a leg, or something like that. Tom passed on the message, and the group chuckled and teased as they headed up. It is a little unusual and so encouraging to be around people who love to be outdoors. You could just feel it, the relaxed, regular gait of the men, like a loosely reined team of draft horses doing what they lived to do, not racing at all, just moving upward with strength and gentleness. As we headed back down the approach road, we came across what loooked like a training scene for emt's. There was a 4-wheeler with a sled, a half dozen jacketed emt's and a woman in a litter being blanketed and checked. We found out in the parking lot that it wasn't training, that a rescue had taken place and the woman was on her way to the hospital for having dislocated a hip. I can only imagine how painful that had to be. I felt glad to know our local emergency teams were on deck and en masse, even on a quiet Sunday afternoon.The pervading image of the day was curled beech leaves, tinted like cocoa or brown sugar, suspended from thin horizontal branches and standing out against the whiteness of the woods beyond.