Date: 2013-09-11
From: Leeman Brook Lean-to

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up late. We all like to let Buddy sleep as late as he can. The girls are loving hanging out with a 5 year old. We were all warm last night. Just a hint of how hot today would become. It was blue skies and upper 80s weather. This state is so weather crazy. I've never been so cold and then so hot. D said its so hot the rocks are even sweating. Made for a very slippery day. We all ended up on our bottoms but thankfully no serious injuries. We are 99.4 miles from the summit of Katahdin. It'd be to awful to get hurt now! We heard about a forty something guy who died on the summit, three miles from the top. He'd downed 5 Red Bulls which gave him a heart attack. He also had been drinking them daily on the hike.We are so impressed with Sherpa. She found a road in this wilderness and met us for lunch. This road wouldn't be called a road in a traditional sense. She's so crazy brave to go down these. We put our packs in the Jeep and slacked the last 6 miles to Long Pond Stream Lean-to. I hiked the pack from the car to the lean-to. I had to ford a river that was flowing quickly with all our sleeping stuff, dinner and breakfast crammed in a single pack. Thrilling moments on the trail. When we entered the 100 Mile Wilderness a big sign warned us about the lack of any towns or support for the next 100 miles. It's so comforting to be hiking with Buddy and his family. We practice stories all day so we can tell them to him. Great exercise in memory from all those wonderful bedtime story moments. If you have kids know they grow up so fast. Savor every moment. I miss those little kid days though this time with my girls is very endearing too...I wrote the blog while waiting for Sherpa, assuming she'd make it to the road and we'd ford the river together. Unbeknownst to us, when she tried to get to us the Jeep got stuck in a river crossing, the water making it up to the windows. Somehow she managed to get the Jeep in reverse and got out. Sherpa then made it to a road on the other side of the river. She hiked all of her family's sleeping stuff and food and also our whole family's stuff and food for almost a mile on a side trail. Then she set up both our tents side by side. If you saw her you'd never believe it. She's a tiny, muscular woman in her twenties. She is my hero. I think we will call her "Sherpa Goddess" from now on. I could have kissed her feet. Sherpa Goddess knew it was going to be a rainy night and she wanted us all to be able to get in our dry tents. Grammie told Sherpa Goddess that she'd give her anything to get us to Katahdin on time. Sherpa Goddess is taking her promise seriously, braving raging rivers and rocky pseudo roads.Supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Wish us luck. Sherpa can't get to us until we go 16 miles so no matter what we have to keep going. We forded 2 big rivers today and have lots of slippery planks to walk tomorrow and two mountains.So far the 100 Mile Wilderness looks like what we've been doing. It's beautiful with scenic mt views and oodles of waterfalls. We hear it is stunning and easier terrain in about 50 miles from here.Crazy excited to see my Bluberry and Grammie. After the flip my parents will meet us in Virginia. We are so excited to start seeing everyone again.