Date: 2006-07-25
From: The Cabin - East Andover, ME

To: East B Hill Rd -The Cabin - East Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHORTCUT!!!!! I woke up at 4:54am, but was still sleepy, so I just layed in bed until 5:30. Yolanda put her order in last night for coffee with cream in the morning, so being afraid to make her mad first thing in the morning, I got up and went downstairs to where Bear was cooking breakfast, got coffee and went down to the first floor and served it to Yolanda. She said I did good. :-))) I sent my journal entry into Hammock Hanger who's back home again after her hiking and canoeing trip in the Adirondaks. Good to have her back on the job again. :-))) At 6am, I made a 3 egg omelette with mushrooms, onions, green peppers and cheese, then went into the dining room and ate that along with 4 blueberry pancakes with fresh blueberries and maple syrup on top, homefries, bacon, biscuits, cantalope, orange juice and coffee. I'm not walking enough miles to be eating like that, but it sure was good!!! :-))) Bear informed me that lobster was on the menu tonight....tisk, tisk. No one knows just how tough this backpacking stuff can be. I called Shortcut and woke her up to wish her a happy birthday. We talked until I lost reception. :-((( Aqua dropped Yolanda and I off at South Arm Rd trailhead and we started the steep climb up Moody Mountain, then descended Moody and made a longer, steep climb up to Hall Mountain Lean-to. I stopped and got more water on the way up. It was a very, very humid morning and I was soaked from sweating on the two climbs. I got to the lean-to and Yolanda was already there talking to a nobo. I just signed the register and walked on. I came up to Fortune Cookie and Bloody Mess about 10 minutes later. They were at the Cabin last night, but resumed their nobo thru hike this morning. Just after they passed by, it started raining, but no complaints about that because it helped to cool me off some. I passed a young girl who was walking south. She said her mother was just ahead. When I caught up to her mother, I knew her from '02. Her name was Stroker back then, but now she's known as Rocky and her daughter is Bulwinkle and the dog's name is Charlotte. We talked a while and I found out they are back out to finish up the trail this year. I walked on and ran into a sobo by the name of Grits. Yolanda caught up to me and when I couldn't remember Rocky's name, she told me. Between my Sony voice recorder and Yolanda, I don't forget anything. :-))) Aqua had said he would meet us at the East B Hill trailhead at 12:30 to 1pm. I saw I was going to be a little late, so I picked it up into high gear. I did end up getting to the trailhead right at 1pm and Yolanda showed up 10 minutes later. Bear was there talking to Blain and Drew, then we all rode into town and Blain and Drew got off at the PO, then we went to The Cabin. Bear had to go out, so he asked us to answer the phone, but Yolanda went in to take her shower, so I hung out until she was done, then I went upstairs for my shower. I heard the phone ring when I was going up the stairs and I found out after my shower that it was Rambunny. Aqua had been splitting some wood this morning and severed a tendon in his thunb, so they spent the afternoon at the hospital. Sorry to hear that news, but when they got back, Aqua seemed in good spirits and went right back to work. I was tired, so I went up to my room and took an hour long nap...I'm falling apart this year!! When I woke up, Bear was just starting two large pots to boiling over a wood fire outside for the lobsters...he got 15 lobsters for tonight!! I hung around close by and was ready and waiting when dinner was served. We had the lobster (I had three), corn on the cob, salad, biscuits and potato salad, then we had homemade cookies and ice cream for desert. I love The Cabin. :-))) Rambunny, Aqua, Yolanda, Left Fielder, Reindeer and myself were all sitting downstairs in the hostel and someone said they'd like to see a slideshow of my hike this year. They didn't know what they were asking for because I have almost 1,500 photos of this years hike. :-)) I brought my laptop down from my room and we watched a slideshow until almost 10pm. It's late, I had the best meal I've ever had while hiking, I'm going to bed.........happy. :-)))