Date: 2007-09-20
From: Little Bigelow Leanto

To: Pierce Pond Leanto
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: few clouds

This day had so many highlights I just don't know where to start. OK, I'll start with the coolest.   1. Most of the day I hiked alone, which was ok with me. In fact at about 4 pm I became very happy about this because what happened next only happened because I was alone and quiet. I heard a crack in the woods to my left, and saw what I had been waiting for for weeks - a huge bull moose, whose shoulders appeared to be taller than my head. He was walking away from me, but when he reached a certain distance he stopped, turned, and studied me. We stayed still for a while, me clicking still photographs and he just looking like, well, he was thinking, What do I do now? Maybe he thought I might be a cow, an opportunity he wouldn't want to miss, or maybe I was a fascinating specimen of the human species much as he was of the moose species. Whatever, clearly a trust was developing. I began moving along the trail to try to get a better shot, taking still shots and playing with the video feature of my camera. At one point, as I was walking north I noticed he was too, paralleling the trail. So I walked with him for a while, until I realized he was inching toward the trail. At some point I stopped, while he continued, eventually crossing the trail within 50' of me. At this point I not only saw him, I could smell him, a not-repulsive but not-pleasant smell. I could also hear small noises coming from his throat as he walked - gurgling/grunting/vocalizations/squeaks. I turned on the video camera and got a 15 second shot of him crossing the trail less than 30 yards from me. As he approached the trail I also was realizing that if he turned toward me I might have a problem. However I quickly realized that with the size of his antler rack, all I had to do to get away was to run into the forest to my right, where the trees were so dense he would not be able to get through it with his rack. He did not turn toward me but continued past the trail. What a moment! A magnificent animal, not in a zoo or in someones backyard, but in his own natural environment. Respect and wariness but trust developed by both sides. I will never forget this encounter. 2.The weather. Usually September is a wet month in Maine, but the rain gods continue to bless the thru hikers. This day was so warm and clear that I actually went swimming in the frigid East Carry Pond just to cool off. I was thinking of pictures I had seen of former hiking partners Cheeseburger and Wolf Taffy summiting Katahdin in early September, bundled up and windblown, yet here I was, looking for relief from the heat. The water was shallow, but so cold that after I jumped in I had to stand up because for some reason the the coldness was preventing me from breathing, as if the wind had been knocked out of me. But I recovered. After a brief swim I really enjoyed chatting with some hikers who were also hanging out at the little beach - Hungus, Nice, and Old Yeller. Then I moved on.3. The sunset. We were camped at Pierce Pond, and the sun set behind a large mountain, creating a corona effect around the entire mountain, and a sharp outline of the mountain, including seeing the individual trees somehow. Very cool!4. Red Squirrels - Actually they have been around for quite a while. When the birds stopped filling the woods with their music, these noisy tikes took up the slack. They are aggressive and territorial, and let you know when they are invading their space. Also, much like a rooster, you wake up to their calls reminding everyone who is really in charge. Their noise is primarily chittering, but sometimes it fades into something a little more musical. I sometimes interpret the chitter as "Get out of here", and the musical part as an apology, "nothing personal, take your time". Almost friendly. 5. The Little Bigelow Leanto Privy - it is a 2 seater, whitewashed on the inside, with curtains on the windows. Also it was odor free, perhaps because it was cold this morning.6. Racked up 17 miles in 10 hours with significant breaks, including a long lunch with Old Yeller, and a swimming break. I did not simply race through the day for a change. 7. The 2nd leg of my trip to meet Andy and Melanie successfully completed.8. Last night Peach mentioned how much she would like a soda. She and I ran into Mala early this morning. Guess what he had? Sometimes it seems like all we have to do is verbally wish for something and it happens. Too cool. I also got turned on to Grateful Dead music - Mala wonders how anybody became a hiker without being a fan of the Dead.