Date: 2008-09-29
From: Frogcaller & Lew's, Greenville, ME

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up early and went upstairs for some of Frogcaller's coffee. She has been adding extra grounds just for me. Lew has been grimacing when he tastes his coffee. ;-) Frogcaller made some delicious oatmeal pancakes with real maple syrup for breakfast. I had a shower and finished packing afterwards, then Frogcaller and Lew drove me back to the trailhead at Rt 15 and booted me out of their car. They seem to relish that moment each time they do it. Ha!!! I thanked them once again for all their hospitality and friendship, then snapped a picture of them just before I walked into the 100 Mile Wilderness at 7:55am with a way too heavy pack. I know better than to resupply when I'm hungry....I must have thought I was going to starve to death with the heavy weight of my pack. I took about 30 pictures throughout the day...starting with a couple nice shots of Spectacle Pond. The leaves are really getting beautiful out here right now. I'm looking forward to this last little part of this year's walk. Hurricane Kyle passed nearby yesterday and it was a drizzly start to my walk in the woods. There was plenty of mud and wet trail. I stopped by Leeman Brook Lean-to to see who had come into the Wilderness ahead of me and to sign the register. I see Long We Tru and Willow had been here yesterday, so hopefully I'll see them in a day or two. I was the only one there, so I sat for a while looking back through the register and ate a small snack before walking on. I climbed out of Leeman Brook area and walked by a sign to a new hiker hostel. This was the first year that I've seen this one....called North Pond Hiker Haven. I started getting close to Little Wilson Falls after walking through a very muddy area near Mud Pond. I could hear the falls for a while before I actually got there. I was thinking from the loud sounds that it was going to be flowing really good...and it was!! That made me think of the up coming ford at Little Wilson Stream because it can be a difficult one during high water. I got to the stream and thought of a couple years ago when I took a bunch of photos of Mrs Gorp as she forded it. I had been snapping away just in case it was the last time I ever saw her. ;-) I forded it slowly. The rushing water was up to my pockets. I ascended Big Wilson Cliffs and took some more photos and found a good rock to sit on and eat my fried chicken from Flatlanders. I was there about 45 minutes just enjoying the views and the quiet. I descended to Big Wilson and forded that stream, then crossed the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks and stopped by Big Wilson Lean-to to sign that register. I ascended a 500 foot hill next, then descended about 600 feet to Wilbur Brook, then Vaughn Stream, walked down a gravel road and forded Long Pond Stream. I walked by the side trail to Long Pond Stream Lean-to without stopping and continued climbing the 2,000 foot ascent of Barren Mtn. I walked by the Ledges and was thinking it was going to be a tough climb, but I got to the summit way before I thought I would....and it seemed easy. :-) I took a couple pictures from the summit of Barren, then walked on to the side trail to Cloud Pond Lean-to. It's a .4 mile walk on a side trail to the lean-to. I took it only because I love tenting on the point where the pond is. There were two guys at the lean-to trying to start a fire. They were doing the Wilderness on this walk. I went down to the pond and set up my tent and crawled in for the night. It was a good walk today. The weather was nice with just a little misty rain, but this tent site was very wet from all the recent rain. My tent was already showing signs of dampness and I still have a whole night left. 8-) Another great day on the Appalachain Trail. :-)