Date: 2013-07-19
From: Spaulding Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth Camp north of Chandler Mill Stream
Miles today: 21.5

Day 13, July 19th. Spalding mountain shelter to stealth camp north of Chandler mill stream. 21.5 miles. Full body tired. The rain was off and on during the night and by morning the dampness had run down the foot end of my hammock nest so I had to sleep in a fetal position to keep my bag dry. Gotta find a solution to that. hit the trail at 7 for another full day of ups and downs. Both me and woody were still feeling yesterdays hike as we set off. Lots of mountains to climb today, especially towards the afternoon. Trail was decent, but we had to push pretty well to make good mileage. weather cleared up by 10 so we could dry out our tarps, and we got to enjoy the open above tree line ridge between the horn and saddleback mountain which made the elevation gain and loss much more pleasant. Its amazing what a little view and some gusty wind will do.By the time we finished running the ridgeline and dropped back into the forest we were both well out of water and parched. The stream we found wasn't amazing but when you're thirsty you just imagine the slight brown tinge is tea or something. We pushed hard in the evening and passed the road to rangeley at 6, and as soon as we got to the road a pickup truck pulled over for some other hikers who were hitching into town. We had no plans to stay in rangeley so we kept moving but it was nice to know our hitching luck is so good it even helps out other people.By the time we called it at 7 at a very buggy campsite we heard thunder in the distance so it was a race to set up. today the hikers won, and the skies opened up within minutes of our tarps going up. I made the same mistake I made last night of pitching the tarp too high above the hammock so I had to dash out during a lull in the rain and re-tie it closer to the ridgeline if the hammock. it seems like the best way is to have the paracord from the tarp tied lower on the tree than the hammock straps. It looks like a tight squeeze but once I get in the haddock there's a few inches of space between the bug netting ridgeline and the tarp ridgeline for ventilation.a second day of pushing big ups and downs took its toll. I'm feeling some soreness in the hamstrings, calves, knees, and soles of my feet. its all just regular hiking soreness which is kind of nice, but I'm hoping tomorrow its flatter. Woodys knee started acting up again during the day but I had some soft padded foam tape we used to rig up a little compression bandage which he said helped a bunch. Tomorrow at noon we'll reassess how its doing and if is hurting we'll slow down and take the 1st road into Andover, 24 miles away. If its feeling good we'll take the second road at 36 miles. whichever one we do we'll be spending the night in Andover in 2 days. Regardless we'll probably start and end our hiking day a bit earlier (6 to 6 maybe) because woody likes to have more time at the end of the day to set up camp and dry stuff out. In his defense the sun has started going down earlier it seems. perhaps we can compromise and hike 6 30 to 6 30. Other sightings of the day included the biggest ribbon snake woody or I had ever seen. Compared to all the tiny garter snakes and ribbon snakes we've been seeing this thing looked like an anaconda. We also saw a ridgerunner and I got to explain to woody what they do and how they're usually very good sources of trail information, though the guy we ran into today didn't want to stop and chat much. We've also seen some pretty big moose tracks in the mud, or else the deer here are the size of elephants. Still no sightings, but I do keep my eyes peeled whenever we're near a pond. I guess they're in new Hampshire and Vermont as well, but I want to see one in Maine. Its my moose and I want it now!The lower tarp pitch seems to be working well so it looks like I'll stay nice and dry tonight. I've done my best to tuck my pack and shoes under what i think is the driest part, directly under my knees, but we'll see in the morning. I've also used the carabiner i originally slipped in woodys bag but carried today because I felt bad to attach the pack to a tie out point on my hammock to help keep it upright. We're also debating bear bagging but the rain and bugs are making that a more complicated decision. The later it gets the less likely the odds of us bagging. I'm going to use my limited woods knowledge to say bears don't go looking for food in the rain, rather they take it easy and stay at home in their dens playing cribbage or scrabble.Its nice having a full bag of food again so I can pig out during every one of our breaks. I think I ate 7 different times today. It was awesome. Now everything just feels sore from todays miles, but its nice to still have all the energy/fuel I need. Time for bed now, goodnight!