Date: 2014-08-05
From: ME 17

To: Hiker Hut via ME 4
Miles today: 13.2

Moving on without Big Dawg is going to be strange again - time to look for old friends and hike to Katahdin with a group of familiar faces! It will not be the same as doing it with Big Dawg but the trail family is the next best thing!Leaving Pine Ellis Hostel for good this time - we had a great experience at the hostel with outstanding hosts and shuttle drivers and meeting up with old friends! I caught the early shuttle out to ME 17 and had a farewell moment with Big Dawg - we didn't shed any tears because we are men but it was still real sad for his adventure to end this way.A full car up to ME 17 but not a lot of talking - maybe it was because of the farewell and people were giving me time to think I don't know. Upon arriving Mambo and Mio headed south while the guy and lady waited for their group - I went off heading solo for the day after bidding farewell.It turned out to be a great day for hiking - the weather was really nice and it was fantastic seeing all the ponds along the trail today! Even hiking solo I had a good time with the weather and passing people along the way - they were all going south though so no hiking partners!With the weather and terrain nice I made great time all morning - I even bypassed the shelter and decided to eat lunch at the Little Swift River Pond Campsite (here in ME "campsite" refers to tents only - not the silly NH definition!). A cool place for lunch right by a very blue pond and a nice piped water source. I would have gone canoeing on the pond but there weren't any paddles in the canoe!While eating lunch a group of section hiking ladies stopped by for a quick break and a chat - they were doing a section from Stratton to Gorham and were extremely talkative - as they left camp I could here them yammering away for a good distance. Very nice ladies though!Turned on some tunes after lunch to spice up the day and checked in with Big Dawg on his foot and the weather. The foot was still pretty sore and it appeared that weather was going to hit around 3 pm - after much debate I decided to stay at the Hiker Hut instead of push on a little further - turned out to be a great decision!At ME 4 I rested a bit then walked down the road to the Hiker Hut - on the way to the hut hikers are supposed to ring the "Bombay Bell" to announce their arrival! I was greeted by Katherine and Katelin (or Caitlin - I forgot to ask) and I told them I was looking for a bunk and a resupply box. For some reason they didn't have the box at the hut so Katelin drove me into Rangeley so I could check on the status of the box. After talking with Mom and Big Dawg it turns out a box never got sent out to Rangeley so I needed to resupply myself. I mosied over to the IGA and got the required meals and waited for the six pm pickup - turns out there was a miscommunication between myself and Katelin and I was waiting in one spot and they were waiting in another spot by the IGA. We missed each other and since I did not ask what car to look for I missed them leaving! After thirty minutes and no return phone calls I decided it was time to try my hand at hitching.No real luck hitching back towards the hut - definitely a lot less traffic heading that way and I must be a scary-looking guy because no one would stop! I lucked out a little when a driver who had picked up Hass stopped by and got me to at least the Farmhouse Inn - not very far but progress! Tried my hand outside the hostel and still no dice - about to throw in the towel when a car pulled over and saved the day - it was a lady taking another hiker back to the trailhead. Turns out the driver was the sister of the gentleman who owned the Hiker Hut - so when I asked if she knew where the Hiker Hut was she definitely knew! Met One A Day in the car and found out we are planning to summit on the same day - apparently a lot of hikers are targeting that date! It may be a busy day on Mount Katahdin! Finally back at the Hiker Hut and I met the owner of the place - Steve. He was sitting around a nice fire with Katherine and Politician and she had just finished making Shepherd's pie and cornbread and banana bread - it was all pretty darn good! Steve was a very nice talkative fellow who has spent a lot of time in India - 17 winters I think. Steve and Katherine were awesome hosts for the evening and gave us everything we needed. Even without electricity and stuff at the hut it was an awesome stay - simple is sometimes much better! The shower at the hut involves a swimming hole in the stream running along the property - doesn't sound like it would be great but it was one of the best showers on the trail! The water wasn't too cold and they even had soap and a towel we could use. The cabin was lit up by a Coleman lantern and he cooked popcorn for us over the fire in a Dutch oven - some of the best popcorn on the trail too! Seasoned with baker's yeast or something along those lines - it was delicious!Another guest arrived in the evening bringing the total to three guests - his name was Sam and he was a cool guy. We all settled in to the cabin just in time since a rainstorm was coming quickly - the sky turned orange and pink for a bit before the storm began! Much nicer watching a storm from a porch or shelter than a tent - drier too! We all sheltered and then turned in for the evening - still odd without Big Dawg but at least I have one familiar face today!