Date: 2022-08-09
From: Established site by Bemis Stream Mile 1959.9

To: Saddleback Inn (Rt 4) Mile 1973.9
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

We got some more light rain overnight and everything was slightly damp this morning. I tried putting the rain kilt over the sleeping bag to keep it dry but it had no real difference. The foot box ends up pressed against the tent overnight and gets damp from the condensation. Anything on top is just sandwiched between the tent and bag and isn¢t really effective. We got packed up and on the trail at 7. Even though there were blue skies above us in the morning, around 7:45 it started to rain. I put the rain skirt on but kept the rain coat off at first. However it started to come down harder and I was getting slightly cold so I added the rain coat. We ended up walking for about 30 minutes in the rain before it let up. At that point it had rained enough to leave big puddles and mud on the trail. Clothes were damp (probably mostly sweat) but shoes and socks were soaked and wouldn¢t really dry for the rest of the day. There was a bunch of ups and downs today but nothing really difficult. However, the humidity was high all day so nothing was really drying. This means that you are constantly focusing on your feet and where to place them to avoid slipping and falling. We spent a lot of time today up in the mossy forest which is really pretty. Not sure why but as the day progressed it felt really monotonous. Not sure if that was due to getting mentally tired, because the terrain didn¢t vary much and we had no views m, or because I¢m focused on getting to town put it¢s taking too long to get there. It¢s one of the few days that I was considering pulling out the head phones and listening to some music.We stopped for lunch by a pond that had a bunch of canoes, life jackets and paddles. It¢s not the first time we have seen boats stored by a pond in Maine. However these had the look of being put there for use by the hikers camping at the shelter. The terrain was really nice and we made good time over the last few miles after lunch. We passed some day hikers and were analyzing whether they would be the ones we could hitch with. We got to the road and although there were a lot of cars in the parking lot there wasn¢t anyone there so we crossed the road and started trying to get a hitch. Traffic was sparse so we had to wait a little while but we got a hitch from the eighth car. It was a mother and daughter from Michigan on vacation and out on a moose hunt. We got checked in to the Saddleback Inn and started the gear explosion that occurs in town with wet gear. No laundry but the front desk clerk was nice enough to throw our wet clothes in there dryer for us. We walked up to the IGA to do the resupply. Pilgrim got in around 5 having caught a ride from Strange Brew (who is part of the group of four we¢ve been camping with recently) and his wife along with Paws. Went to eat at Sarges Sports Bar which was within an easy walk. Saw Timex, Paws and Bolt there. While they had good food, it took a while and we only had time to grab some ice cream before heading back to the room. We looked at the plan to Stratton and decided to push to the next shelter tomorrow and shorten the day into Stratton. We passed Birthday Girl today who is a 76 year old woman hiking the trail. She started in Georgia but had to flip up north a while back but is still hiking. I¢m hoping I¢ll be as spry when I¢m her age. We also passed Paws who we hadn¢t seen since the party night at Camp Moosilauke. He¢s hiking with Timex who is zeroing at the Inn today. We¢re also leapfrogging Bolt yesterday and today. One other thing that I have noticed over the past few days is that Maine is rooty, especially as you are going through the pine forests. It often means that even when the trail is flat you still have to watch your footing. Steps 28300Weather Forecast: 72/55 chance of rain