Date: 2009-08-22
From: East B Hill Rd (Andover, ME)

To: stealth on way up Old Blue
Miles today: 11.2

I returned to the restaurant we first went to in town for breakfast, where I got the assortment of eggs, French toast, regular toast, etc, and then went back to pack up and wait for the shuttle to return for round 2. David, the co-owner had told us that the next two sections were tough and best done slackpacking. We heard there was another hiker wanting a ride into town, and I knew it was Braid! Everyone got out of the shuttle and bolted into the woods without having to strap on their packs. Since it was already sprinkling, I got out my pack cover and tied my shoes. David said the hiker would be coming in the next 15 minutes or so, and I asked him to deliver a message for me. Then, I thought, ¢Why can¢t I wait 15 minutes and see him myself?¢ I stretched as David walked down the trail a bit, looking for Braid. Then I saw him, and David gestured that someone was waiting for him. When he reached the road, he said, ¢Come give this old stinky hiker a hug.¢ He told me that he had read my entry at Speck Pond Shelter about Footloose and my full circle, and said, as he closed his knuckles and shook his fist, ¢Keep that with you. You¢ve got magic working for you!¢ Then, he was whisked away into town. I headed into the forest with tears in my eyes. Despite all of the bad things that had happened, I did feel that some force was looking after me and wanted me to complete this journey.      I was surprised by the easiness of the terrain ahead of me and felt there was no point in slackpacking this section. (Then, I realized that David¢s advice corresponded directly to his ability to make money). It was the easiest terrain that we had encountered in quite awhile! I stopped in at Hall Mountain Lean-to for a quick snack, as the rain started to pick up, and found a young man debating about whether he should move on or not. We chatted for a bit and then I moved on. I think he stayed the night there. My guidebook said there was a ford coming up, but I made my way over some rocks in the river and did not have to take off my shoes. The next climb was confusing, as they were doing trail construction to build a new route after a rockslide had eroded the old path. I got a bit lost, but was relieved to finally hear some voices, and one by one, a large group of students passed by me, as I waited. They looked to be having a lot more difficulty than I was! As I made my way up Moody Mountain, my arm caught some thorns on a briar bush. (Note to self: when you get thorns stuck in your skin, don¢t keep moving forward!) I was soon scratched and bleeding from several large scrapes, but it was kind of amusing. Eventually, I made my way down the mountain, and as I pondered whether or not to collect water at a little stream, a southbound young man asked me where I was going. I think he was worried about me as the next shelter was too many miles away to possibly get to. I told him I had my hammock and was fine! Then, I made my way onto Black Brook, which was more difficult to cross than the previous river! I had to get down an extremely steep, eroded bank to hop onto the first rock, and then slowly make my way across a series of rocks. I made it without incident, rested for a minute, and then headed across the road and up to my next climb. There was a sign warning hikers that there was no water for the next eight miles. I was unphased (what could I do?), but found the climb to be very steep! Within 10 minutes, I was breathing hard and feeling like I needed to rest! I slowly climbed and finally realized I needed to eat something before I could go any further, so I snacked on beef jerky and trailmix. Then, I resumed the climb! I knew I would have to find a spot somewhere along this mountain to sleep. At one point, I looked up into a tree to see the cutest creature looking down at me! It was a pine marten! I had studied the teeth of these weasel-like creatures in college, but I had never seen a live one! It was so curious about me and was not scared at all! It would walk along the branch, peer down at me, and then do the same thing. The sight of this rare creature made me so happy!   A little farther ahead, I found a perfect clearing for my hammock at 6:55! It also appeared to be a favorite clearing for a moose! I set up my hammock as it got dark and began to rain, and I got cozy inside. Erik¢s niece, Cortney, was getting married that evening and Erik sent me a couple of photos on my iphone. It looked like a glamorous event, and I wished I could have been there.