Date: 2013-07-28
From: Shaw's in Monson, ME

To: camp at Vaughn Stream, mi 2,085.1
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept soundly in the comfortable single beds upstairs at Shaw's. Just about everyone who through hikes or section hikes the AT, stay's at Shaw's perhaps best know for their huge breakfast, served at 7am. I was one of the first up. Also sleeping in the room, was Berenstein Bear, and Gummy Bear, whom I hiked with from the Little Bigelow Lean-to and Half and Half, who showed up on the late afternoon the day before. Half and Half, an Austrian, with tremendous energy, and knack for consuming jars of parmesan cheese at the pizza parlors, had parted in Waynesboro just before entering the Shenandoah National Park. He and his sister, would wait there for two days for a friend form Austria to arrive, and would hike together, at no doubt, a significantly slower pace. Amazingly, Half and Half caught up to me in Monson! Although I was slowing down myself, and found myself taking a higher frequency of nero days, I hiked plenty of longer days to make up for them. It was great to see him, though I missed seeing his sister, who was equally energetic and always happy, no matter what challenges the day brought. He parted with is sister, Hakunamatada a good distance back, and picked up the pace, following my wear-abouts from the bread crumbs I had left behind in the shelter log books. He said he was initially 6 days behind, and slowly, he closed the gap. After consuming two breakfasts, consisting of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon, I prepared to resupply in the nearby Greenville, shuttled by an employee at Shaw's. Shortly after leaving the dining room, a couple of men strolled into the kitchen asking about breakfast. Apparently they had not been informed about breakfast protocol¢¦you snooze, you lose! In this case, I consumed both of their breakfasts, but it was justified since I would be hiking into the 100-mile wilderness today. The shuttle driver, who frequently incorporated "and what-nots" into her incessant talking, dropped us (Sandman, Berenstein Bear, Gummy Bear, Half and Half, and myself) off at the Northwoods Outfitters, where I purchased a couple expensive freeze-dried meals and a dessert, along with a second bottle of Bens 100% deet. I justified the expensive freeze-dried meals realizing that this was the final hurrah of the long journey I had endured since mid April. Had I planned a bit, I could have split the food weight in two, sending half to the White House Hostel. This hostel however, was not the halfway point, but nearly 70 miles north of Monson or about 3/4 the way through the "wilderness". Following the outfitters, we were shuttled to the Indian Hill Trading Post and Supermarket, where we all filled our shopping baskets with cookies, peanut butter, candy, and makings for instant dinners. After returning to the vehicle, Sandman generously passed around a bag of Oreos, which I developed a weakness for. When I returned to Shaw's in Monson, I spread my food over the back picnic bench and repackaged. It turned into a significant pile of food. I had switched over to a lazier style of cooking at this point, just boiling water to add in instant mashed potatoes or add to freeze-dried dinner packets. I enhanced the meals often by adding tuna and dehydrated vegetables. Even with lighter packets of instant mashed potatoes, the weight was significant and not ideal for passing over the souhtern-mountainous half of the 100-mile wilderness, but I planned to eat well over the final 5 days of my hike. I said goodbye to the group, who had unanimously decided to stay another day in Monson. Another employee at Shaw's dropped me off at the AT and southern entrance to the 100 mile wilderness by around noon. I was excited to get started on this hike, after hearing so much about the wilderness area along the way. The AT traversed stepped terrain, underlain by the dark black slate that Monson was historically known for. Since the 1800's, black slate was quarried for building stone, and continued to be, at a lesser capacity. The exposed slate on the AT was jointed, and glacially polished where more continuous surfaces were exposed. A short way in, the AT passed by Bell Pond and Lily Pond. Both ponds were more like lakes (which included islands) from California standards. The water and its reflections were beautiful. I arrived at the first official shelter of the 100 mile wilderness, perched above a small gorged carved in the slate. Leeman brook was narrow and deep, perhaps 60 vertical feet below the elevation of the Leeman Brook Lean-to. The Lean-to was surprisingly empty in the late afternoon. I stopped at Little Wilson Falls, where the AT drops along its side to the bottom of the canyon. The large blocks of slate formed natural steps leading to the narrow falls. I took a few photos, marveled on their beauty, and continued onward. A young woman hiking southbound was resting on a rock at the Little Wison stream crossing. I felt guilty interrupting her peaceful surrounding, so did not engage in conversation, pressing onward into the dying light of the late afternoon. Following this stream crossing, the AT crossed several gravel roads. About 10 miles north of Monson, I crossed railroad tracks, which still appeared very active given the modern gauge of steel rail used and the lesser degree of rust on the top surface. It was not exactly what I had in mind for "wilderness". What comes to mind when hearing this word, is at the very minimum, remoteness and lack of anthropogenic alteration. Having hiked the AT this far, I realized that I could not expect anything more wild than this. Signs through out the length of the trail, referenced wilderness, particularly parks like the Great Smokies and the SNP, yet roads seems always an arm's throw away! I wondered why the phrase "100 miles wilderness" had been given to a region riddled with roads and at least one active rail. I pushed into dusk, hiking nearly 14 miles in the afternoon, with my heavier pack, stocked with about 5 days of food (half of what they recommend you carry into the wilderness). I found a perfect spot to camp on the banks of Vaughn Stream. I washed myself in the stream, then slipped my rain pants on and Arcteryx rain parka before the bugs ate me alive, and cooked dinner.