Date: 2008-09-19
From: East B Hill Rd, Andover, ME

To: South Arm Rd, Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

I was tired from yesterday and had a hard time waking up this morning. I finally dragged my behind out of the nice soft bed and walked downstairs and said good morning to Bear while I poured my first cup of coffee.Bear had been up a long time and had breakfast almost ready. We sat and talked till Butterfly Moon and Firesocks came up from the first floor, then we all went into the dining room and ate eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, potatoes and blueberry pancakes. I had my share! :-)The plan was to slack pack today. Butterfly Moon and Firesocks were slacking over Bald Pate and I was going to slack from East B Hill Rd to South Arm Rd...about 10 miles.Bear dropped me off first and I started walking north on the Appalachian Trail at 9am.It had been about 30 degrees when I started walking. I met a girl by the name of Peachy Keen that flipped from MA and was walking south. She looked at me wearing my shorts and short sleeved shirt and asked me if I realized it was cold out. It felt great to me! :-)   I wished her luck and walked on to Surplus Pond.I had a new Leki tip on my pole that Butterfly Moon gave me. It was nice because my pole gripped the rocks again and wasn't slipping anymore. Thanks Butterfly Moon! :-)I finished the 1,800 foot climb up to Wyman Mtn...looking for moose all along the way. I could see lots of moose sign, but never did see one of those buggers today.I kept walking till I got to Hall Mtn Lean-to on Hall Mtn and stopped for about 25 minutes while I ate some jelly beans and read through the register. I could see where most of my friends from the Trail this year had passed by anywhere from a month to a month and a half ago. Boy, am I ever slow! :-)I walked on and made the steep descent to Sawyer Brook, then the even steeper ascent of over 1,000 feet to Moody Mtn.There was an area of that steep trail about half way up where a slide took out part of the Trail. There was a reroute around the slide...it was steep too. :-) I kept climbing and eventually got to the summit.I had been hearing a couple hound dogs in the woods. I heard them first from Hall Mtn....then heard them again and they were somewhere below me in that steep section of Moody Mtn.I was descended Moody Mtn when I came to two trail maintainers with loppers in their hands. I stopped and talked to them about 10 minutes, then thanked them for what they were doing and walked on.I got to Black Brook Notch and rock hopped Black Brook and my walking day was done! I was at South Arm Rd.Bear wasn't there yet, so I found a rock and sat down. He showed up 10 minutes later and we headed back to The Cabin. His was the only car that passed by South Arm Rd in the 10 minutes I was there...nice area!The cool air and nice walk made me sleepy, so I took a half an hour nap. I sure do love this cooler weather!A hiker that's been around the Trail lots since back in the the 90's by the name of Spring Fever was here. He's good friends with Honey and Bear and stops in several times a year. I had not heard of him before and he had not heard of me before. It's funny how you can run into some people all the time out on the Trail and then there's some you walk around and never run into or hear about.Spring Fever has also done the Florida Trail, so we had lots to talk about. :-)Honey got dinner ready...another very good meal! A long roast beef, mashed squash from their garden, mashed potatoes and gravy and hot rolls...along with apple crisp and ice cream for dessert. I walked 10 miles today and probably still GAINED a couple pounds! :-)Honey, Bear, Butterfly Moon, Firesocks, Spring Fever and myself all sat around the table talking about walking...go figure. ;-)The only bad thing about this part of Maine is that there's no data service, so I've got three day's of journals waiting to send to Mrs Gorp.Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)