Date: 2006-09-04
From: Hurd Brook Lean-To

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: light rain

Abol Bridge CampgroundSite #3.Well! A very good day today.   It started to rain in earnest last night, but despite the downpour, Stitches decided to spend the night in his hammock. Mr. Sox said that Stitches had just got the hammock, and is still experimenting with its use. It looks to me that it takes a lot of skill, and is not easy, to get in and out of it, after it is slung. Mr. Sox and I talked and listened to the rain come down on the metal roof. There is something oddly comforting in that sound ¢ reminding you, as it constantly does, that you are in a shelter and put of the downpour.   Awoke to the sound of the rain dripping from the trees, but no further dripping from the heavens, and was on my way by 6:30AM It was an easy and straightforward hike to Abol Bridge in a cloudy and misty morning, with an occasional splatter of rain, but I arrived at the Store and Campground relatively dry.   Had a good second breakfast of sausage and egg biscuit, and coffee ¢ there is nowhere to sit down to eat ¢ and set up my tent in rapidly improving conditions. In fact there has been no further rain here so far ¢ although it is threatening again now. There is an occasional peek of blue sky, but I would be hard pressed to call this a sunny day.   This is an interesting spot. When I arrived there were a lot of very large mobile campers, big trailers, and mobile homes on wheels, in the campground. I felt dwarfed in my tiny tent surrounded by the gigantic weekend camping abodes of others, but they have mostly cleared out during the day with the end of the Labor Day Weekend. There is even a floatplane moored to the dock here.   Navigator arrived, awaiting the arrival of Ol¢ Man ¢ who did indeed show up and they reunited on the bridge. Then Dave ¢ The Ridgerunner ¢ came in, and we had a great chat. He says that you can climb on a Class 2 Day but there will be no vistas. The forecast for Wednesday is cloudy with occasional rain.   Lots if hikers have trickled in during the day. Professor is here ¢ I met him at Shaw¢s ¢ and he is tenting out and planning to go on to The Birches to morrow, as I am. A group of three thru hikers arrived in the late afternoon to a surprise reception with a group of their friends and, - after a map consultation with Dave - have headed on to the Birches tonight, since tomorrow is promised to be ¢better than today¢ Also here are Rocky and Swampfox ¢ I had met Rocky last year at Madison Hut and her description of the Wildcat E climb had caused me some anxiety. They are tenting here in the campground also.   No cell signal here but I did get the battery charged. I had a shower ¢ 25 cents a minute ¢ do you know how long you spend in the shower? Spoke with KT on the Public Verizon Cell Phone ¢ also 25 cents a minute ¢ do you know how long it takes you to talk to your wife? All is well at home, and KT now knows that I may stay in the Park until Friday if the weather is too bad for climbing.   Ol¢ Man gave me a butane cylinder that he just picked up in a shelter ¢ he uses Espit ¢ so my fuel worries are now also relieved. In fact the cylinder he gave me has more fuel in it than the one I have myself.   I have resupplied with 4D 3N, just in case, and got some iodine tablets because my Aqua Mira sounds low when I shake the bottles. Also got some extra Vit I.      The knee feels very good. No pain during the hike and no pain during a near zero - nero ¢ day here. So I am as good to go on the last stretch, as I will ever be. NaviGator and Ol¢ Man have gone back in their car in Millinocket to spend the night. He has hiked and stayed at The Birches before and has already climbed the mountain, but he wants a Class 1 Day so that he can do it this time with NaviGator.    So all in all, a very good day. Weather improved ¢ knee improved ¢ food and fuel improved ¢ water treatment improved ¢ spirits much improved, after talking to all of the hikers and Dave.      Dave said that Wondering Bill and Slim did not summit today because they want a better day for it, and they are at the Appalachian Lodge in Millinocket. You just never know when you are going to see people again.Thought for Today ¢    The Last step of One Journey   Is the First Step of the Next.