Date: 2005-09-13
From: Maine Hwy. 17

To: Maine Hwy. 4
Miles today: 10.3

start Maine 17destination Maine 4 miles 10.3After another great breakfast,it was time to say goodbye to The Cabin. They have shuttled us as far as practical and will now turn us over to another hostel owner. We packed our belongings into our pack and loaded them into the back of Bear's truck.It was a nice ride to the trail head at highway 17.Bear will take our packs into Stratton for us and we will slack this section. We bid Bear goodbye thanking him for all of his help.We will miss those meals around the table for sure. It is not long before we are warmed up from the climb and once again swallowed up by the forest. In some respects slack packing is a hinderance.If you come across a great campsite you can't stop since you have no tent.If you are on time with your hiking,you can take advantage of some of the vistas,but still there is an element of hurrying in order to meet your shuttle.If you get tired,you just have to continue hiking.The great advantage though is no pack weight to carry which means you can hike more miles in less time.There are several beautiful lakes along the trail today.I call them the hidden lakes of Maine,for you seem to be in the middle of no where and there apears a beautiful serene lake.In Maine they are called ponds,but these are not my idea of a pond. We stop at Long Pond for lunch.There are two small tables with attached benches that face the water. The view across the water is like a postcard picture,with the reflection of the trees upside down on the water. I contemplate the scene before me.Such a beautiful lake,surrounded by tall trees with their leaves just beginning to turn colors as the first frost of fall slip in. The water is as smooth as glass. I reflect on how often my life could be like this.Serene,peaceful ,quiet.Yet I very seldom stop to enjoy those times,or I stop for just a fleeting moment to admire the scene before me,then throw a stone or log into it to create some ripples.It may be nothing more than rushing off to complete a chore,or answer a phone,but whatever it is,it will distract me from !the moment at hand.That moment beside the still waters where God restores my soul.Why am I always in such a rush?Why do I hurry and scurry about from here to there? Maybe someone else has disturbed my still calm waters,and rather than remember that most things that come into my life that disturb me,will usually leave in a short time,I run helter skelter worrying and fretting. Besides the still waters,he restores my soul.That means that my soul needs to be restored while things are going smoothly,not when the tempest is raging. What can I do to ensure that I can be restored beside the still waters?I can start by carving out then viciously protecting a quiet time for myself,where I can sit undisturbed and unencumbered to receive the efreshing restoration from my heavenly Father. Sue,from The Maine Roadhouse picked us up from the trail head. She met us wuth cold drinks and her welcoming committee "Knucklehead" a full size poodle.Our room is a private room with a shared bath. Tonight we re the only ones here. There is a full kitchen,washer,dryer a living room,free internet and free long distance phone service.The decor is quite country,moose,bears,fishing scenes.What is more important is that the shower is hot,the linens are clean and our room is quiet. After getting cleaned up,Sue runs us into town for supper. We eat at a quaint little diner called Mainely Yours where the owner says he makes everything himself and it is fresh.The steaks we order are grillled to our liking,red potatoes,and a salad bar complete the meal. One thing we cannot get used to it te fact that bread is not served with the evening meals in the places we have ate.Those big fat yeast rollsback home have spoiled us. Our room is tiny,dominated by a double bed built up on a platform.It takes a big step up for me to climb in but once I slide between those sheets,I am done for the day.   Bumpkin                           5 Million Steps for PolioAppalachian Trail GA-MA BumpkinMore in 2004