Date: 2007-07-15
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: rainbow stream leanto
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

Day 3I thought about it today and I am going to start each day with day whatever. Ifigured it will help my transcriber and I keep track, along with people reading. Plus that is how you read about expeditions.The theme for today was rain, bugs, mud, more rain, and more bugs. I gotstarted a little later than I wanted. It was raining and I wanted to wait untilit let up. I still got on the trail by around 7:30.I am learning to not to go to bed so early. I passed out around 7pm and woke uparound 12:30am. Even though there was a lot of people around, there was still agood bit of noises going on. I don't care what anyone says, those squirals makea lot of noise. It was pretty easy going for most of the day. just one little climb up Rainbowledges. It was actually really cool. It was socked in with fog, so no views. But the fog throguh the trees was just as good.I made it most of the morning before putting on the rain jacket. I figured Iwould get wetter from sweat. I did however put the camera away. And likealways 10 feet later there was a good picture opportunity of a frog.Other than a few frogs I saw some yellow slugs, duck, and a deer. The deerlooked a lot different than the ones in Ohio. It was more of a solid redishbrown color. The ones back home are more brown-ish tan.I also met a few more southbounders. On I saw getting water just as I stopped. We said hi and I told him I would catch up to him as we were hiking. It turnsout that I did not see him the rest on the hike. He was his friend wereactually camped there. The bugs today through where pretty bad. And it doesn't matter how many youkill, more just come in. The best anology that I can come up with is cracked upkomakasi's looking for their next fix at all costs. The only time I got a breakwas sitting on a rock in the middle of the stream.One good thing about the rain is the bugs don't usually come out. I determinedthat I would rather hike in the rain than in the bugs.I decided to hang next to the shelter again. There is another boys group here. The cool thing is that one of the consulors lives in Denver. Which is where Iwant to move to. I got his email address. He said he would be happy to help meout with hiking opprotunities and bars.At the shelter are the 2 southbounders and 2 girls hiking south. The 2southbounds are jason who i saw earlier and his friend crai (?).We did end up having a campfire. I had a really good talk with some of the boysgoup that was there.But that was cut short by the rain yet again. I went to the hammock and wasgetting a good nights sleep. I woke to drops in my face. I thought it was themisting through my tarp at first. But it was only dropping in my face everycouple minutes. It turns out that my seam sealing job sucks and and it wasfunneling water to that point. I just put my shirt over the netting and calledit a night.One last thing. Smartwool does not hold an order per say. But it holdssomething. It smelled like warm wet clothes in the dryer. But not exactly. Itdidkind of take my breath away.In a future entry when I have time I will tell the craziest katadin story I haveheard from the 2 girls at the shelter tonight.