Date: 2004-09-26
From: BaldPate Lean-to

To: Andover ME
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Yoda, Mad Scientist, and Lucy the dog came into the shelter around 10:00 PM after walking through a thunderstorm and heavy rain. Lucy is incredible. Well behaved and calm.   The guys went into Bethel to buy dog food and stayed to drink beer with a local.Pokey and I headed up Bald Pate Mountain. It was a bit foggy when we started but the fog lifted as we climbed. A strong cold wind greeted us as we neared the granite slab that forms the three peaks. We met some south bound section hikers who spent the night with Burnie and Katie. They are heading to The Cabin in Andover. We are going to Andover Guest House because that is where my mail drop was sent.We could not stop long because of the wind but the views were amazing with vivid fall colors beginning to show on the trees at higher elevations.There were seven boys from an Outward Bound program ducking behind the rocks on Little BaldPate Peak waiting for their 8th member. After talking with them awhile we headed down toward Frye Notch Lean-to. The 8th boy was struggling with the steepness of the mountain. A short distance behind him where the two leaders of the group. They are keeping their distance because the boys are suppose to be doing the next few days on their own.As we dropped lower the trees blocked the wind and we began to warm up. We reached Frye Notch around noon. Micky and Mallory and Blackfoot showed up slacking from Rt. 26 to Andover (East B Hill Road). They met up with Ishmael who was now on crutches. He injured his ankle in the Mahoosucs and left his pack on the trail with a note that he or his dad would return to get it. Some one stole his pack and ditched the lid pocket with his tent inside on the side of the trail. Blackfoot found the lid pocket after encountering a strange hiker heading south. He brought the lid to Full Goose Shelter where Pokey agreed to pack it out. We found out today who the lid and tent belong to. Pokey gave the lid and tent back to Micky and Mallory who rearranged stuff in their day packs to be able to haul it out. When they left Micky had left his Chaco sandals in the shelter. Pokey carried them out. The woods after the shelter were particularly beautiful. We took our time to enjoy the hike and because we were so tired we couldn't have walked any faster. We stopped at Dunn Falls for a short break then went the 0.8 miles to East B Hill Rd. We stuck our thumbs out for the first car heading in our direction which sped by without even slowing down. A car heading in the wrong direction slowed down. The driver asked if we were thru hikers and heading into Andover. He turned the car around and offered us a ride. They were from North Carolina visiting sights to recall his thru hike of 91. Our packs were lashed to the roof and we headed down the narrow road to town. My pack suddenly fell to the side of the car hanging from the cargo straps. He stopped and retied the pack. When we got to town Pokey's pack was missing a water bottle. Fortunately his money ziplock did not blow out of the same pack pocket. Pokey contacted Micky at the Cabin about his sandals and learned that Burnie and Flava were there. I made calls to my wife Sue, daughter Darcy and our former hiking partner Rainbow. We had dinner at the local diner, showered and had our laundry done. Now we are watching a movie on TV. Life Is Good!! "Gabby" aka Art Cloutman