Date: 2005-08-06
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 13.213.0 AT miles + 0.2 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 6:50 a.m. and once again, took my time getting ready. One of the pop tarts I'd picked up yesterday was unlabeled, so I hosted a round of the "Guess the mystery pop tart flavor" game, though nobody guessed correctly. Fortunately, it was a flavor that I liked. After eating, I packed and hiked out at 8:05 a.m.With only one climb ahead of me today, I was strongly considerng hiking the 22.0 miles to Monson, despite my late start. At 9:15 a.m., after a relatively easy 1,349 foot climb to the summit of Moxie Bald, I knew that I was only going to hike 13.0 miles total. It wasn't that the climb was difficult, it's just that there were so many blueberries available that I stayed until 10:40 a.m., picking about 1 quart of berries. Sean arrived just as I was finishing my harvest, so I shared some of my blueberries with him. I also checked out the 360 degree panoramic view and may have seen Mount Katahdin, which is supposed to be visible from Moxie Bald on a clear day. While the sky was perfectly clear and the sun was out, I was unclear as to which distant peak might be Katahdin.Moving on, I descended to Moxie Bald Lean-to, arriving at 11:35 a.m. The lean-to was in a great location in front of Bald Mountain Pond. I stopped for an 1 hour lunch break, shared some of my blueberries with Bones, then hiked on. At 1:20 p.m., I'd covered 2.1 miles and rock hopped across Bald Mountain Stream. At 2:45 p.m., I'd covered aother 3.7 miles and arrived at the West branch of the Piscataquis River.Besides Stony Creek in Southern Virginia, this was the first body of water I'd encountered that was deep enough to actually require fording. At first, I couldn't tell where the trail headed, though I soon spotted a white blaze on the far side of the river. The most direct path passed through water that appeared to be knee deep, though I chose an alternate path that looked to be safer. I sat down and changed out of my socks and boots and into my Keens before stepping into the water. The temperature was nice and cool, though when I moved into the flow of a smaller tributary, the water was much warmer. In all, the river was about 20 feet wide, though my ford path was closer to 60 feet. I scrambled up the bank on the far side at 2:55 p.m. and decided to hike in my Keens for the last 3.1 miles to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to.The last time I'd hiked in my Keens was as I as headed into Harpers Ferry, when my previous pair of boots had been putting intolerable pressure on a sore on the bottom of my right foot. Today, the hiking went well, though I could tell that my speed was diminished due to less traction and ankle support. In addition, I'd strained a muscle in my left calf yesterday, so that was slowing me down as well. During the 3.1 mile hike, I twice stubbed my right foot into a rock, though the covered front end of my Keens did a good job of protecting my toes. Despite these various challenges, I arrived at the Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to at 4:05 p.m.Upon arriving, I sat down to finish off my blueberries and shared them with Michael. Next I walked to a spring and spent about 30 minutes gathering water. The spring pooled into a very silty hole, which clouded up after each liter of water I gathered. As such, after each liter I scooped up, I'd have to wait a bit for the water to settle. After returning to the lean-to, I started the treatment for my water and then climbed down a steep side trail to cool off in the West branch of the Piscataquis River, which had bordered the AT since the ford 3.1 miles South.After sitting in the river for about 10 minutes, I returned to the shelter, cooked dinner, and journaled before crawling into my sleeping bag to read. Tomorrow is a relatively short 9.0 mile hike into Monson, the final trail town of the AT. I'll be meeting Opa at Shaw's Lodging, staying the night there, and will plan a travel itinerary through the 100-mile Wilderness with Sean and Michael. Hopefully my left calf won't give me too much trouble tomorrow. Thankfully, the chafing on my lower back has stopped bothering me, though I'm still padding my lower back until it's fully healed. 2000+ miles of hiking really takes a toll on the body.Bedtime at 9:00 p.m.