Date: 2009-09-03
From: ME 15, Monson

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

I was still full from the brownie sundae in the morning, so I didn¢t feel excited about having to wake up early for a monstrous breakfast! But I got up so as not to miss out, and went down to join Andy and Poptart (who had come over from the Lake Shore House), Strider, and several other young guys that I had never seen before. They started us off with several pieces of French toast, and asked us how much of everything else we wanted (in multiples). Most of the guys chose 3 or 4 (eggs, sausages, etc), but I chose 2, and even that felt like too much! We sat around for a bit and then I headed back to my room to finish packing. However, I felt so tired that I decided to sleep for the remaining half hour that I had left in my room. At nine o¢clock, I moved everything out, feeling unsure about whether or not I really wanted to hike today. I would have preferred to zero, but I was also so close to the end, that I just wanted to finish and relax after it was all over. I headed over to the library, but found it closed, so I went to the general store instead, and typed one last little entry on my iphone. I saw Tim and told him my apprehensions about leaving (my tiredness and the heaviness of my pack). He suggested I bring my pack down to the store to weigh it, thinking that it probably wasn¢t as bad as I thought, and that it would help me psychologically. While inside, I bought a pumpkin/ chocolate chip whoopie pie that I was looking at yesterday and another coffee in an attempt to pick up my energy level. The whoopie pie was really good! (the chocolate with the pumpkin was the perfect combination). It was now close to 11 am, and I figured I could get to the second shelter, 10 and a half miles away if I left soon. I bought some denatured alcohol, checked out of Shaw¢s, and the man working there drove me back to the trailhead. I really loved that town. It was one of the nicest ones on the trail, and one that I hadn¢t expected to be so great.    The nice man from Shaw¢s lifted my pack out of the back of the car and couldn¢t believe its weight! I told him I was doing the trail the hard way. Then, I set off to enter the 100 mile Wilderness- our penultimate test. I was now carrying more food that I had on any other stretch of the trip, and I was so thankful that Laura did not send me the brownies and blondies here because I would not have been able to carry them!   After I came to the 100 mile wilderness entrance sign, warning us to be prepared, I stepped on a log bridge that spanned a little stream. I did not feel like I could get across it, however, as I didn¢t feel stable, so I slowly turned back and stepped on some rocks to get across instead.    My progress was slow due to the heaviness of my pack. I had to stop often to take it off and give my body a rest. This was not going to be an easy 10 miles! I finally came to Leeman Brook Lean-to 3 miles in, across a little stream, and up a small hill, where I took a break to read the registry. Another fearless chipmunk did not want to leave me alone!       Continuing along, I came to some nice pond views, and was reminded of what the man from Shaw¢s told me- that I could camp next to a body of water every night that I was in the 100 mile Wilderness if I wanted to. At Little Wilson Falls, I saw a couple that were sitting on the rocks looking at the falls, and smoking. I kept moving. I made it across the next stream without having to take off my shoes, but I would have to take them off to cross the bigger one a few miles later. Then I climbed up a small mountain, crossed over the railroad tracks and made my way to the Wilson Valley Lean-to. As I approached it, I saw something that really disturbed me: garbage all over the place! Someone had left an open packet of tuna and a mountain house bag full of cooked rice just sitting out! There was also an apple on the ground. I had not seen anything like this in all of the previous shelters I had been to, and was certainly not expecting such a sight in this section, which was supposed to be the most remote of the entire AT.    Several people were already set-up in the shelter: a couple from Maine, a friend of theirs, and an 18 year old girl named Olive Oil, who was hiking south. I set up my hammock in the area where all the food was left behind, went to get water, and joined the others around the fire while I ate my dinner. We had a nice conversation, but I was exhausted, so I eventually excused myself to get some rest. This was not going to be an easy 100 mile trek!