Date: 2004-07-15
From: Wildcat Shelter, NY

To: William Brien Memorial Shelter - NY
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: broken clouds

Day #123 "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." ~ Unknown I was on the trail by 7:00 doing the usual routine of walking the swampy valleys, hiking up to the rocky ridgeline, walking the solid ridgeline then back down to start the procedure all over again on the next mountain. The rocks were very slippery the past few days from all the rain. Hikers would compare stories about their falls each night. This is mine. Separated by shouting distance, Lint was in front of me and Maja West was behind. I was descending a particularly steep rock face that had natural steps in the face of the formation. I could tell from the color of the rocks that a slick moss was growing on the surface. My first foot placement was a success. The second step landed, never stopped in motion and went out from underneath me. Gravity works well on a body carrying a 32 pound backpack. Before I could say the word Katahdin I was bouncing off the rock, then tumbling down the rock face. I successful spread my arms and legs out to stop my downward tumble on a rock step and a sapling. The pain monitor went off in my brain alerting me that my left knee made impact on one of the rocks. My wooden walking stick was making a clanking sound as it bounced off the rocks falling down the mountainside. All the commotion brought Lint and Maja West, minus their packs, running to my side. Initially, I could not move my left leg. The first thing I thought about was that this was going to be an unpleasant ending to my journey. Slowly the pain subsided, no swelling and only minor aches from the tumbling. Knowing I was okay, I started to laugh. Lint wanted to know what was so funny. I said it was good to know that I can still be resilient enough to bounce at 54. I got up, cleaned myself off and continued following the northern white blazes.Early afternoon Lint, Maja West and I decided to hitch a ride into Southfields, NY. We got a ride from a hiker who is the Athletic Director for Tuxedo High School. This guy was a true trail angel. He brings us into town for a quick lunch and phone calls. Then, drives us back to the trail where we left off. He also gave Lint a Tuxedo basketball shirt to replace the brown torn and tattered one Lint had been wearing.The afternoon hike was gorgeous. The landscape is rugged with huge boulder fields as the trail goes up and over. At one point the trail goes under and through a huge formation of large boulders called the "Lemon Squeezer". To get through the space between two boulders, you have to take your pack off, slide it in front of you, as you squeeze yourself through. In between the boulder fields the trail winds through forested valleys with a floor covering of grass. Near the higher elevations, fields of blue berry plants are three weeks away from being ripe and other places ripe and ready to eat. There is nothing like a fresh, juicy, plump mountain blueberry swirling around your taste buds. Towards the end of my hiking day I noticed a family of deer grazing on the forest grass. I reached the shelter in a tranquil mood from the day's experiences. There are no bad days out here, just some days better than others.