Date: 2006-08-07
From: ME 15 parking area (Monson)

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

Maybe sleeping in the car last night wasn't such a great idea after all. Neither of us slept great, and Josh actually woke up with a back ache. Oh well, nothing could quench our excitement for conquering the 100 Mile Wilderness, and after breakfasting on raspberry danish, yogurt, and juice that we'd bought the night before, we headed the 3.5 miles back into town to complete some final errands. When we got out of the car at the Post Office I was dismayed to see one of my shoes lodged in the spoiler/wing on the back of my car. It wasn't until then that I remembered placing my shoes on the roof to dry and air out overnight. AHHHHH! Hoping against hope that the missing half of my only pair of shoes (I was wearing flip flops) hadn't been crushed to the point of damage beneath a dump truck or 18 wheeler, we immediately got back in the car and retraced our route back out of town, scanning the road and shoulder for any sign of the other shoe. Just outside of the parking area we had stayed in overnight we found it, off the road and none the worse for wear, thankfully. The mini-adventure being over, we drove into town again, retrieved some items from the post office, and picked up some last-minute items from the general store and Shaws, the local hostel. Back at the parking area, it was time for some serious packing and sorting of gear and food. Besides his own gear, Josh had brought a lot of my extra gear from home, and I had also retrieved my bounce box and extra winter gear from the P.O., so between the two of us we had enough stuff to make a real mess. About half-way through Mr. K emerged from the woods and came over to say Hi. Remembering the difficulty with which I had obtained a ride into town the day before, I offered to take him down, and we made our third round trip into town in a matter of maybe a couple hours! I didn't mind, because for me it was all a fun break from hiking, plus I was getting to drive my car, but I think Josh was more than ready to hit the trail. His patience was exemplary, however, and we finally managed to lock up the car and start hiking around 11:30. Our packs were loaded, stuffed to the gills with more food than I had carried at any other point on the entire trail. I had to reconfigure how I loaded my pack, and it was only with a good deal of time and creativity that I managed to make everything fit. Thank God for stretchy mesh pockets!Five miles in we came to Little Wilson Falls, a beautiful 60' cascade. We ate lunch here, and I had a refreshing swim in the cold pool below the falls (Josh was still too clean to bother, I guess, but it had been a good 3 or 4 days since my last shower). Later we came to Josh's first ford, and he asked how it was to be done. I figured I'd show him how a veteran thru-hiker does it, and proceeded to make an unwise leap across the channel to a wet-looking slanted rock. A few seconds later I was lying on my back in the Little Wilson stream, still wearing my pack. It was pretty hilarious, and probably would have made a great MasterCard commercial: "Driving your friend's car from PA to ME to join him on the last section of his thru-hike: $67. Gear and food for a week in the wilderness: $592. Watching from five feet away as he lands on his back in the stream your first day out like a complete idiot: PRICELESS."I got up out of that water so fast that most of my gear remained dry, and informed Josh that normally I was much more careful, and that I was probably taking more risks just because he was along, a statement which I think he probably found more unsettling than reassuring! Nonetheless, I was fine, save for a couple of scratches on my one hand (that poor left hand seems to be taking all the abuse from my hike).The rest of the afternoon was comparatively uneventful, save for some light rain, and we had the shelter to ourselves when we arrived about 7:45 pm. Several other thru-hikers (Granite, Doogie, and his little brother) arrived later, but there was still plenty of room and we got a great night's sleep.