Date: 2008-08-06
From: Stratton Motel ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Stratton ME

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to ME
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Day 171 Wednesday August 6 ¢ Little Bigelow Lean-to ME - Miles Today: 15.3 Total Miles: 2003.7We were real pleased when Sue, the owner of the motel, was agreeable to taking us back to the trailhead around 6:00. We figured we had a 10-hour hike, as that is what it took Kathy and Craig (2006 thru-hikers) and we knew our trail conditions and weather would not be as decent as theirs. And sure enough, about 11:00 the rain arrived and stayed with us all day long. We enjoyed the trail today. The first half of the day was actually a bit easier. We had dry conditions as well as dry socks and feet for the first 5 hours - something we aren't quite used to. Although we went over 3 peaks today, it really wasn't too bad despite the lady flip-floppers (Tigger, Soaring, Rabbit, and Owl) who told us that doing these 3 peaks in 1 day was just not a pleasant experience. Maybe in the other direction?Our big news for today was the combination of rain and wind as we went over the exposed summit of Bigelow Mountain.   The wind was probably 60-70 mph sustained with gusts of 80-85+. It might have been the strongest wind that we have experienced on this entire trip. During the gusts we could lean into the wind without falling over. At one point in time, as it knocked Grasshopper over, she had to catch herself with her hand on the ground. The wind knocked us both off the trail path quite frequently, but it was fun. We enjoyed it. We figured one last blast of wind and rain to help us remember how we started this trip in Georgia. Too bad the weather was not nicer though, so we could stop and pick blueberries that we found on top of the exposed rock areas. We picked a handful or two, but the weather just wasn't nice enough to stand there and pick more. Eating the berries was a unique experience, as we tended to end up eating more dirt, which was stuck on our hands, than these tiny blueberries. But they were still tasty.We got to the lean-to about 4:00 and found it stocked full of people, but luckily, when we asked if everyone was staying, a group of 10 kids got up, grabbed their pads and sleeping bags and headed to their tents. I believe the kids are from a camp in Quebec. With us tonight in the shelter are 3 adults from Quebec. The roof leaks in few places so we had to strategically select our sleeping spots.   Luckily were able to score 2 of the remaining 3 places in the lean-to as it is quite miserable out there - rainy and cold - and we really didn't want to have to deal with setting up the tent. So for the 3rd time on this trip, we are voluntarily staying in a shelter. The temperature is probably in the low 50s, not nearly as cold as the day in Pennsylvania when we headed towards the 501 shelter, but close. During the day it was a little bit chilly when we stopped hiking. We're sitting in the shelter in our sleeping bag with our knit hats, #3 tops, #1 bottoms and rain pants on. It will probably be a bit of a chilly night. Shortly after we got settled into our warm sleeping bag, Squam and 5 Bags arrived and stood under the roof overhang, eyeballing the remaining sleeping spot. I¢m sad to report that we did not offer to crunch like a can of sardines to make room for both of them, though our minds told us that we should. The one remaining spot was where the roof was leaking. After consideration, 5 Bags decided to head 7 miles to the next shelter and Squam, being without a tent, decided to take the one remaining spot in the shelter. He was able to rig a little rain protection by draping a garbage bag over his 2 hiking sticks that he stuck in the plank grooves of the shelter wall. Despite that effort, he still had to sleep in almost a fetal position to stay dry.We spent some time chatting with Squam tonight. It¢s the first time we¢ve met him. He's doing major miles with a very light pack ¢ about 13 pounds with food!   He does not carry a tent and he said packing light does not come without discomforts. His rain gear is a garbage bag that fits over his upper body and his pack. He has to have someone help him pull it over his pack.   The name Sqaum comes from the lake that he grew up on in New Hampshire, and is the lake featured in the movie On Golden Pond with Henry Fonda. His uncle actually played the boat gas attendant in the movie. We joked that he was probably some famous kid and we just didn¢t know enough to know who. We then learned that Squam went to Florida Southern and was a member of the ski team so we got to share lots of good fun skiing stories with him this evening.   Squam has hiked all of the 4,000 footers in the Whites in the winter! When he finishes his AT thru-hike, he will head out west to summit Mr. Rainier along with his uncle. He also has Denali mountain in Alaska on his dream to-do list.   When we asked if Mt. Everest was also on his list, he grinned and said yes. Wow, he is obviously quite the hiker/climber athlete in addition to being nationally ranked or at least qualifying for nationals in water skiing. He told us the sad story of missing nationals this year as the Florida Southern coach messed up on the entry and eligibility forms resulting in them being disqualified. So quite a bummer that the team that normally places third at nationals was not even represented this year. Very nice gentleman and it will be interesting to see how he does on all of his other endeavors. Tomorrow our miles increase a bit - we're going to do 17 miles - but the terrain looks fairly flat. We know the trails will be total mud but our socks and shoes are wet already, so other than the traction issues, it shouldn't matter too much. Speaking of traction issues, the score now is Grasshopper 18; Brakeman 16 falls. It's about 7:00 and most people are getting settled in for the night. Being in the shelter tonight reminds us a lot of Georgia with the cold wind and cold temperatures. All of us are bundled up and we're hoping that the memory of Georgia will soon be over and that we'll be back to the summer memories of Maine. 5 Bags said he thought it was to get into the 40s tonight, but we're thinking perhaps 50s would be more accurate, but who really knows? Hopefully we do not have12 more rainy days in these conditions. I think we'll get ready to crash and try to get an early start tomorrow. The major news for today is that we went over 2000 miles. Goodnight. See you tomorrow.