Date: 2007-07-20
From: Logan Brook Lean-To

To: Chairback Gap Lean-To
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: moderate rain

mi. 16.9dest.Chairback Gap lean-tosleep. shelterday 8Well yesterday was a little crazy. I say yesterday because I am writing this onthe 21st.I learned something important about my hammock. Don't put clothes in the bottomof my bug netting and expect them to stay dry. I sag over the course of thenight and it started off the night off theground, but in the morning ended up ina small stream under the hammock. So once again I start off in wet clothes.I started out in the rain of course and actually made good time over whitecapmtn. There are 3 small peaks in it. All of them went pretty well. It was allsocked in, so no views to speak of.On the last peak I stoped at a campsite to make lunch. I decided to cook on ofthe extra dinners I have. I also added some peanut butter. Lets just say itgoes great with everything.On the way down I was thinking how I still haven't got a good pic of a moose. Iwas looking at this very smal pond off to the side of the trail. I was thinkingthis would be the prefect place to see one. Out of the corner of my eye I seesomething move. There was a cow moose about 25 yards away just chilling there. I thought man I'm going to miss another one. My camera was still in the pack. I looked at her and she just stood there. So I quietly put down my pack and getmy camera out. She still didn't move. I got some really great pics. I moved afew feet down the trail to get a different view. Then I see 5 yards behind herwas a bull moose. He had antlers, but they were small and still covered in fur. He wasn't near the size of the first one I saw. He must have only been a yearor two old. I got some great shots of him. He just set there and looked at me. I must have stood there for 10 or 15 minutes watching them before I moved on. The cow walked just out! of view but he stayed put. All in all I lucked out prefectly.I got to the shelter I originally planned to stay at 2pm. I felt great my bodyfelt great. So I decided to push on. The next shelter was 9 miles away. Ifigured I could make it or stealth camp somewhere. The first 5 miles werereally easy. By Maine standards. I also got my first ford in. Nothing seiousonly about knee deep. Which I shared with 4 day hikers.Yeah this is not as remost as everyone makes it sound. There are a lot offorest service or old logging roads that have a good stone pavement to them.I saw a couple really good sites by the river, but it was only 5-ish so Idecided to go for it. The last 4 miles are pretty much up hill, with a littledown and flat areas. But they kicked my butt. I also didn't fill up on waterat the bottom.Well lets just say it started to rain. But by tht time I was already soakedfrom all the moisture on the bushes hanging over the trail.So it was starting to get dark too, and rain harder. Just about the time I wentup chairback. It's called that because the elevation profile looks like achair. Lets also just say that the top is diffinitly a rock scramble. This wasby far the stetchy-ist thing I have done so far. Going up a rock scraamble inthe rain as it ws getting darker. Funny thing was at the top I saw a rainbowand a cool sunset. But yet again no pics because I was soaked. I finnaly rollinto the shelter which is just up from the valley between two peaks after thisswampy area that is the spring.I got there and thinkfully there was one other person. Just someone to talk toand calm me down. She was a really cool person my the name of blue bird. Shehad her dog up there but it was really well behaved. Best part is that she letme use her filter to get water. In return I filtered some for her.This was by far the stetchyish water source that I have seem. That was prettymuch her opinion too. It took awhile but I finally pumped 2 liters. In whichtime it had clogged even though she cleaned it before I used it. I forgot tomention that the water was a good 200 feet or so down a steep park of the trail. I am finally learning. Get water before you go to the shelter if there is asource.I unpack at the shelter and slowly get into some dry clothes. I made thedecision that if I made it to the shelter I was going to stay in it. It wasalready dark and still raining, so I jet up my pad and got my top quilt.The ccp worked for one night, but if I start making a habbit out of this I amgetting a really thick thermarest.I had a really good conversation with her. She is finishing up northbound after3 years. In 05 she got off for an injury. Last year she got off when she ranout of money. She had some really good advice for me and a couple good placesto stop. She was the type of person you except in a long distance hiker. Someone who enjoys the journey and goes with what happens. We had this big rantabout rain and wanting to see something else. Anything.Gear note.I am using a lot of smartwool. It is a natural wool fiber hat does not holdsmeels well. It also feels great next to the skin. A little pricey too. Itsucks when it is wet. It takes forever to dry. Almost as long as cotten. WhenI get the chance I am going to sub out my smartwool hiking short and long sleeveshirt for poly. It will smell, but it will also dry out for me. For now I amgoing to leave my sleeping clothes wool. They feel good and keep the smell downat night.I am also going to add camp shoes. I am really tired of walking around camp inwet shoes or fording a river i my hiking shoes or barefoot.I have a couple othere gear related things I will try to get into tomorrow. Ineed to stop journalling in my hammock. It puts me right to sleep.