Date: 2006-09-16
From: Stealth spot north of Fourth Mtn

To: Dirt Road a little north of Wilson Valley Lean-To
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

Saturday, Sept 16, 2006Stealth spot north of Fourth Mtn to dirt road a little north of Wilson Valley Lean-To, N to S, 12 miles, plus 0.5 down to the VW.Up at 5:30, Amoeba is on the trail at 6:30. She¢ll stop at Cloud Pond Shelter to pump water and will meet Purple Rose and Zig Zag, who will start a little later, at the shelter.Orange light in the woods until 6:50, then yellow.About 34 of the way up Fourth Mtn is the spot where Amoeba and her son John stealth-camped in ¢04. Then, John was carrying the tent.On the top of Fourth Mtn a blowing mist. Some slippery rocks. A few rockface places needing butt slides. Not bad.Amoeba thinks over the hiking plan. Amoeba has promised to meet Memere and Gray Feathers on 9/22 in Stratton. Purple Rose and Zig Zag will join Amoeba, Memere and Gray Feathers on 9/23.The 17.4 stretch between Pollywog Stream and Abol Bridge can't be shortened without turning that hike into a backpack. If possible, they really want to avoid another backpack. But Purple Rose and Zig Zag have never hiked more than 16.5 in one day. If they are going to avoid a backpack and, even daypacking, if Purple Rose and Zig Zag are going to try to push the distance almost a mile longer than their longest day to date on a stretch of trail with no road access, the safest plan will be for all 3 of them to hike that piece together.If Amoeba wants to finish the Wilderness without leaving a gap, she'll need to hike Kokadjo B Pond Rd to Pollywog Stream in 2 days, Purple Rose and Zig Zag have time to do that piece in 2 and 1/2 or 3 days. They'll need to split up. On the last day Purple Rose and Zig Zag can hike 8.3 from south shore of Nahmakanta Lake to Pollywog. Amoeba will already have incorporated that 8.3 into her other 2 hikes.Complicated!!! It takes Amoeba, Purple Rose and Zig Zag hours to figure this stuff out.They need Hippie Longstockings. Hippie instantly visualizes all the angles, pros and cons, of various hiking plans. Poof, here's your hiking plan.Another rock staircase, lots of great maintenance in this remote section of trail.Picture of scaly ridgy spruce bark.Then, a wonder. The beautiful bog south of Fourth Mtn. Yellow slanted light. Colors are ochres, yellows, browns, reds (pitcher plants, red maples and bunchberries) and greens. Saturated. Still, still, still. A little foggy stuff high overhead.Like Kinsman, like the section of the Milford Track on the nature walk led by Ruth.There goes a frog. He¢s a sweetie. He has the proportions that some successful hikers have: long torso, slender arms, powerful legs, long feet.A magical place. Amoeba spends a lot of time there.Farther on, hello to Grandpa Bear. Very friendly. He stayed last night at Cloud Pond Shelter. A real nice shelter, water source is the pond. But it¢s 0.44, and not an easy 0.44, off the AT. Grandpa Bear¢s got a big backpack, which is slowing him down. Usually he walks faster. He¢s done a lot of the AT but has no burning desire or need to finish it. This trip he¢s hiking the 100-mile Wilderness. Grandpa Bear says that Amoeba will soon meet Old Moose, who¢s behind him.Zig Zag and Purple Rose catch Amoeba. They left 15 minutes after she did.Hello, Old Moose! Purple Rose asks him, How do you call a moose? He says, It¢s a hard grunt with your mouth closed. You know who could call a moose with perfect mimicry? Frogcaller. She¢s got an amazing gift for mimicry. So does Amoeba¢s sister Susie, and Susie¢s son Josh.Old Moose will stay at Chairback Shelter tonight. Old Moose reminds Amoeba of her dear old friend Tom Argust.A little rocky up, then a beautiful rock staircase.They find a little stream of yellowish clear water beside the trail and decide to pump that instead of hiking the extra 0.9 into the shelter and back. 4 liters. Slow pumping at the end, clogged.Hello to 20-mile who says he parachuted in to Stratton to hike with Kentucky.Hello, Kentucky, who is on thoughtsfromthetrail.com. Purple Rose says she¢s going to press on before she gets left behind. That should be my trailname, she says, Left Behind.10AM side trail to Cloud Pond Shelter.Hello to F-Bomb.Fire tower atop Barren Mountain, then an expertly constructed stone staircase leading down. Rocks flat, not rounded or tilted, well-spaced, footing is sure. MATC has done an incredible job.Sunny, maybe high 60¢s, breeze is back. Not one single bug! Littering the trail, this year¢s leaves, freshly fallen, hydrated, not wilted or dessicated. Sugar maple leaves in resplendent colors and patterns.Now an easy 2+ mph stretch, how Amoeba had remembered the 100-mile Wilderness.Sunlight flowing over and through reindeer lichen.It¢s warmed up to maybe the high 70¢s. Hello, Jason. He says weather forecast is for more of the same til Monday.Lunch at the shelter, beautiful Slugundy Gorge and Falls after the shelter.Hello, Shenanigans!!! Amoeba had hosted Shenanigans, Mulligan, Miss Parkay, the Jersey boys (Kingpin and Twist of Fate), and Leprachaun at the old family place in Colrain MA back in July when they were all at the North Adams trailhead. News: Kingpin, Twist of Fate and Miss Parkay have all summitted. Mulligan, he thinks, is about 3-4 days ahead of him. Shenanigans will summit on the 22nd, his pops is coming to meet him.The ford over Long Pond Stream is easy, low water, mid-calf, sure footing. After the ford, a first! Zig Zag and Purple Rose wear Crocs for the rest of today¢s hike.Hello G-Man, Rising Sun and Jersey.Trail is overgrown in this section, beech saplings and hobblebush.Hello Otter. He saw a man in a white cap with a little black dog about 12 hour ago.Hello Cohiba. Hello Eggshells.Hello to a group of hikers who¢ve stopped for a rest: River Weasel, She Bear, 42, Pinata (who was about to be renamed ¢Amoeba¢, Amoeba kebashes that!) and The Bruiser.Out 6:30. Purple Sherpa has arranged with manager of the campground where he stayed for everyone to get hot showers! He has the camper stocked with fresh clean towels and facecloths! (I¢d better not write any more about this stuff. Someone may decide to kidnap Purple Sherpa).Back through Greenville but no time to stop and still make the 9PM cutoff. Purple Sherpa shows his stripes (for 32 years he was a navy fighter pilot) barnstorming the logging roads back to Hedgehog. Nick of time. Gate is already pulled up, but for him they lower it.