Date: 2012-08-06
From: Baldplate Lean-to

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 11.7

Awesome start today. last night I climbed down a large mountain and crossed into some very impressive trail work, really great steps put together. I crossed the road that marks the hand over spot for trail maintenance from the AMC to the Maine Appalachian Trail Club who looked like they were showing off these trails were so beautiful. I was very tired but eager to get the miles in so got in late as it was getting dark and set up in the tress. they were thick spruce so although i could hear all the boys at the shelter I couldn't see them. This morning when I headed out, most of them were gone already but I was glad that I have my hammock because apparently one of them was sick and spent the night throwing up. harsh.well, as if I needed to be reminded of just how fantastically beautiful the AT is today, not only was the trail showing off but so were the mountains. The first climb was a dazzling scramble up a giant round topped rocky bald. the pictures make it look small unless you spot the small red dot that is a person making his ant like trek up it. The air was chilly and moist and was so invigorating. the wind was whipping at me and my teeth were freezing because I couldn't help the huge grin i wore the whole climb up. and as if that wasn't good enough the huge expanse up there was overflowing with huge, perfectly ripe, sweet blueberries. i took a half hour breakfast break and ate them by the hand fulls. This rocky summit reminded me so much of almost a year ago when i went on my first overnight prep hike just outside Cherryfield ME and I was swimming in nostalgia and memories. I really felt beyond the tiredness, the trail weariness and routine today. I felt how much I am going to miss these moments, this lifestyle, the simplicity and achievement of every day out here. goals are so easily defined and everything is possible and comes at your own pace and the only thing you control is your attitude. I sat for awhile and simply enjoyed the sights and felt what i wanted to feel. the climb down the mountain was very steep and treacherous but fun all the same.   At some point I came across some day hikers in the area and was offered a ride into Andover.   Never one to turn down this kind of luck I took them up on it. unsuspectingly I also ended up in the town which is apparently the center of the hiker's plague that taking down Nobos and Sobos up and down the trail. That explains the guy from last night. It's a really bad flu that pretty much gives you everything you don't wan to have even with access to indoor plumbing. So moving right along then... I realized that the way the trail wraps around here this town is accessed by two different shuttle drops with 10 miles of AT between them. For the first time on the trail I decided to yellow blaze around this section and skip some miles. I remember being given the same opportunity in New Jersy and turning it down and now I'm finding myself having calculating that there was no way at this point I would be able to get all of Maine in with my timeline and I would rather miss a little here and get to see more of the stuff of legends further north. It was a big decision and I realized that despite how confident and secure with the "hike your own hike" philosophy, I really struggled with this decision and found that yes I was embarrassed by it. While my own view of this hike has been that it is a challenge and something I have to realistically fit in with the rest of my life, I still am affected by some of the purist pressure that exists and knowing that I will be judged as lesser by some. I'm still not sure how I feel yet, how much I truly care, but I promised to be honest in this journal and not sugar coat this experience, or my feelings, or my thoughts surrounding moments like this and what I think. It would be easy to justify that the miles not done don't count or that I need not even tell anyone that I did this. But in the same way that this hike is for me, so too is the knowledge and the fact that I will know. So my mileage continues to reflect the miles I have walked and the distance these old feet of mine have traveled.I hiked the last bit of the day today with another hikers dog who sort of showed up and kept waiting for me and coming back to look at me like ¢well, are you coming?¢ I knew his hiker person moved a lot faster than I and was worried that I may not be able to catch him again and here I was with his dog. In a way this was good because it kept me going up the next big hill since I knew I had no way to care for him. Luckily his person had made camp and I was able to hand him back. Cool guy and sweet dog. They were camped smack on top of the hilltop with only short 3 ft trees around and it looked like it might storm so I walked another two miles until I got to hanging territory. Lots of big evergreen around me tonight and blow downs. I tried to get in a section protected more by the mountain but I know that despite their giant height these trees have very small and less secure roots so it was definitely my least comfortable hang to date. Really pretty through with moss and decay all around.   The nights are certainly getting colder and I am glad that I have my winter gear again. Great sunset reflecting off one of Maine¢s giant lakes today. I love this, I know I¢m going to miss it.