Date: 2014-06-18
From: Leeman Brook Lean To, ME

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

RUSTY BUMPER: I REMEMBERED YOU AS I TRAVELED THE CHAIRBACK MOUNTAIN AREA IN THE 100 MILE WILDERNESS. A TRIBUTE TO RUSTY BUMPEROn a Saturday morning at home, I was sitting in my favorite lounge chair sipping on a hot cup of tea and reading my most favorite trail journal on my I-Pad, when suddenly I became overwhelmed with emotion. My wife working in the kitchen said, "What's wrong honey?"Rusty Bumper's wife had written, "My dear Rusty Bumper has just spoken with me and has told me he has broken his ankle and needs help."To this day I think Rusty Bumper's trail journal is the most informative, positive, and interesting one I have ever read.On September 2, 2011, just 88 miles from finishing at Mt. Katahdin, Rusty Bumper fell in the 100 mile wilderness and broke the tibia and fibula of his left leg. The help he received from two hikers and the helicopter and rescue teams reads like the script for an action movie.A good man with a good wife cannot be held back from his dream so on August 27th, 2012, he returned and picked up his assault on Mt. Katahdin exactly where he left off one year earlier. He finished his hike on the mountain top one year after his injury, September 3, 2012.As I was climbing Chairback Mountain and then eating lunch in the same lean to that Rusty Bumper had been in immediately before his injury, I was contemplating and visualizing the events of that day. Thinking of my trail journal friend made me happy that he completed his hike. I have never met Rusty Bumper, but this is a tribute to him and his determination and courage. What a man.Andy and I awoke at 5 am, ate a small snack, packed up, and headed out of the lean to toward Highway ME 15.We were hiking our final three miles of The 100 Mile Wilderness. The wilderness sent us out slipping and tripping because it had rained all night and was continuing to rain as we hiked out.We had a shuttle scheduled from Shaw's Lodging to pick us up as soon as we called them. We called them about 8 am and asked them to come get us, but before the shuttle arrived two more hikers joined us. The four of us packed our gear into the car and headed for breakfast.It was all you could eat of everything. It was very good and the owners made it feel real homey and comfortable. My friends stayed at Shaw's at least for the night, others planned to stay two days to take care of themselves.I had to find Crocs and another spare pair of eyeglasses, so I was shuttled to Greenville 10 miles away. I have a motel on the edge of the business center and I will zero a day to give my feet more rest.I bought my reading glasses, and I now have Crocs and more band aids. I have purchased my food for the next portion of the hike, which I still need to research.My food cravings dictate what I will look forward to when I get into town. I could crave beets, or a vanilla cone, or hot dogs and beans. My wife knows that once I get a food craving, I will never stop thinking about that food until I consume it. Even if it's a month later, I will still think about that food item. Upon entering a town, I make it a priority to satisfy those cravings while eating my meals. This time it was chocolate milk and glazed donuts. I drank the chocolate milk at lunch and I have the dozen glazed donuts in my room for snacking between meals.I purchased a pack of 3x5 cards for note taking until I can learn to do it on my phone. Maybe I can also find other uses for them, like a toothpick or fire starter, or maybe I should have bought some scotch tape or thumb tacks so I could leave notes in the shelters. That would make me feel like I was back home.Good night.