On August 11

Today as you read this it is my sister's birthday!!  And not just any birthday, but her Golden Birthday!  I usually would wait for the August 25 post, but I want to give her a special shout-out.  I hope that your day is as wonderful as you are, sis.

On August 11
From Caribou Valley Road to Spaulding Mountain Lean-To
Miles Hiked: 5.2
Hours Hiked: 7

Bones and I paid for a shuttle back to Caribou Valley Road and started hiking South again. It felt good.  It mist/drizzled alllllll day.  It was like death by a thousand paper cuts, because we ended up soaking wet, but never did it actually rain.  But it made for some pretty jeweled-like rain pictures.

When we arrived at the shelter and found Squirrel, Patrick and Hardway we were pretty excited.  They had hiked yesterday while we stayed dry at the hostel.  Then today while we hiked in the drizzle they stayed dry in the shelter, entertaining themselves by reading snippets of a Harlequin Super Romance involving wild cherries that someone before them left in the shelter.  The five of us were in great moods, almost giddy.  It was a lot of fun.

After awhile a man and woman hiked in.  They lived in Canada and were hiking on their vacation.  The shelter we were in had a wooden platform just like all the others, but the edges were completely chewed up. The guy asked 'Do you know why the boards are like that?' 'No', I said.  'Yes', said they guys I was with 'because the porcupines chewed it up.'  Porcupines?  Seriously?  Yes!  I learned in that conversation that porcupines eat bark and wood and will eat the shelters and privies if given the chance.  I had seen signs in the privies that said 'close this door or porcupines will eat the building'. But I had thought it was some sort of trail joke, just a cute way to ask people to close the door to the privy.  No, it turns out that porcupines are a serious threat to privy construction.  Who knew?  Although I have yet to see a porcupine I have since learned that they are closely related to rats, and do indeed eat bark.


We crossed this river. See the white blaze on the tree across the water?

Pretty mist.

Does this look like a creek?  Maybe, but it is the Trail.

Pretty. I photographed three of these today.  Here is the best shot.

Bones's boot print on top, mine underneath.

There could be a beautiful view beyond those trees, but we were high enough that we were in a cloud today.

These are the signs announcing that we have reached the Spaulding Mountain Lean-To. But you could have told me that. Right?

Sign inside a privy.