From Avery Campsite to Maine Highway 27
Miles Hiked: 8.0
Hours Hiked: 10
I was awakened in the early hours of the morning (like 2 AM) by the light of the moon, shining through my tent! It was magnificent. And the moon is only about a quarter full right now, so I could see a million stars as well. I opened the door of my tent and laid on my back, half in half out of the tent, just soaking it all in. Wow.
After the refreshing star show I was up and out early today, on the trail by 6:30 AM. It was nice because I was up on West Peak by 7:00, and that was pretty. I was also able to get cell phone reception and call mom and dad, so that was a good start to the day. I walked through Horns Pond site which has two lean-tos in use because the volume of hikers in the area is so high that two shelters are needed. There is also a Lean-To that is preserved because it was built by the CCC. They are doing a lot of preservation work and water quality management at this site.
I was ready to reach a town, and I was trying hard to catch up with a hiker I had met in the 100 Mile Wilderness. Remember Skullman who I met at the Antlers Campsite? He now goes by Bones and I had seen in the logbook that he might still be in Stratton, the next town. Sure enough, when I reached Maine Highway 27 and hitched a ride the five miles to the hiker hostel Bones was sitting outside at the picnic table just hanging out. It was great to see someone I knew. He is called Bones because he fell down, hard, and said "That's o.k. I have strong Bones."
We went to dinner with a third hiker at the White Wolf, a diner just up the street. The White Wolf offers a 'Burger Challenge'. If you eat three half pound, fully loaded burgers, with cheese, mushrooms, sausage, and bacon, as well as three orders of fries in an hour or less you get the meal for free, and they give you a White Wolf T-Shirt. They are very serious about it, they place you at a table by yourself and set a kitchen timer, you are not allowed to leave the table at any time. If you can't finish the food then you pay $30. Bones decided to take the challenge. With 20 minutes left he only had a small piece of the hamburger and one half of a bun left. But he felt nauseous and had to leave the table because there were small children in the restaurant and he didn't want to make a mess at the table. Oh, he was so close to winning the T-shirt. It was gross, but it was fun.
In other, unrelated news, there is a scale here at the hostel and I have lost 8 pounds over the last three weeks. (Bones has lost 30 pounds in three weeks, even with the Burger Challenge.) I am also developing new muscles, I'm sure. Because when I started hiking I could not pick up my pack and put it on, I had to sit down, strap it on, and stand up. Now I can pick it up while standing and put it on my back. Maybe that doesn't sound like a big deal to you, but I am proud of it. I can also pick things up off the ground without taking off my pack now, a big improvement over the first couple of days. O.K., pictures.
View from West Peak
The trail.
Looking back over the trail I have already hiked.
Horns Pond has so many visitors that a caretaker lives at the site from May to October each year. Here is his tent.
The Lean-To built by the Civilian Conservation Corps at the Horns Pond site.
The two Lean-Tos currently in use at Horns Pond.
A view of Horns Pond from the Trail above/South.
A bridge on the Trail. I don't know the story of the name.
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