Some Numbers:
Miles hiked: 11.9 miles
Hours hiking: 11 hours
One hour after leaving the campsite I took off my bag to get water and noticed that my flashlight, which I had strapped to my pack, was gone. So now I have no light. At all. Well, except for the little green glowy on my watch. Oops.
I passed Dave and Lynn, a couple hiking together for a month. You will hear more about them in days to come.
When I arrived at the Wadleigh Lean-To I noticed that my legs were sore from chaffing. Okay, this is for all my a-little-chubby readers out there. You know that feeling when you walk too much on a too hot day and your legs rub together? Know how much that hurts? And you know those little cocktail hotdogs that your Aunt Millie used to bring to every family gathering in that grape jelly recipe? I had welts the size of those hotdogs on my inner thighs. Ouch. But it was o.k. because no one else was at the shelter and it was warm. So I was able to sleep comfortably, with a little less cover and clothes than I otherwise would have. By morning my skin felt better.
So, at almost every shelter there is a notebook and a pen. Hikers write one or two sentence entries and sign their names. It is a helpful place to gather information, such as which streams have gone dry, or where the bugs are worst, or if the trail is too rocky or muddy. It is also a good place to leave encouragement for those hikers behind you. It can be a good place to leave a joke or to vent about your sore knees. I'm sure you'll hear more about the logbooks as this journey goes on.
Oh, yeah. And I saw a moose with her calf. That was pretty cool! I was hiking near Crescent Pond and heard them eating just beside the trail up ahead. I took off my pack, walked forward three steps and took a picture. But I had just read this big warning sign about animal attacks when people are stupid with their cameras, so I put it down and just watched them. I don't know if you've ever seen a moose for real, when you're just standing in the woods? They are very large. And I was frightened of the unpredictability of it. So I watched, maybe 2 minutes until they ran away. I walked maybe another two tenths of a mile down the trail and came to a road. When I stepped onto the road there they were again, still eating. But I didn't take out my camera or stop, I just kept walking. I didn't want to seem threatening to the moose cow.
Me.
Mountain views
Maine has some pretty boulders and rocks
The moose and, on the far right, her calf.
The Wadleigh Lean-To with only my stuff.
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