On July 28

Happy Birthday, Danni!  I hope that your 30th was as wonderfully fabulous as you are!

Chairback Gap Lean-To to Cloud Pond Lean-To
Miles: 6.9
Hours: 8 hours from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM

Just as I arrived at Cloud Pond Lean-To I saw Dave and Lynn leaving.  They decided to go on ahead a few miles and camp.  It had rained a little bit, so I decided to stop and swim and set out my clothes to dry.  But after getting in the water I thought better of it since I couldn't tell how soft the bottom of the pond was and I was there alone.  So instead I just rinsed off and spent some time journaling.  After a while Torch came.  He has been married to his wife for 36 years and is finishing his through hike.  We had a good time chatting.  There were also three other men there for the night, but they stayed in tents, so it was just the two of us in the shelter.  Torch and I were reviewing what I had learned about gear in the 100 Mile Wilderness, how I needed to buy sock liners, when I had never heard of sock liners before, and so on.  And then I said 'Oh, yeah, and everyone out here has 'Vitamin I'-what is that?  They take it all the time.  Do I need it?'  He told me, without making fun of me at all, that they are all taking Ibuprofin.  For all the muscle aches. Duh.

Pretty Flower

Toads are everywhere.

Someone hung a moose skull and spine in a tree.

The vibrant red color of these pine roots with the green moss was pretty.

The Trail.

Self Portrait on top of 4th Mountain

Clouds on the mountains, view from 4th Mountain.

Some cool pitcher plant in the 4th Mountain Bog.  This was my second favorite place so far on the Trail, after the Tableland at Thoreau Spring.

Some cool pitcher plant in the 4th Mountain Bog.

Cloud Pond with my clothes drying in the sun.  Have you ever gone skinny dipping, then stood in the sun until you are dry?  Try it, its fun.