Monday, Sept 29 - You know, we are staying at the Shaw Boarding House.  It is a fantastic place to stay, here in Monson, Maine.  You can get a tentsite ($5.00), a private room ($25 single, $35 double), or a bed in the main-house bunkroom ($15).   All you can eat breakfast is $5 - believe me, that is a deal for a hungry hiker.

Greenman and Sunkist are staying at a place called the "Pie Lady's House".   It is a little less expensive.  Jack and I are at the Shaw's.  Jack is going to wait here for his friend Jester to come hike the "Wilderness" with him.

Before I forget to mention this, be sure and bring (or buy when you get here) something bright orange.  There are a lot of hunters around here, and they may not be able to see you very well.  You can buy an orange pack cover or just a orange piece of cloth to go over your chest or back cover, or an orange bandana, but it is IMPERATIVE that you remember this.

This part of Maine is all forests, ponds, and streams, with some natural sand beaches and a lot of large rocks.  It is very beautiful.  And of course, it is the entrance to the "100 mile Wilderness".  We resupplied today with enough food to get us through five or six days.  Keith Shaw from the Boarding House is going to slackpack us today and  maybe tomorrow, and that's why we only need food for five or six days instead of seven or eight.

We (me, Greenman, and Sunkist) slackpacked only about six miles today because of having to resupply and do laundry.  Keith took us to Leeman Brook Lean-to this afternoon and we hiked back into Monson.

I also got a box from my Mom today with maps for the rest of the trip, some phone cards, my Backpacker magazine, and lots of food which I shared with my friends.

Tuesday - We slackpacked again today - about 15 miles.  Keith took us to a logging road near Long Pond Stream and then picked us up at Leeman Brook Lean-to where we left off yesterday.  So we have done 21  miles of the Wilderness.  We passed Little Wilson Falls today which was beautiful.  Also, they have "fashioned" furniture out of rocks and stone here.  One resembles a love seat, one a chair, and one a TV.

You will be fording lots of streams from here on, so make sure you have a couple of pair of dry socks.  There are a lot of trees that have fallen, lots of roots sticking out of the ground, and lots of rocks.  It would be terriby difficult to find a tentsite out here because, so far, I have seen no flat ground.

Wednesday - We are heading out today - leaving the comforts of home at the Boarding House.   Keith took us out to Long Pond Stream where we left off yesterday.  There is a bunch of us hiking together this last stretch so I want to name everyone - Steamboat, Singalot, Chigger, Bodhi (my pal from almost the beginning), Little Dirty Barn Monkey, Mr. Pumpy, Leaf, Roman Around, Greenman, Sunkist, and me.  It's not bad out today - about 50 degrees. 

We forded a deep creek, about 3 - 4 feet deep.  A tree had fallen across the creek and we had to get around this.  Everyone else could walk the tree across to the rock pilings on the other side except GUESS WHO.  My pack was too heavy (are any of ya'll surprised at this?), and I had to scoot across on my butt.

Well, later I find out why my pack is so heavy.  We cross the creek and are hiking along when Bodhi asked me what in my pack is so heavy.  He intimated that there might be a "heavy" surprise in there.  So I stopped and opened my pack and found a five pound rock that Jack had hidden in the bottom of my pack.  Everyone got a laugh out of this.  Not to worry - I will repay Jack's kindness.

We did twelve miles today and arrived at Chairback Gap Lean-to.

Thursday - When I got to the Lean-to (Shelter) last night, JJ and Laughy Taffy were there.   I haven't seen them since Duncannon, Pa. so it was really a welcome suprise.   They had a big fire going.  After eating dinner, some ot the group decided to   hike on another two miles which was good for the rest of us because the Lean-to is only supposed to hold 6 hikers.  Of course, we squeeze in more than that and sleep like sardines!  We had just cleaned up after dinner and got into the shelter when it started pouring down rain.

We forded the West Branch of the Pleasant River today.  The water was the coldest of any of the fording that I have done so far and knee-deep.  About half way across, one of my shoes came off.  Fortunately, it floated to the top but I had to balance myself on one foot, pack and all, in order to get the shoe back on my foot.  It has not been terribly cold - in the 50's - and when you hike you get rather warm so I am hiking in my "Waldies".  These are plastic shoes commonly known as "mules" where you just shove your foot into the shoe, with no enclosed heel.  They have a mesh-like top where air can penetrate and are very sturdy.  It beats getting your boots wet.  Then you can put your boots back on after fording the stream.  Time consuming but it sure beats hiking in wet socks and boots for the rest of the day.   And it does not get warm enough to dry your boots at night so then you have wet boots for the rest of the trip.
                
We dried off and ate lunch on the other side of the pond.  Then we hiked another ten miles and stopped at Carl Newhall Lean-to.  There is a little side trip you can take before you get here called Gulf Hagas.  It is a gulf formed by water eroding the slate walls of a narrow canyon which formed many spectacular waterfalls.  We didn't want to take the time to do this so I didn't see it personally.

Friday - Well, another surprise today.  When we woke up it was snowing.  When we got to the top of White Cap Mountain, it was about 4-5 inches.  Don't you think that this is very fitting!!!!

Roman Around had no gloves so he had to put one hand at a time in his pocket to keep it warm so the other hand could hold his hiking stick.  We saw a pretty little red fox at a campsite, looking for food.

We stayed at Mt. View Pond tentsite tonight - me, Leaf, Chigger, Mr. Pumpy, and Roman Around.  We did 12.7 miles today.  It was in the 30's tonight and we had a nice fire going -  trying to dry out some of our gear.  Chigger got cinder holes in her sleeping bag from getting to close to the fire.

By the way, White Cap Mountain is one of the few mountains in the 100 mile Wilderness.

Saturday - I got up early because I was running low on food.  I had packed enough for five or six days but I was eating two days' worth of meals at one sitting!  So I hiked 22 miles today - by myself - in order to get to White's Landing to get some more food.  White's Landing is the only camp left from the original 11 camps built in the 1930's and '40's.  It is about 5 miles or so off the trail and  you have to sound a fog horn and get someone to come after you by ferry because it is across a lake.   The hike was not bad because it was mostly flat ground, and I averaged about 3 mph.

I ran into Fstop.  I had not seen her since Traildays in Damascus.  And Greenman, Sunkist, Laughy Taffy, and JJ were also there, doing the same as me - stocking up on food.  We stayed at the Hostel here, and had the biggest hamburger you have ever seen.  The hamburger alone filled the entire plate.  JJ had one of these hamburgers with fries and then a large pizza, and THEN ate half of Laugh Taffy's hamburger.

That's all I have time to write for now.  I want to thank you all again for your words of encouragement and endless support.  Bgone, Bill Rogers, Jon from Boston, My neighbors Lillian Bass and Stacy from McKinney, Melissa from Delaware and Melanie in Louisiana,  Rick my CampnFan, Jessica from Florida,  and also FURTHER from Pensacola, Florida.

Sounds like there is going to be a great "Class of 2005" hikers - Further, Begone and Appalachian Annie, and quite a few others have said they are going to hike in 2005.  I hope you all keep in touch with each other and meet up on the trail.   Wouldn't that be great fun, and when you come over that Mountain and into the Gap, all tired and worn out and hungry - there will I be, doing a little Trail Magic for you.

WEll, that little "kiwi" voice is telling me to get some sleep, so Goodnight Pauline and the rest  of all of you out there, my friends forever.