Around 6:30 Dad comes over and taps on the door. By this point I am 85 percent packed and I've uploaded a couple more blog posts. A short time later I am ready to go and we are at the trailhead by 7:30. I give Dad a hug goodbye and wave as he leaves the parking.
A shuttle from the Sterling Inn, a mile down the road, has dropped off three hikers and then pulls up to drop off three more. I recognize a couple of them, who I have passed off and on for the last week. They are planning to get from here to Monson in two days. I, on the other hand, have set a very low expectation for my hike to Monson, planning on arriving in four.
My goal today is to walk a whopping six miles to the next shelter before the rain starts. I didn't want to sit in the hotel room and do a zero day today, although it would be much more comfortable than a mouse-infested shelter. I do want to keep making a little bit of progress and six miles will be a Nero day, then I only have to do 10 miles per day to reach Monson.
The trail starts out on a gradual incline after the initial steep uphill from the parking lot. I walk at a steady slow pace kust enjoying the walk in the woods. My clothes are clean, and I am freshly showered, and there's no need to break a sweat today since I don't have far to go.
The sky is very overcast and gloomy and a few times when the wind rustles through the trees overhead I think the rain is starting, but it's just breezy. The weather report is calling for periods of heavy rain starting around noon today, and this area could receive over an inch in the next 24 hours. It seems that whenever there's heavy rain a shelter is never convenient, and since this is the one time that it is available, I'm going to take advantage of it!
The trail continues gradually up for about a mile and a half through beautiful mixed woods turning yellow with freshly fallen leaves carpeting the woods. I listen to an audiobook, getting lost in the story, and enjoying this lovely stretch of trail.
After too short of an easy hike, he trail descends sharply to a really beautiful stream that's flowing nicely. I can hear the water gurgling and cascading and it's so peaceful, with little pools that would be lovely to wade in were it warmer.
As I'm walking along the stream I pass a man coming from the opposite direction. He has a very full pack and when he steps off the trail we stop and chat. I ask if he's a thru hiker and he rests hisbhand on his stomach and asks if he looks like a hiker with a gut this size. I laugh and he explains that his friend started from Harper's Ferry in early May. He says he is from the area and met up with a friend to hike with him for a couple of days, he says his friend is extremely slow and I do the math. It's a little over 1,000 miles from Harper's Ferry to here, so that means his friend is slower than me! I love to know that I'm not the slowest hiker out here.
We say goodbye and I continue meandering upstream along the bank of Holly Stream. A light breeze is blowing and the clouds part to allow dappled sunlight through the trees. The weather right now is absolutely glorious, and I worry that maybe I will sit in this shelter on a beautiful day waiting for a rain that may not appear until much later than expected, but at this point it is what it is.
The Pleasant Pond Lean-to is definitely not fancy; it's small and an older shelter, but as long as the roof doesn't leak or I'm not stuck inside with Homeless Herman to keep me company, I will be very comfortable here. The water source is near the shelter and actually flowing, and a brand new privy is nearby.
I walk the two-tenths of a mile down to the pond, and it's quite big; more like a lake. The waves are lapping furiously at the small pebble beach, whipped by the wind. Houses, some with piers, are lining the shoreline. The comments on FarOut mention that the music can get rather loud on the weekends, and with Labor Day fast approaching, I hope that isn't the case tonight.
I have one bar of cell service if I stand right on the edge of the lake. I can't make a phone call, but it will let me send a text, so I text home that I made it to camp, before returning to the shelter.
An hour later, while I am reading, I hear the slow roll of thunder, and it sounds rather close. Within 20 minutes the rain starts and it turns from shower to torrential downpour quickly. Water is pouring off the shelter roof in sheets, and the pings of hail on the tin roof are unmistakable. I look out and can see small balls of hail bouncing in front of the shelter, while thunderclaps roll overhead. Right now I am very happy with my decision to hunker down early, because if I continued I would most certainly be in this mess while on the mountain top.
A hiker comes around the corner of the shelter in his rain gear. I move my things to one side while he takes off his pack and rain gear. He is hiking southbound and just coming down the mountain when the rain hit. He said the descent was rough, but he didn't get any hail, at least.
We make and eat our dinner, and he is out early, by 6:30 p.m.. I am reading and playing games, trying to make it to 7:30 so I'm not up at 4 tomorrow morning. I end up going to sleep at 8 p.m..
Today's Stats: 5.6 miles, 1,100 feet gain
Trail Stats: 2,052 miles, 413K feet gain
Miles to Katahdin: 143
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