I start to pack but I decide that from here on out I'm going to have a nice relaxing morning and enjoy something hot in my hammock before I start packing. I heat up some water and indulge and some hot tea with lots of honey while listening to the woods start to wake up. Birds start chirping tentatively 15 minutes before daybreak, but the chirps become more enthusiastic as the sun starts to climb over the ridge.
I'm sure there will be some roller coasters today, but the nice thing about this morning's hike is that it's the first time in a long time where I don't have a big climb right out of the gate. The trail is going to continue along the river until the next crossing in a couple miles.
Very shortly after leaving camp I come to the blue blaze side trail for the Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to and I walk up to the shelter to make an entry in the journal since I didn't sign any yesterday. I see Carrot Cake and Planet Caravan are ahead. They'll both most likely be entering the 100 Mile Wilderness today or tomorrow. Many hikers zero at Shaw's in Monson and take a break before the final push through the 100 Mile Wilderness and Katahdin.
Leaving the shelter the trail is unexpectedly easier than the day before. There are certainly plenty of little rocks to walk around but it's not nearly the roller coaster it was yesterday. A little while later I stop at a stream and filter a little bit of water for my morning coffee breakfast shake before continuing on.
2.5 miles after leaving camp I come to the East Branch of the Piscataquis River. There is a beaver dam and that looks exceptionally tidy with all of the branches stacked neatly one the top of the dam. From the FarOut comments there is something of a challenge to try to get across the river by rock hopping and not get wet feet. A little south of the dam I decide to accept the challenge and easily make it across, and at one point I have to pivot like a ballerina on one foot on a very small algae covered rock.
On the other side I turn to the right to follow a trail but it stops at a big yellow "no trespassing" sign; obviously I went the wrong direction, so I turn back just a short way and find the trail just on the other side of the water crossing going up a hill. The incline up the hill is quite easy, and at the top the trail turns into a lovely woodland path.
The next 4 miles are relatively easy and I'm cruising at almost 3 miles an hour for a time, which is something I haven't done in so long. I can take some long strides on the easy dirt path and the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the chipmunks are doing their chipmunk thing; dropping small pointed pine cones from crazy heights, landing really close to the trail. If I don't get clunked in the head by a pine cone at some point during this trip I consider myself lucky.
I take a trail into Monson that travels on Pleasant Road and I am just enjoying the day but also wallowing in the misery of being in the woods for 3 weeks straight without a day off. I keep thinking about nachos. I don't know why, but I just want a huge plate of nachos in front of me with nasty fake cheese sauce and lots of taco meat and guacamole and extra sour cream. That's all I want.
A half mile from town a truck pulls up and asks if I want a ride. I don't even have to think twice; hell yes I want a ride! I pile into the back of the pickup truck and the driver is looking back at me, shouting questions about when did I start and how long I've been hiking. He looks in the rear view mirror a lot and I wish he would look at the road a little more.
He deposits me in front of Shaw's hiker hostel, where I go in to check it out. I open the front door and see a woman busily folding laundry at a dining room table. The hostel is pretty empty, but I see a hiker at the table in the back. He recognizes me and calls my name in greeting, but I am brain dead and can't remember his name for the life of me.
I wander in the backyard and I'm surprised By how big the hostel is. In addition to the main house, there is a bunkhouse, a separate laundry and shower building, and another house dedicated to a store with a crazy amount of gear. This place is the northern equivalent af Neel's Gap in Georgia.
I see Weedin' It at a picnic table out back and we chat for a while. He tells me that he is surprised by how many people who he started with back in March and he never thought he would see again have shown up the last two days. He tells me that Tiki Bar is here, and I get a picture with him before I go to look for Tiki Bar, who I thought for sure would be in the Wilderness already, if not summiting.
I wander through the main house, but don't see Tiki. He must be in one of the rooms with the door closed, and I can't find his contact info in my phone, so I guess I won't be able to say hi.
I head back downstairs just before Dad pulls up in his truck. I load up my pack in the truck and we go to the only lunch spot in Monson; the General Store, where I grab a sandwich and chips, before we go back to Bingham.
We head home for a wedding taking place this weekend. I finished two days earlier than planned, so I'm excited to see my family and friends and work on my garden for a few days before we make the 12 hour drive back to Monson after the wedding so I can continue to Katahdin!
Today's Stats: 9.8 miles, 1,900 feet gain
Trail Stats: 2,083 miles, 419K feet gain
Miles to Katahdin: 114
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