September 4 (Day 127)

Last evening I walked up the road another mile from the hostel to a lodge, which had a restaurant. The food was definitely worth the walk, but I think I ate too much. I had already eaten quite a bit at the hostel, and then I had a bacon and Swiss cheeseburger with fries, a couple beers, and some sort of chocolate chip pie for dessert. I felt completely stuffed, and that feeling stayed with me through most of this morning. I need to get used to eating in moderation again.

I was the only one to stay at the hostel, so I had the bunkroom to myself. But, I know there were a few hikers staying up at the lodge.

I walked back down to the trail early this morning to start walking. The first 6 miles were very easy, with the trail rising slowly as I left the Kennebec River behind. After that was the climb up over Pleasant Mountain, which had some steep sections but was not too long.

On the other side the trail descends down to Moxie Pond, and on the way there, I passed four hikers whom I'd seen taking a break at the hostel yesterday. The flying insects tend to be worse around the ponds, so I didn't hang out there very long.

After going around the pond, the trail started up again to go over Moxie Bald. This was a very nice climb, with only the last couple hundred feet being very steep and rocky. There were excellent views from the top, but I didn't stay long because it was quite gusty and I started to get cold right away.

Back at the bottom of the mountain, I've stopped at a shelter for the night. It was a 19-mile day. I expect most of those hikers I passed today will be coming here also.

September 5 (Day 128)

It was a pretty easy walk all the way to Monson today. It was actually quite cold, and my hands stayed really cold for the first couple hours of walking. The trail was following a small river for the most part for about 10 miles.

I passed one couple that was out walking as early as me. Then a couple miles later, I had to cross a small stream. I thought I could get across by stepping on rocks that were just beneath the surface, but it turned out to be far too slippery. I had to take off my shoes and socks and wade across.

After that it was relatively smooth walking all the way to Monson, where I went to the post office, did laundry, got a room for the night, and then went to the general store. I had spoken with people down the trail who had said that the general store here was not good for hikers, so I was pleasantly surprised when I went in there and they had everything I needed.

I bought six full days of food, and my pack will be the heaviest it has been in quite some time. But, I don't have much choice, since here starts the 100-mile wilderness, and there aren't many opportunities to buy food any more.

September 6 (Day 129)

I got up around 6:30 this morning, and breakfast was to be at 7. The guests all go downstairs at 7, and you just tell the cook there what you want for breakfast and he makes it. Very simple. I had an excellent breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and hash browns. And I wasn't able to finish it all.

After breakfast, the guy who had been cooing gave me a ride back to the trail.

Back on the trail, the first 3 miles were very easy and that brought me to the first shelter. Bosefus and his brother (who just joined him) were there and had spent the night there. Because his brother has only just come out to start hiking, they're thinking of taking eleven or twelve days to get to Katahdin.

From there the trail continues to be very rocky and uneven, but still no major mountains. There was a second shelter 7 miles later, and after trying to decide for a while about whether I should quit there for the day or not, I ended up moving on 5 more miles.

I do need to slow down a little so I can meet my dad and uncle on the correct day. I think I'll have a shorter day tomorrow, especially since tomorrow will involve climbing a real mountain again. One of the few remaining ones.

There were a lot of people (hikers) in Monson, probably near twenty. I expect I'll see a few here at this shelter before very long.

Also, I am just barely under the 100-mile mark from Katahdin: 99.4 to go.