Bear (raarr) is an early riser on a bad day. Last night, he slept great and woke up totally invigorated. A happy Bear means lots of singing and Bear is infectious. A singing Bear leads to a singing Bunny which is good for no one. Of all my favorite Bear wrong lyrics, His rendition of Jimi Hendrix gets me—“Excuse me while I kiss this guy”.
We climbed to Moose Mountain South then stopped for open air privy and snack at Moose Mountain Shelter. I took the AT to second entrance so no one else would have to back track. I have religiously made sure to walk the entire trail returning the same way I enter a shelter so that I don’t miss any white blazes. Bear used to “tag up” when they were doing sections, but after magic one time, they missed a short section of trail. Rather than back track, he has decided to become less anal. Anal is my strong suit. Now, more than ever, I can’t skip white blazes. I do this to protect Bear’s reputation. How would it look if my attention to detail took a nose dive after I started hiking with a former NASA engineer/program manager?
It was an easy drop to Goose Pond Road where we stopped for lunch at a stream before road. Then a 1200’ climb to Holt’s Ledge followed. We met woman in training for TMB in September. We talked for a while about what she can expect along the trail. Bunny and I are looking forward to doing this trail again in a few years once Heike and Axel finish the GR10.
We met a couple of self proclaimed slobos (slow moving sobos) at Trapper John Shelter. They may or may not have been what they claimed, but they gave me the feel of a couple living on the trail. It’s not uncommon to meet people who just absolutely love the trail lifestyle. The hostels are practically ran by trail hangers-on who don’t want to rejoin the matrix.
We continued down to Grafton Turnpike hoping to catch a ride to where Lyme’s Disease started—Lyme, NH. Like all good plagues, I’m sure Lyme Disease has its start with the usual chain of events: a 12 pack, a drunk redneck, and a sexy monkey. I’m not sure where the monkey came from. In this case, it could have just been an immature moose of indeterminate sex. Where there are rednecks, there are ways.
I was completely out of fuel and needed food. Bunny wanted to push on but I was past the point of continuing. I sat on the road and unpacked our food bag. I just started shoving food in my mouth trying to recover. I have found that if I eat before I crash I can keep going, but if I wait until after the crash, I’m usually toast for the rest of the day. I just can’t convince Bunny that when I say I need to eat (or pee) I mean NOW.
Bear suggested we road walk to the next parking lot and skip the actual trail. The trail was overgrown, but I knew in everyone’s heart that they were counting on me to keep them honest so they’ll be able to sleep with a clear conscious. The highlight of this section was a flat rock where we could have sat if we were tired. If it hadn’t been for me, we would have missed this amazing sight. Truth of the matter, I would have skipped this section had I known there was nothing to see (and if they had tied me up, drugged me, and carried me).
It was only 1.8 miles to Lambert Ridge with a 1300’ climb. It was clear that there wasn’t any water on top of the ridge, so we had to carry an extra 7 liters of water (enough water for supper and breakfast). We found a stealth site near top that was just big enough for our tents to fit. We set up camp, cooked, and hung our food bags just as the sun was going down. We were considering eating on the rocks above our camp, but it was already getting windy and cold. Our tent is set up so that if I get out the front, I will hit my head on a tree. If I get out the back, I will fall down the mountain. Bunny knows I don’t have any life insurance and that I’ll have to get up at least 4 times when it’s cold—I get to head butt a tree tonight.
EFG
Actually, Lyme disease originated in Lyme Connecticut, where I grew up. I had nothing to do with it though.
We got some bad info from the locals, the rednecks, beer, and monkeys were all from UConn