|
Aug
28 , 1983 Sunday (301.2 mtg) From
Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal
Nick,
Cathy and Ron got up early this morning, ate breakfast early, and
then staked out a spot along the road in front of the garage as
their hitching location and tried for a while to get a ride back
to the trail. Not much luck. No one would stop. Then Ray and Lyle
came by in a car driven by James, their taxi driver friend, who
stopped, picked them up and took them to the trailhead. At first
I thought I should "get out of Dodge" with them, until
I found out that Ray and Lyle were planning on eating the Sunday
morning brunch at a local restaurant before continuing on their
journey. This meant that I could probably get a ride later as they
were taken to the trailhead. The brunch did not begin until 11:30,
so I would get a late start today. The owners did not know what
hit them after all the thru-hikers went thru the line. The food
was excellent, and provided everything but cold cereal. Afterwards
I did get a ride back to the trailhead from James, and set out up
the side of Mt. Hayes from a point directly across the road where
the trail had come down from Mt Moriah.
I crossed the Androscoggin River, and waddled down the trail thinking
I would only do about six or seven miles this afternoon. The first
four miles took me gradually up to the summit of Mt Hayes and then
turned off toward Cascade Mountain, a couple of miles away. Then
a steep descent into Trident Pass before heading back up, this time
toward Wocket Ledges. From there the trail was more level for three
miles before heading down to Gentian Pond and the shelter located
nearby. I caught up to Cathy somewhere along the level section and
frightened her as she thought that I was a moose that was approaching.
As I neared the shore of Gentian Pond, I spotted someone sitting
on a rock at the edge of the water and thought it to be one of the
gang. Following along the shore, I approached and found the person
to be a nice looking female reading a book in the solitude provided
by the surrounding area. I stopped and struck up a conversation,
which lasted a while, and found out her friends were nearby at the
shelter. We walked back to the shelter and I hung my pack up. I
intended to stay the evening. A few sprinkles of rain began to fall
and I then convinced the girls that they should stay at the shelter
tonight as well. Darkness was beginning to set in early due to the
rain. They decided to stay and that made my evening a lot nicer.
I had someone good looking and interesting to talk with. I did not
write her name down, but I often wondered years later if this was
the star from the movie "Flashdance." I did not seen the
movie until later, but she reminded me of her when I saw it. The
shelter was rather crowded even though Ron, Cathie, and Nick all
slept in tents. Gentian Pond Shelter was the first shelter equipped
with a "solar one holer" solar powered outhouse. The solar
energy helped decompose the waste. The prevailing weather conditions
were too cool to do the job well or quick enough. That is why there
are so many trailside bogs in the northeast.
There
were females all around the shelter! I went to get some water once
and caught a glimps of one washing up with her top off. Although
her back was facing me, it was too much for a man who has spent
so long in the woods mostly in the company of males.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
|
