Log Books

Every lean-too has a log book. It is a journal that allows hikers to communicate. It's how we heard about the Sobo whose shoes were too tight and had countless blisters that he ended up losing a toe. Another trekker, called Bubbles wrote about his massive blisters covering his feet resulting in a rescue crew coming to practically carry him out.

"Some people just don't realize the intensity of the terrain when they come out here," said one MATC trail maintainer, that I happened upon, referring to Bubbles.

News travels fast on the white blaze corridor. If you are thru-hiking you are guaranteed to at least at one point  hear and say, "Oh, I have heard about you," when meeting another thru-hiker.

Some draw pictures, others write poems, today I shared my story of why I was hiking barefoot and why I was being held up in the Pleasant Pond Lean-too.

Everyone had continued on and I had to sit and wait out what I thought would only require a days rest. I turned on my solar/crank charged radio. I never made it out of my sleeping bag so I settled in even further as I lay on my sleeping pad tummy down with the log book open to page one.

This journal dated back to the accounts of thru-hikers from 2010. Lots of them suggested the breakfast at Harrisons, saying that it was totally worth it to carry the extra toilet paper that would be needed later on. Northern Outdoors was another hotspot, for its great wings, hot tubs and pretty women. many commented on the ferry ride across the Kennebec River, "It felt weird to not be hiking," said one Nobo.

Then I got to HedgeHog's entry. He wanted to thank a few fellow Nobos: Day Tripper, Rehab Squirrel and MJFox. "MJFOX!!!!!" I said out loud. "No way!" no one was around to hear but I was so excited to see mention of him in the log book. This made my morning.

For all of you newcommers, MJFox is a thru-hiker from a neighboring town who I interviewed prior to my leave. He has an amusing story to tell and I mention him in many of my posts: “Power of the Pink” and 
"Another Visit with Michael J. Fox."

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This poem goes out to all you thru-hikers out there...keep logging.

A Thru-Hiker's Log

Thru-hikers log

in a book 

As they sit in a log

shelter

After dropping a log

off in the privy

After passing many log

roads