Monson drop

I didn't really get to see Judd hit the trail last time either. Last September, I put him on a plane in Portland and he got himself to Atlanta then to Springer Mountain.  So it's okay that I didn't drive back the 1/4 of a mile to see the Abol trailhead with Judd. I saw his sunshine yellow shirt sleeves and blue Osprey pack loaded to the gills through the serious dust in my back windshield. The Golden Road from Kokadjo, where Judd filled up his platypus with spring water,  was more of a dirt brown road than a golden road.  It was very dry and from next to no rain this week. We only got lost once on the unmarked dirt roads and decided to call it a "short cut" from Silas Hill Road to the Golden Road. We saw the compulsory moose causing traffic to stop on the road side.  Judd avers that he saw a bear and her cub.  ("Second bear sighting I've had ever in Maine.)  "LOOK!" he had shouted, pointing no where, so I looked out the wrong window, at the wrong shadow on the wrong side of the road, and I saw no bear, no cub.

Friday night we had departed after dinner, Judd having packed, tidied, sorted, temporized all over the place. (No, the bathroom is not done, but progress has been witnessed.) We left Ryley in charge of catdog feeding and walking. Judd wanted to leave a drop box in Monson where he will finish up the 100 Mile Wilderness so we decided to break up my drive and stay at the hostel overnight there. Shaw's Lodging is a legend AT hiker hostel. We walked right in to the living room and I saw someone I worked with at Togus VA.  HIs wife co-manages the hostel during summer months. Hikers come and go, some just starting, some just finishing a long stretch, some just day hiking.  The place is a trove of leftover hiker food, supplies, clothes for the taking. We were walked up the thin, steep steps to the "purple room. " Comfortable bed, two bathroom choices right down the hall. Clean towels, shared bulk shampoo etc and special hiker amenities in the bathroom like poison ivy cream and bug spray.

We walked a block over to the Lakeshore House for a refreshing adult beverage and view. We had some chicken wings and fried cauliflower just to be polite while taking up a bench seat at moonrise over Lake Hebron. It was astounding to think how idyllic it was for such a short summer season. We could envision how cold and desolate it must be in the winter.

Saturday, we had the massive, famous breakfast, family style with other travelers sitting around various tables. They bring you 3 blueberry pancakes as a first course. Then they take your order. 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 eggs, cooked as you like, with bacon, sausage, home fries on the side. It was daunting to try to get the lady to stop delivering food for us. At our table a Connecticut couple and a retired looking gentleman had just completed the 100 mile Wilderness. Another guy had completed the trail many years ago, but now volunteers on various sections and had much wisdom and factoids to impart. if Judd had hiked last week he would have had 6" standing water on many trails. The nice Connecticut couple asked where we were from.  We said China, just a couple hours south.  "How far a drive to Albuquerque ?" she asked the other hiker. He explained he was flying back to New Mexico.  Maybe the lady thought there was an Albuquerque, Maine. Maybe there is.