We awoke this morning with visions of Monson dancing in our heads. Only one mountain, Moxie Bald, stood in our way. I was eager to get an early start. Brandon is less eager for the early morning starts, but he accommodates my needs. I can't hike as fast as the other thru-hikers. So to cover the same distance I need to start earlier and take fewer breaks. This is unfortunate for Brandon because he certainly could hike much faster. I am quite grateful that he doesn't complain about his slow dad.

Whispering Pine beat us out of camp and just as we were about to leave, Thunder Chicken come storming through. His brother-in-law had decided to hitch into Monson to enable Thunder to keep on schedule. Together we took off for the summit. The climb wasn't as hard as it looked on the profile. On top we were rewarded with great views and bushes full of ripe blueberries. This is another great place to stop and hang out for awhile. We grabbed a few quick shots and a couple handfulls of berries and struck off. Hiking down from the top, we passed the site of the old fire warden's cabin. I remember it from a picture I took twenty years ago. The cabin is long gone and the only reminder is a pile of old cans scattered in the trees.

Down off the mountain, most of the rest of the hike was first along a lake, then along the East Branch of the Piscataquis River. The trail up until we forded the river was flat and fast. For the most part we made great time. Just before the ford we came across the carcass of a dead moose. It was spread all along the trail. The torn remains of its once fine hide were scattered in shreds in one area, its rib cage and other bones in another.

Following the ford, the trail entered Horseshoe Canyon and went spastic. In most cases like this, trail builders will generally keep the trail either along the river, or further up the bluff. In either case they will try to keep it generally level. Our trail builders couldn't seem to make up their collective minds on which was best, high or low. So for the next couple of miles they would alternate it. This meant the trail was constantly rising and falling. Since the elevation change wasn't great, it didn't show up on any profile. It did a great job of tiring us out. By the time we reached Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to, I was whipped.

A quick lunch and some fresh cold water revived me enough to get going. I also wanted to get to the road around the time Whispering Pine would arrive. Papa Pine was coming to the trail to resupply the hiker box with Whoopie Pies and cold drinks. I also wanted to catch a ride into Monson. The trail after the shelter got better and we made quick time to the East Branch of the Piscataquis River. There we crossed the river over a beaver dam. From the dam it was a short climb to the road and food.

At the road Papa Pine gave Brandon and I a ride into town. We also took Whispering Pine's and Thunder Chicken's packs in. Brandon and I would check into Shaw's, and they would slackpack the six miles to Maine 15.

In Monson we decided to stay at Shaw's. I guess it was primarily because it was also their 20th anniversary. Linda and I didn't stay there then. At the time they weren't well known in the hiker community. Certainly their business wasn't solely based on hiker traffic like it is now. There just weren't as was many of us back then. Today, between the hostel, food and shuttles, they do a lively business. Monson even has enough hiker traffic to support two hostels (Shaw's and The Pie Lady) dedicated to serving the needs of hikers.

They were completely booked when we arrived. We got in because both Whispering Pine and Linda had called ahead. Linda called from home to make sure they could pick up our mail drop from the Post Office. At first I didn't plan to take tomorrow off. But since we're ahead of schedule, I figured we could use the rest.

Three of our ill-fated Pierce Pond Shelter friends had already arrived. At the moment tensions are still running a bit raw after that fiasco. I'm sure that in a few days all will be forgotten. In the meantime Brandon and I look forward to lots of food and some rest.

This morning after packing up, our first climb was over Moxie Bald. We got some great views from the top and took a picture of a lake. We're heading toward Monson, our last town before the 100-mile Wilderness. Down off Moxie Bald, we passed a large of people, 15 miles from town. Moving fast and making great time, we caught up with Pine, who had left camp before we did this morning. We decided to go on to the next shelter. Bad idea! The three miles to the shelter was a roller coaster of ups and downs. I was really tired after a while. It was a surprise to us, because of course, none of the ups and downs showed up on the map. When we got the shelter, we crashed for a quick lunch.

We had just 2.7 more miles to go to the road into Monson, where Papa Pine and Whoopie Pies were waiting for us! That thought made the miles go by really fast, and before we knew it, we were eating Mama Pine's great Whoopie Pies and drinking pop. Papa Pine drove us into town and Thunder Chicken and Pine slackpacked the last six miles into Monson. When we got into town, we said hi to Creeper, Shadow, Wolf, Three-Piece, Kicks and Lopey Lobo. They were already at Shaw's Boarding House watching TV. We checked in, then joined them. Cowboy, Minty and Old Crow pulled in a little later, and we spent the evening just chillin'. I didn't go to bed till really late, because I stayed up to watch "Under Siege" and "Dark Territory".