Wilderness Betty

Here are entries from Betty E.'s trail journal...

Things we liked on this trip:
* hot Gatorade (grape). The only good thing that came out of nearly dying of dehydration.
* lentil & sausage stew - very light when dehydrated and quick to cook. Very filling.
* Sleeping in lean-to.
*Shaw's
*knitting
*reading
*The Nana Relief Effort
*hot coffee.

What we like the least:
*blisters (Betty D.'s feet molted)
*friction burn (another Betty D. ailment...note to self: don't use lotion containing alcohol on friend's raw and wounded back - may cause intense pain and unconsciousness).
*Colby College Freshmen Orientation. I would have carried Betty D. on my back over Moxie Bald Mountain if I'd known what it would be like to share a shelter with twenty 18-somethings in the woods.
*running out of water
*false summits (damn Pleasant Pond Mountain)
*summer sausage!

One of our favorite recipes: Spaghetti 'a Limon from Backpacker magazine.

Need: 1 lb. of spaghett, 1 lemon
In zip-lock bag 1: 1 zucchini, 1 summer squash, 1 red bell pepper, 2 celery sticks - all cut lengthwise into thin strips. 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. olive oil (marinade).

zip-lock bag 2: 1 stick butter cut into small cubes, 2 c. grated parm. cheese, 1/2 c. chopped parsley, 1/2 c. fresh basil, 1/2 tsp. salt.

At camp: boil spaghetti, place bag 1 in water while spaghetti cooks. Strain noodles. Empty bag 2 into spaghetti and mix. Squeeze lemon juice into pasta.

Here are some entries from my trail journal...

Day 4: Wilson Valley Lean-to -- first night in shelter was comfy. We had a great shelter-mate who turned out to almost be a "County" boy (from Orono). This probably accounts for the easy conversation and overall level of comfort. Getting ready to hit the trail... my left jaw hurts so I can't eat jerky...our staple of the day. What the hell??? "Yee-haw, more jerky for me" Betty E. said (she's just glad it's not summer sausage).


Day 5: We dispersed some "magic" to four boys who'd been on the trail since April and May. We got cans of Mountain Dew and they got grapes and 2 packages of life savors.

Day 5: The blister on my left heel is now the size of Rhode Island. Betty E. thinks its so deep she (or someone) could drink coffee out of it (yup...we know how gross that is).

Day 8: These redonkqulous (ridiculous) things:
* Advice we give all sobos about bears (after warning about bear bait): How do you avoid bears this time of year? Smear peanut butter all over your face while saying, "Here little bear, here little bear."
* Moxie Bald Lean to will now be known as the site where 20 students from Colby College "almost" went mysteriously missing (this would then be the last group orientation Colby College sent into the otherwise quiet wilderness).
* To all obnoxious thru-hikers: we hike a hundred miles today and the bleeping sleeping bag weight 2 ounces.
* Want some summer sausage?
* Laughing ass?

To Aaron, aka "Big Toe" - your are officially the coolest dude we met. When you build your first mountain bike, we've got some sweet singletrack and a room with your name on it! Hope you're doing well...

Betty E. and Betty D. spent 9 days on Maine sections of the A.T. We can't tell you all our stories or post all our great pictures in one posting, so several postings over the next week or so will be made. These photos include our first full day on the trail, our packs and the rocky stream bed where we lunched on that first day, Betty E. on the Barren-Chairback Range and a symbol we found scratched on rock: my soul in the mount. Had Betty E. known what was ahead on that first day, we're certain she would've jumped off the mount with her coffee cup.




The first day was tough - 4 summits with a 2/3rds climb up the 5th peak to get to the lean-to. It was no more than 10-12 miles, but the terrain was rough going. We were rather embarrassed to think we might actually die on the first day of our trip. We recovered nicely over the next couple of days with low mileage and some rest. We went on to Long Pond Steam lean-to the next day to camp at Slugundy Gorge and Falls. The day after that was also followed by low mileage and an afteroon rest at Wilson Valley lean-to. We had to ford Long Pond Stream, Vaughan Stream, and Wilbur brook. One slip (Betty D.) on wet rock, but no falls, busted knees or rolled ankles on the first leg of our trip which ended at Shaw's in Monson. The bruises, blisters, and what I've come to know as "hot back" will be featured in future postings.

We weren't kidding when we told you we had new mountain bikes and we'd probably have some bloody shins. We certainly have muddy shins if nothing else. Several of us completed the 18-19 mile loop around Squa Pan Mountain/Lake. Betty E. earned her new trail name (Dirty Girl) on this trip. You can see how she earned it from the above pictures...no further explanation needed. The other pictures show the entire group, then Betty D.'s legs once the ride was over. Some good ridin' and great company.