Sun 7/8

After getting an early start, I had the most level (and fast) walk since starting at Katahdin. The trail nearly disappeared after dropping into a gorge to cross a stream, and when I was finally greeted by a white blaze on the other side of the water I was not prepared for the 3 miles of uphill to the Poplar Ridge leanto. Emily was claiming the other day that her maps called it the "Popular Ridge leanto", but I'm pretty sure she made that up herself. The leanto is "baseball bat" style and I couldn't have been less comfortable on it. That style is apparently the name for the 3-4" diameter round logs that are used to make the sleeping platform. It was built pre-'70s in the traditional style of the time and was supposed to have fresh spruce boughs laid out as a mattress on top of the platoform. That practice was discontinued because of the lack of spruce and the increase in traffic, but the platform has not been converted to the board style that most all other shelters use. I met ShowMe, Guy Smiley, and Treefrog there, who were entertaining Biology/Cross Country Running/fellow Eagle Scout geeks. Nice guys in kilts.