Day 22- West Carry Pond lean-to to Little Bigelow lean-to. 7.7 miles

Haha so I was planning on going 13 miles today, but Maine is just so gorgeous that I want to stay at every nice place I see! It's really difficult having to leave awesome spots 5 or 6 times a day!

Northbounders hit their 2,000 mile mark here- I now have less than 2,000 miles left!

The most perfect view I've seen yet.  East Flagstaff Lake.

I am carrying enough food to go slow if the mood strikes me (which seems to be the mood I'm always in), so I didn't see a reason to leave Little Bigelow lean-to when I arrived. It was either stay and hang out by the "tubs" or hike 5 more miles and climb a mountain. Hmmmm....tough call. Haha the group I am with seems to slow down a lot of SOBOs- there were some guys that were hiking near 20 miles a day and once they met us, they caught the pause and enjoy bug. It's a really rewarding form of hiking in Maine :)
Parkside's last entry in a register is at this lean-to. His last entry was directed at SOBOs and was so beautiful that I had to read it a few times. He said, "To my SOBO brothers and sisters, Hike your own hike and remember it's about the smiles, not the miles, and you will have the time of your life. You have an immense task before you, but one that will cradle and provide for you if you give it love. In Georgia you'll see a shelter that has this etched into it: The key to happiness is freedom. The key to freedom is courage. Trust yourself and keep truckin!" What an inspiration.
Can't wait to eat dinner tonight! Lipton sides and salmon. Yum :)