(Daily Mi: 13.5) Did some good hiking today. Mostly by myself -- although I saw Crusader at a few points during the day. Didn't go that far horizontally (13+ miles) but motored over at least one giant peak like a masochistic fool.

Rough climb down off Sugarloaf. Encountered my first MATC bridge at the bottom: a single heavy plank running about 15 yards accross a deep stream cut. Then motored without stop to the semi-open summit of Crocker Mountain (4168 ft).

As I sat in the sun up top eating lunch with a bunch of French Canadian hikers, a shirtless hiker appeared from the north west approach trail carrying a GoLite pack. He was completely shaven (beard and head) and was headed the wrong direction but otherwise looked like Chile Pepper.

It was! He had tried trimming his own hair and kept correcting until he was completely bald. He then took off his thru-hiker beard to avoid looking like a biker/pirate.

He was walking south as part of some complex shuttle scheme he had arranged, but said he would probably catch back up in a few days.

Long thirsty walk to the trailhead. Encountered my first dry hole in Maine with about 4 miles left in the hike. Did the last couple of miles with the Redman who I had first met out of Gorham and last seen on my first of many days in Andover.

Waited for Crusader at the trailhead to get a hitch to the P.O. in Stratton. Nice fellow picked us up and then waited to give us a follow on ride to the Stratton Guesthouse where we took a room for a night. Neat old victorian house. Very hiker friendly owners. Glued my sneakers before dinner. Soles are falling off after only like 100 miles.

Had dinner at the town diner with Mountain Man (who I had last seen in Gorham), GANJ, Crusader and two thru hiking couples we had briefly met on the trail near Andover, the Monkies (a/k/a Monkey and Bearded Monkey) and Money and Cash.

Mountain Man's deafness really works Crusader's last nerve. Keeps calling him Challenger and then can't hear -- or at least pretends not to hear when Crusader corrects him for the umpteenth time.

Kind of poignant moment sitting alone with Mountain Man before dinner. He tells me that he actually had started his thru hike in 2000, but had a heart attack in Manchester Center VT and was evacuated to a hosptial back home in Georgia. So getting back on and finishing his hike is a truly, truly big thing.