7/8 Missing Pocketmail!!

19.6 hiked today, 1665.9 miles N, 508.1miles left
Minerva-Hinchey Shelter

I will never grow tired of mountain ponds and ponds. They are both still and filled with activity and life. The waters draw in thick banks of bushes and trees reaching out over the water for sun. In the water fish swim about usually darting off before I get a good look at them. In the pools that form near the shores frogs and salamanders sit in the warm waters. On the surface hundreds of small bugs either fly just above the water or dance on it surface. The water however remains calm and glassy. It is mirror like with only small ripples from the breeze and wildlife.
Griffith Lake is just such a lake. I spent a good part of my morning hike peering into it's waters.


I took it easy most of the morning taking a long break at the burnt ruins of Lost Pond Shelter. I sat on a log writing the above journal entry. After this however however I had to keep to task making sure I could make it to my intended destination tonight. The rain and mist again picked up ruining any chance at a view at White Rocks Clifs so I saved some time by skipping that. The turn off however had great display. Hundreds of piles of stacked rocks of all sorts of shapes and sizes in stacks from 2 rocks to 6 feet tall. It doesn't sound like much but standing in the middle of this display of human efforts gave me a bit of an eerie sensation.
At VT 140 the trail crosses a large bridge over a substantial creek that parallels the road. While on that bridge looking up stream I noticed to my displeasure that the view was marred with two pop cans floating in the water. I was a bit annoyed and decided I would haul them out to save others from this eyesore. I put down my pack and poles and climbed down the near 10' into the creek bed and rock hopped until I was next to the cans. That is when I realized they were unopened. There were 2 24oz Labatt Blue Beers floating in the water nice and chilled. I picked one up for tonight and left the other for the next lucky thru-hiker and pushed on.
The rest of trail was fairly uneventful. I made it to the shelter just before dark set in and efficiently set up camp. That is when I first noticed my PocketMail was missing. I assumed it was buried in the bottom of a pack pocket and thought nothing of it while I cooked dinner and enjoyed the beer.
Well I finally finished dinner and I looked in the bottom of my pack but it was nowhere to be seen. That is when it hit me that I have must have dropped it.
As a result everything written after the two line gap above was written week after the fact. The last I saw the PocketMail I was writing the bit above at Lost Pond Shelter. That was 15 miles back on the trail. It would have been a 30 mile round trip which would eat up at least a day. Also it was storming and so if it was sitting out it would likely be wet by that time I got to it. I decided the best plan would be to wait to see if anyone catches up with me carrying it.
Meanwhile I spent another nice night at the Minerva-Hinchey. On my through hike of the Long Trail the only night I had where that I spent alone, no tenters or fellow shelter-mates. Well again on this hike the only night which I have spent completely alone on my AT thru-hike thus far is at Minerva-Hinchey. I don't know why as it is a very nice and roomy shelter the is in reach of the US 4 road crossing where most people resupply.
I planned to stay here until noon the next day to see if some catches up with me and then push on and wait the US 4 crossing for a day. I would have planned to wait here longer but I would have run out food so really needed to push to US 4.