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Scout boots offered ample foot and ankle support but did nothing to cushion the foot when hopping from rock to rock. The lugged sole had good traction on dirt and mud but it was like walking on ball bearings on any of the very wet wood structures designed to aid in traversing the boggier sections. I found muck that was almost knee deep once when I slipped off a log and boot top deep another time. If not for my cat like grace I would have been in the damp dozens of other times. On one occasion I put a foot down on a split log bridge and slid 3 or four feet along it on one foot and didn't fall off, this was Jerry's entertainment for a good part of the trail.
The original plan for the last 37 or so miles called for stops somewhere near Shattuck Clearing and then Duck Hole. As you know we altered the plan as we moved along and in retrospect it was probably a good thing we did. Duck Hole is a place that has occupied some small corner of my imagination since I first saw it on a map or in a trail guide. The name fascinated me and it sounded like a place I'd like to visit. I'd looked forward to spending a night there and was mildly disappointed when we changed plans. The brief stop did not spoil my imagination and I'd like to go back there for a day or two, perhaps in the fall when it might not be so crowded.
As I look at my photographs and notes I realize there are probably a lot of things I've missed here but I find I'm starting to jump from thought to thought and have little more to add in any organized fashion. I hope I've amused you for at least a few moments.
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