8/31/03 We awoke to clear, cool skies and wet woods. We packed up and ate breakfast and were on the trail by 8am. Michael expressed concern that we wouldn't finish in time for him to meet his mom in Boston tomorrow at 1pm. We expect he'll be pushing all the way through today. We climbed over "Sawtooth" knob on the way to Madonna Peak. Mary and Michael hiked ahead and BJ kept running back and forth between our two groups. The rocks were slimy and steep and Rough took another fall, skinning his palm, banging his elbow, and bruising his pride a little. It's not a good thing to lose confidence on the trail, especially with more wet and difficult trail ahead. Tumble reminded Rough that he's hiked many miles and only slipped twice. Just then, we heard Michael slip and take a spill up ahead. We kept on going and started climbing Madonna Peak. Tumble's sciatica pain returned and she was limited to using only her right leg for stepping up. It's going to be a long day!