A foggy sunrise met us this morning. Warthog got moving just after 6a, but too late still to see the moose that was in the lake. Everyone else seemed to notice it, we unfortunately did not. Disappointed doesn’t even begin to describe how we felt. Our disappointment, however, was tempered by the amazing sunrise.
We were slow to get out of camp. Our bodies are tired and are starting to shut down a bit. When we got into town tonight, it was after completing a 150+ mile push since our last zero day. Our last eighteen miles today brought us into Monson, the last town we will hit before Katahdin.
We were coming out of the woods around 5p, an hour or two earlier than I expected. I was so excited to see the road. We have been gross for several days now. My clothes have a sticky film on them from sweat. Probably what’s even more gross about it is that it doesn’t really bother me. I could have gone a couple of more days without a shower I think. Maybe I’m being too generous, I did get a camp shower just a night or two before. What I was excited about was space to relax and have weight off of my feet.
We were picked up by the shuttle for the hostel we are staying at, Shaw’s. For the first night we are camping on the lawn. Tomorrow night we reserved a room. I plan to be holed up catching up on journal entries and photos, making it probably our last update before our summit.
Shaw’s is ran by a former thru-hikers, “Poet” and “Hippie Chick”. Poet greeted us when we arrived, gave us sodas and a tour. I haven’t met his wife yet. If she’s anything like her husband, she’s an outgoing and friendly personality. I thought Poet looked familiar… then I figured it out. He kind of looks like John Corbett. If you’ve listened to John Corbett talk, he has an ease about him. Poet makes you feel relaxed and welcomed. He seems genuinely excited for your journey and the fact that he gets to be a part of it. So far, I’ve loved staying here. It’s a beautiful thing this couple has created here.
It seems like a lot of people have bubbled up here in town. We’ve ran into a lot of old friends; Chips, Scribbles, Foggy, Chili Dog, Barrel. These are people we haven’t seen for hundreds or thousands of miles. It never fails to amaze me how many people we are near but don’t come across until town. I was particularly excited to see them so they could sign my food bag. I’m using it as a sort of yearbook, gathering signatures of people who have been a part of this journey. The problem was, I didn’t start it until late in the trip, so a lot of the people I knew and liked in the beginning I have been missing. Now, I’m seeing them. Now my collection of names is becoming well rounded. It makes me happy knowing I will have this bag to remember people by. I’m missing three important names though; Atlas, Lotus, and Kirby. I didn’t start this until after we lost each other. However, I know we will see each other again whether it’s on the trail or at a reunion. When we do, I will have them sign it.
Speaking of reminiscing, we walked into town for dinner. While we were there, we talked about different memories, quotes, or songs from this journey. We talked about settling in back home and what the different stages will look like. I compared it to a deployment. I think it’ll be similar. Only this time, I’ll be the one coming home. We talked about how it may be difficult for people to fully understand what we’ve gone through. They might understand parts of it, but probably won’t be able to comprehend all of the little things that make up this experience. For example, during dinner Warthog said, “I just scratched my back and found a pine needle.” Or as we were laying in the tent on the lawn of the hostel, I asked Warthog, “If I have to go to the bathroom during the night, I go inside?” Those are minor examples, but examples none the less. Who says or asks those kinds of things? Thru-hikers do. Thru-hikers will go into a restaurant with ten days of stink on them, will eat the leftovers on a strangers plate after they’ve gone, will go home with a total stranger (in groups usually) because they offer a free place to stay, or will moon a cog train. These are all things I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard while on the trail. Some of these things are absurd and some make sense… if you are a thru-hiker. Those crazy kids.
-ansel