Today was officially the six month mark for us! Which also meant it was the first day of fall! We celebrated our trail anniversary by waking up at the uncomfortable hour of 5:30a. We had 8.3 miles to hike so we could make our food drop at 11a. Just a little ways on the trail we stopped to use the woods or to shed clothing layers. I looked up at boulders next to me and was startled a bit. There was a Dalmatian dog up there! Turns out it was a statue. At first glance it looked real enough. The randomness of it all made us both laugh. I don’t know if it’s a tribute to a trail dog or just a funny thing that someone put out here. We’ve seen small rocks painted with inspirational words, little ceramic gnomes with a house door at the base of a tree, plenty of “in memory” pieces, etc. Some things have been silly, some have been extremely moving. I have no idea where the Dalmatian statue falls on this scale. It was way too far up to find out. Either way, I admire their determination to carry that thing as far as they did.
As much as I didn’t want to be, I was glad we got up early. The forest was quiet. It gave my mind time to wake up and be especially grounded in those early hours. We walked in silence. Partly because the woods called for it this morning and also partly because we were hoping to for a moose since we were the first people on the trail.
We pushed hard, worried we would be late. Shaw’s Hostel has a person actually meet you at a road crossing with your food. They said, “We don’t believe in leaving unattended food in the forest.” We totally get it. Although, we don’t think it’s bears they are worried about. You honestly probably can’t trust some of us thru-hikers. I could imagine a thoughtless hiker rifle through someone else’s food drop, shorting another person for their own gain. It’s sad to say, but I bet it’s been done before. I don’t think most people would, but I think some might. So rather than risk having a hiker in danger, they schedule a meeting place and time for pick up. Our bin was filled with goodies we had bought in town at our resupply. The total cost for having Shaw’s deliver our food was $80-. We split the drop cost with Snow Monkey and Wonder Woman which worked out well for both of us. It could have been cheaper if we had more people with us. Shaw’s just wants to cover the gas and staff time to drive out as it’s close to an hour and a half trip for them. Honestly, I would have been happy to pay the $80- by myself. It was worth it to carry as light as possible for this last week. We had extra food yet from Scout’s trail magic. So we even sent some food home with the guy to add to the hiker box.
I’ve been impressed with Shaw’s. It’s obvious truly care about hosting hikers because they think of everything. The guy who came out even brought us cold sodas to enjoy while we packed up our food. It’s a small touch, but an incredibly thoughtful one.
After restocking our food, we hiked for a few more hours before breaking for lunch. We settled at a campsite right outside of a shelter. The river was down below, the site itself was nice and clear. We didn’t take too long of a break because we had a long one with the food drop. I could break all day, but know I can’t. Truthfully, I like the hiking. It’s my backpack that can weigh my spirits down… literally. My pack was heavier today with the new food, but not unbearable. So I’m happy. Which makes me even happier to walk.
We hiked until about 5:30/6p. We were stopping about a mile and a half short of our goal to be able to camp on a beach. That still put us at a twenty one plus mile day. When we arrived there was already a tent set up. I was a bit bummed because I had hoped to have it to ourselves, just as I’m sure the other hikers were when they saw us four come walking out of the woods. It was a fairly good sized beach, so we all fit with respectable distance between our tents.
After setting up, I had a text from my sister asking if I could call. Remarkably, I actually had reception. I called using FaceTime. Jenny is hiking Katahdin with us and needed me to talk through gear with her. After making sure she was all set and then visiting a bit, it was time to eat dinner. I said goodbye excitedly because I knew the next time I would talk to her, it would be in person! Woo hoo!
Stopping early today let us have a campfire too! This will turn out to be the last real campfire of the trail. I think we recognized this night as our opportunity to soak in the last little bits of a night in camp. Tomorrow we have another big day ahead of us and expect to get in late. We will camp on a lake, but not a beach and probably not with a campfire either.
The four of us stayed up late, chatting, star gazing, listening to the loons call out, and staying warm by the fire. In fact, at one point we decided it was time to go to bed so we let the fire die down. Then changed our minds and started it back up for a few extra minutes of happiness. I will miss these nights. These simple, beautiful nights with friends where your campsite is your living room and the Milky Way is your ceiling.
-ansel