Miles Hiked: 11.2
Hours Hiked: 7.5 (Notice how fast I was today!)
I woke up early today and started hiking early because I knew the guys planned to go into town and I didn't want to get left behind. So I was the first one out of the shelter. It took me an hour to hike the two miles to the road. Patrick left the shelter last (we want to call him Red Light, because in the morning he is always the last one to leave, but he rejected the name) and he ran down the trail to catch us at the road, it only took him 30 minutes.
On the trail there are jokes about 'first breakfast' and 'second breakfast' because many hikers will eat snacks all morning. Today takes the cake, as it were, for breakfasts. When we woke up at the shelter all five of us ate 'first breakfast', for me a snickers bar and water. Then after hiking for two miles we ate 'second breakfast', for me a protein bar, while we waited at the road for a ride. After riding into Rangeley Patrick, Bones and I stopped at the grocery store and then did laundry at the laundromat while Bones ate 'third breakfast', a block of cheese and pepperoni and two bags of donuts. (Hardway and Squirrel were eating breakfast at a coffee shop while we were at the grocery store and met us later at the laundromat.) After the laundry was done we were hungry, so the five of us went to the BMC Diner in town and each ordered a large restaurant breakfast, making this 'fourth breakfast'. After that we felt ready to hike again. Maybe this will help you to understand.
Anyway, so we hiked to the road, the five of us, and tried to hitch at 8 AM. The only thing I needed in town were water treatment drops. Two days ago I completely ran out of treatment and so I had been getting water from Patrick every morning before leaving the shelter and at night again when I caught up to them. So I called three different stores in town before I found the treatment drops (which was lucky because there are only four stores in Rangeley.) Hardway had to go to Rangeley because he had broken his hiking poles earlier and his parents had mailed him new poles which he picked up at the post office before meeting us at the laundromat. We all admired his new poles, beautiful trekking poles with cork handles. Then after eating breakfast Bones, Patrick and I hitched in one car out to the trail head while The Hardway and Squirrel rode in the bed of a red pick-up truck. We started back up the trail at 11:00 AM when we realized that The Hardway didn't have his poles. He had left them in the bed of the pick-up truck. He said he was going to go get them, that he could find that truck again. So we kept going without him and he started walking back toward town. It was really sad to have lost those poles not even three hours after he got them.
I hiked as far as the Little Swift River Pond campsites and caught up to Squirrel, Bones and Patrick. They all ate lunch while I bailed out a canoe (and then Bones dumped it out for me) and I took the canoe out for a ride. None of them were interested in joining me on the water, so I got a solo trip. It looked like it was going to start storming and we still had 4.6 miles to go before the shelter, so I didn't canoe for very long. But it felt great to get out on the water. I will be looking for more opportunities to take out a canoe, it was peaceful. I spent time remembering the summer that the snake lived in the canoe at Grandpa and Grandma's house on the lake.
I hiked out a little bit after the three guys, but caught up to Squirrel after a mile because he wasn't feeling well, but soon he was ahead of me again. And then The Hardway caught up to me! He had hitched a ride into town, purchased new poles, hitched a ride back out to the trail and hiked fast enough to catch up! It was great to see him, we had all thought that he would camp at the Little Swift River Pond and catch us the next day, but he was too fast.
He easily passed me by and so I was the last one in to camp that night, again. We stayed at Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To and I went swimming. Squirrel remembered the cautions on the letter from Parkside's family about safe swimming after hiking, so we followed all of the precautions. And it was just us five in the shelter that night, so we had a lot of fun.
Today was the first day that I hiked into and out of town in one day, just for resupply without staying in town overnight. I understand that people do it because it is faster and cheaper. But I wasn't quite satisfied with it. For one thing I felt very rushed, and so I forgot to buy an ace bandage. Oops. But I also did not have a chance to take a shower, so I left town still stinky, which didn't feel good. And I didn't have time to go to the library to use the internet and check e-mails. I'm not sure if I'll be hitting towns in that way very often, I think that I prefer having a full day to do things. Time will tell.
The Hardway, trying to hitch a ride the hard way, not even standing by the road with his thumb out.
This sign is in Rangeley, ME.
From L to R- Patrick, Hardway, Bones in Rangeley.
My view from the canoe on Little Swift River Pond.
Power Lines Right of Way.
I think you could write one of these entries in Oregon Trail style (the computer game...remember it?). Food: 12 pounds, Water: getting low, Miles to go: 1,973. Squirrel sick with dysentery today. Hardway lost. Weather: fair.
ReplyDelete