June 25
Today was a super early morning for us. Breakfast was at seven. Everyone else was up by six. OB and Trocar were going to Tim's a different way, so they headed out early. I stayed in my bag until 6:40. I quickly changed clothes and headed over. Matt passed me on the trail over, and hurried ahead to tell him I was on my way. I got there at 7:03, but he didn't start serving for another ten minutes.
We were each given a dozen pancakes. They looked like whole wheat with cinnamon. He also put blueberries, raspberries and we think apples or apricots in them. He also have us a glass of milk and juice. The Northbounders easily devoured their dozen pancakes. Matt came close to finishing his. I was a wimp and only ate half of mine. He offered to wrap the rest up, but I declined. I kicked myself the rest of the day for this stupid decision.
It then came time to pay. It was only $6.50 for the cakes. My pathetic hiking partner had forgotten his money, so I had to cover him. We thanked Tim for his kindness and headed back to the lean-to. After having such an early morning, we decided to take a nap. It was glorious. We stayed horizontal until about 10:45. I then got the urge to start hiking by 11:30, so I started to pack up.
Right as I was about to head out, a Northbounder arrived at the shelter. He was the first of five that I would pass. There was also about eight Southbounders or section hikers that came to that shelter for the night, so Pierce Pond shelter had quite the party. Matt gave me a two and a half hour head start. The hike was pretty easy, but my feet hadn't warmed up yet. Eventually I found a good rhythm and the time drifted away.
The last two hours were a pain. My shin started to hurt. I made it to the lean-to at 8. Matt had already taken a swim and was having a stare down with a bunny. We (meaning he) built a fire.
Sleep came easily, but I was awakened in the middle of the night, when a mouse decided to climb Matt's face. He had a minor freak out, which was to be expected. The rest of the night was uneventful.
In the morning, we were awoken when Traveler and Tau made a pit stop at the lean-to. Traveler is from Amsterdam and hikes some of the trail every year. They were going to ford the Kennebec today. Once he reaches Katahdin, he's turning back around and heading south. He told us about the time he crossed the Kennebec on an inflatable banana. This year, he started in November near Harpers Ferry and headed south to Georgia and the headed north. Tau is his lady friend that he met along the way. She's going to be the first lady Northbounder to finish this year. Mathieu and I think he'll pass us mid July.
Today's big dream was to make it to a campsite 12 miles away, but we might have to settle for the next lean-to which is 8 miles. It all depends on my gimpy leg. I also have torn a hole in my pants, which means I'll have destroyed two pairs while in Maine.
Man, this state sucks.
We were each given a dozen pancakes. They looked like whole wheat with cinnamon. He also put blueberries, raspberries and we think apples or apricots in them. He also have us a glass of milk and juice. The Northbounders easily devoured their dozen pancakes. Matt came close to finishing his. I was a wimp and only ate half of mine. He offered to wrap the rest up, but I declined. I kicked myself the rest of the day for this stupid decision.
It then came time to pay. It was only $6.50 for the cakes. My pathetic hiking partner had forgotten his money, so I had to cover him. We thanked Tim for his kindness and headed back to the lean-to. After having such an early morning, we decided to take a nap. It was glorious. We stayed horizontal until about 10:45. I then got the urge to start hiking by 11:30, so I started to pack up.
Right as I was about to head out, a Northbounder arrived at the shelter. He was the first of five that I would pass. There was also about eight Southbounders or section hikers that came to that shelter for the night, so Pierce Pond shelter had quite the party. Matt gave me a two and a half hour head start. The hike was pretty easy, but my feet hadn't warmed up yet. Eventually I found a good rhythm and the time drifted away.
The last two hours were a pain. My shin started to hurt. I made it to the lean-to at 8. Matt had already taken a swim and was having a stare down with a bunny. We (meaning he) built a fire.
Sleep came easily, but I was awakened in the middle of the night, when a mouse decided to climb Matt's face. He had a minor freak out, which was to be expected. The rest of the night was uneventful.
In the morning, we were awoken when Traveler and Tau made a pit stop at the lean-to. Traveler is from Amsterdam and hikes some of the trail every year. They were going to ford the Kennebec today. Once he reaches Katahdin, he's turning back around and heading south. He told us about the time he crossed the Kennebec on an inflatable banana. This year, he started in November near Harpers Ferry and headed south to Georgia and the headed north. Tau is his lady friend that he met along the way. She's going to be the first lady Northbounder to finish this year. Mathieu and I think he'll pass us mid July.
Today's big dream was to make it to a campsite 12 miles away, but we might have to settle for the next lean-to which is 8 miles. It all depends on my gimpy leg. I also have torn a hole in my pants, which means I'll have destroyed two pairs while in Maine.
Man, this state sucks.
