Date: 2016-07-25
From: East B Hill Road, Andover, ME

To: South Arm Road, Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: broken clouds

Day 9010.1 miles in 7 hoursEast B Hill Road, Andover, ME (1932.3) to South Arm Road, Andover, ME (1942.4)Weather: Overcast, rain showers in the afternoon Dinner: Barbecue chicken, roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, rhubarb vpcake and ice-creamHikers: Another bakers dozen or soAwoke this morning not feeling love toward my fully loaded pack and at the last minute, decided to slack the ten miles to South Arm, the same destination as the next campsite where Spirit and Squirrel we're heading. So another easier day on my feet. But. For a reason I don't fully understand, the hostel wanted me to change rooms. Okay, I bundled up my stuff and was given the pick of the five beds in the adjacent room. Jumping ahead, when I returned at the end of the day, I was told I had been moved to the bunkhouse. This didn't sit well with me. In addition, our shuttle had been 45 minutes late the day before and while the hostel ran a somewhat turn-key operation, there were a number of miscues that had been adding up. When I moved my stuff from the house to what appeared to be a shed-like addition, a space not far removed from an enclosed trail shelter, but with a price, I made a call to the other town hiker hostel, The Cabin. They had room. Paid for my shuttle, left and arrived in time for the communal family dinner with the 14 other hikers staying here tonight. This place is more like the Bearded Woods Hostel where I had stayed back in Connecticut. The bunk room is a bit nicer¢and less expensive than Pine Ellis, but the deal maker is the $15 meal price that covers both dinner AND a full breakfast. Awesomeness. Except that I still am not eating the food I've been carrying. Their hiker clothes box includes whacky things like smoking jackets and velour dressing gowns you can wear while doing laundry, so that's fun. My clothes are still clean from yesterday¢s laundry, so I needn't dress up¢or down¢tonight for dinner. After yesterday's late pick-up, and let me be clear¢I¢m not being ¢that guy¢ and acting all put-out. The shuttle driver from Pine Ellis admitted forgetting about Wishing Bone and I, eight miles from town, along a road where there is no cell coverage, I thought I¢d attempt a hitch back to town. As it turned out, Wishing Bone and I had turned down THREE offers of rides while awaiting our late shuttle, so I expected it to be just as easy to catch a ride today. One half hour later, nada. Not one car had passed. Fortunately the first hostel had a driver out to pick up a few other hikers. Paying their per hiker shuttle fee, I jumped in¢only to later discover my unanticipated relocation to the bunkhouse upon my return. Today was a really easy hike. More like a pleasant walk in the woods. Oh, there was one mountain peak to summit, but it was a civilized ascent. Stone stairs. Rebar handholds. Log ladders. Nothing too scary. We likes Maine very much. Sphagnum moss carpeted the forest floors. Open understory pines. A lake with a rock star stealth campsite. Moose poop line paths. What¢s not to love? And for the last two miles, a gentle rain shower. My umbrella was enough to keep me dry and happy. Just wished I could have said that about my original lodging arrangements--the happy part, that is. Both hostels are dry--well at least I think that shell of a bunkhouse was weatherproof--but now we'll never know, unless I hear about it through the trail gossip.