Date: 2014-07-18
From: Andover, Maine

To: Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 36.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 128: Friday, 18 July 2014 Rangeley, Maine¢Hold on Michael. I¢m getting ready to go through an intersection, and I¢ll turn into a parking lot.¢¢So, how are you doing? And where are you?¢¢I¢m in Rangeley (Is it pronounced RANGE-lee or RANG-lee?). I just finished a watermelon, and now I¢m working on a baguette and humus!¢ (He bought a quarter of a watermelon that came wrapped!)¢Which reminds me, how did you eat that pineapple you bought and packed out the other day?¢¢Seymour had a small, dinky knife that we used. I eventually cut it in quarters, and we each had a quarter to eat. That pineapple rind must have weighed a pound of the entire pineapple! ¢¢That and the core. Did you cut the core out?¢¢Oh, we¢re not supposed to eat that?¢¢It usually is tough and woody.¢¢Well, we ate ours and it was delicious!¢¢If it wasn¢t woody, then, by all means, eat it!¢¢I was with Simone and Coco when a car pulled up and out jumped Thirsty, Boot Burner, and Moose! I understand that Joules and Canary (from Trail Magic in Virginia) have met up with the Herd and they may only be one day ahead! We¢ll probably catch up to them and get to Katahdin altogether!¢¢That would be SO cool! I¢d LOVE to be there, but I¢ll stay home for this one!¢¢The supermarket is great here in Rangeley, and I figured out how to save money when I go into towns. I go no further than the supermarket, and get back to the trail the same day instead of staying in the hostel!¢¢Well, that would do it, if you don¢t mind giving up a bit more comfort for one night. And I know your views on getting a shower and doing laundry.¢¢And I¢m eating so much fresh food. It¢s amazing how much healthier I feel, more energy, and I don¢t use as much toilet paper!¢¢What can I add to that?!¢¢Hold on, Mom.¢There was a loud whooshing noise in the background. ¢What did you do, flush the toilet?¢Laughing, he replied, ¢A dump truck went past!¢¢Did you get the package with the new pair of socks? They¢re for YOU! At the last outdoor store, I bought a few things, and go a pair of socks, but I didn¢t need them so I thought I¢d send them to you.¢¢You DON¢T need socks?¢¢Oh, these have a little hole in the heel, but they¢ll be OK for the final couple weeks!¢¢And you¢re still wearing the same pair of shoes, right?¢That¢s right! I think I¢m going to buy a few pairs of these Cascadia¢s and label each box with a different trail. When I get to do that trail, I¢ll pull that box and wear those shoes. Over time, I¢ll have a collection of shoes from each trail, and I can see how they wore on the specific trails. I¢m noticing that these shoes are wearing differently from the ones I wore on the PCT, and the ones on the CDT next year may be different yet!¢¢Yeah, then you can advertize for the company and help in developing shoes for the specific trails!¢(Buffalo prides himself on wearing shoes, socks and clothes to the thread!)¢I think I also learned to walk better. Maybe I¢m not slamming my foot down, but the bottoms aren¢t that bad!¢¢Yesterday, while drying some stuff, a man and woman walked up. We started talking about hiking and backpacking. I mentioned that I¢m from Washington State and how beautiful it is. The woman then started to tell me how beautiful MAINE is. The man interrupted, ¢HE¢S FROM WASHINGTON! They have volcanoes, glaciers, and snow-capped mountains!¢ At that moment, I was never more proud to be from Washington!¢Well, there you have it. I don¢t think Buffalo will be moving to the East Coast any time soon!¢Well Kiddo, I¢m on my way to pick up Dad and go to the Other Parking Lot ¢ it¢s Lakefair week!¢¢Have fun doing that!¢(For those of you who don¢t live in Olympia or Thurston County, Lakefair is a big, 5-day fair in downtown Olympia. FAHthur and I lived in Olympia almost 20 years and NEVER went to Lakefair. Then in 2008, our Scout Troop was offered a fundraiser we couldn¢t refuse. A local bank right next to the fair was willing to let us sell parking spaces during the fair in exchange for watching the lot during business hours, keeping fair-goers out so staff and customers had sufficient parking. It is as much a service to the bank as it is a fundraiser for us! Buffalo worked down there many, many hours for the first 5 years! ¢Lakefair¢ to him means the Parking Lot Fundraiser, NOT carnival rides and greasy food!)Ah, summer! Hope you are all enjoying yours!The Mum of ¢¦¢¦.