Date: 2008-08-21
From: US 2 Gorham

To: Gentian Pond Campsite and Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 161 -- As I was packing up this morning I glanced out the window and saw two figures near the hostel, one of which resembled Bus Driver. I went outside and sure enough it was him. He was with Iciris and they came here out of Pinkam Notch (two days behind us then). It was good to catch up with him. Lady Cluck peeked out the window at us to say hi. Since Bruno was flexible, we postponed leaving to eat breakfast and finally met Superchunk as well as Professor Long Johns (hiking with Mary Poppins--didn't meet this one). Lady Cluck got shuttled with us back to the trailhead and we hiked together for a couple of miles. We had a nice converstion with SOBO Frankhurst. At about six and a half miles I was in the middle of the two and I hear trekking poles against rock, moving fast--turns out to be Site, who I thought was a few days ahead by now. He let us know that the guys were all heading to the same shelter we were. He slowed down a little and hiked and talked with me for about a mile, which was nice. About two miles before the shelter I came acoss Ken, one of the six Atlanta guys we met at two of the huts and I sat, snacked, and talked to him for a while. Between there and the shelter I passed Abby and Michael, from Austria (saw them just before the Carters), and two other Atlanta hikers. Elijah (NY, section hiker), Wrongway, Site, the other Atlanta guys, Rocksteady, and Butters were already there. After I ate, Lady Cluck, Jackaroo, Sofaking, and Sampson hiked in from town, three SOBOs (Phats, Driftwood (from MD), and their friend) passed through. It's a big ole' reunion at the shelter tonight--pretty cool! Good spirits all around. PS...knowing we only had 12 miles of moderate terrain to do and got a decent start (9:30 am), I wasn't going to push myself too hard, but hard enough to be close to Wrongway, so he doesn't have to wait too long when he stops for a break. He, on the other hand, wants to get there asap, so he can be done and relax. Only mentioning this to point out differences in people's hiking styles/strategies/attitudes. Part of it is priorities, I think--some people enjoy towns and shelter way more than the hiking and that the hiking is just a means of transportation between one and the next. Some people speed through the hiking, it seems, because they see it as a challenge--'How fast can I do these miles?' If I have plenty of time to complete a certain amount of miles and the weather is good, I'd rather take my time, notice things around me, sit at views, etc. However, that motivation sometimes rivals (although sometimes doesn't have to) companionship. If I'm near someone (ie. Wrongway, Lady Cluck, or Site) I tend to try to match their speed or stay close to it in order to be around others with the chance to snack together or share an experience, etc. Anyway, I was just reflecting, today, on how one's motivation source affects one's hiking style.At this point it seems like people are either speeding up because they can't wait to be finished and off the trail, being tired of the whole thing (NOT ME) or slowing down to elongate the trip, not wanting it to end. Random thoughts by Peanut