Date: 2014-07-27
From: .3 miles South of Carter Notch Hut (Tenting)

To: US Route 2, Gorham, NH (Motel)
Miles today: 15.5

Day 148, July 27, 2014 I slept like a princess on my new pad last night. Only woke up once due to loud drunken neighbors Now I understand why Ms. Bell yelled at us that one night at Watermelon Park. Very buggy. First thing this A.M. I walked .3 miles down to the hut for water. They were just finishing up breakfast. I looked into the kitchen and saw plate after plate with leftover food on it. No I didn't want to eat it (ok maybe a little). I went outside to load my water and then walked back in to see if I could get some leftovers - for Cooper!!! The dishes were gone. I had to explain it was for a dog not for me though. I didn't think they believed me. I walked back outside. Not two minutes later a nice young man walked out with a plate full of scraps for TLM!! He gobbled it up. I got an early start for me. Up before seven. I knew a storm was on the way and didn't want to be caught up high on Carter Dome or Carter Mountain. I made it up and over both and checked MyRadar when 3g was available. Early that afternoon it started to sprinkle. I stopped and set up a shelter to wait out the storm. I got all settled in under the tarp and grabbed my phone to see if I was connected and what was going on in the real world. There was a voice message from my dear friend Mike telling me that our best friend was no longer with us and to call. I did not want to call. I knew that by calling it would make it all real. So, I grabbed my food bag and commenced to eat lunch. I swear his daughter, Mandi, knew what I was up too. Because as I ate lunch my phone pinged with a message that basically said, "No seriously call ASAP!" I Reluctantly made the call. It was relatively brief. It did not make it more real. Mike told me to keep hiking. I had no choice, I was in the middle of nowhere. I did not want to hike alone carrying all this grief and confusion. I wanted to be with the Bartlett's in their basement, at the impromptu Safety Meeting, with others that loved and adored him as much as me; trying to answer the unanswerable. This might sound corney but today at every vista I imagined him beside me taking it all in. I also imagined him bitching the whole way up; no one can rant like him. I took my first hard fall today. I slipped on a wet rock on flat ground. I hit the muscle by my shin bone hard and landed on my left side. I sat there stunned for a few. I hope to never fall again. I made it to the road but the Hostel was full. The lady was so super nice and offered to set up a cot for Coop and I. I just didn't feel like being around happy strangers. The lady again went out of her way and took me to a hotel. At the hotel as I was checking in a lady outside asked thru the screen door what my dog's name was. I told her Cooper. She replied, "The Little Man"!? I can't make this crap up. Her husband had read about him being lost on Trail Journals. They are section hikers. Madison Star with over 1500 miles complete and Wing It with only Maine left. I wanted to walked down the street to do laundry but it is pouring rain. So it will have to wait until tomorrow and resupply. I am also now officially under 300 miles to go. I look forward to lots of things after the trail. One of those was my marathon FaceTime nights with my BFF. The last time I talked to him he said he was proud of me and loved me. Live Free or Die, Cowgirl and Cooper Hiked today: 15.5 Completed: 1887.0 Remaining: 298.3 Start Point: .3 miles South of Carter Notch Hut End point: US Route 2, Gorham, NH (Motel) States Completed: 12 GA (76.4), NC (95.5), TN (287.9), VA (550.3), WV (4), MD (40.9), PA (229.6), NJ (72.2), NY (88.4), CT (51.6), MA (90.2), VT (149.9), States Remaining: 2 NH (160.9), ME (281.4), (8 photos)