Date: 2004-09-02
From: monson, me

To: Caratunk, ME 
Miles today: 14.0

Got up at 5:30am with Dragon Slayer and started packing up my crap. DS left first at 6:10am. I didn't get out until 6:30am. We were trying to get to the ferry at the Kennebec River in time to catch the 9-11am ferry. So I had to practically run the 14 miles in time to make it. With 14 miles to go and the few emergency breaks I had to make, I had to average about 3.3-3.5 mph for 14 miles. Not easy, but I did it! "Two Cents" was just ahead of me and was getting out of the canoe just across the river when I screached to a stop at the crossing at 10:57am. Dragon Slayer was just ahead of Two Cents when he arrived minutes earlier. She had taken off for the post office and to get lunch so she was nowhere to be seen by the time Bill, the ferryman, and I rowed the canoe across the river. He was keen on getting out of there for his lunch break before another hiker showed up and trapped him. He gave Two Cents and me a ride to Longley's Store and I picked up a few supplies (beer and chips) and then Bill drove me over to Northern Outdoors where we would be spending the night. I called DS and Janet and made all the arrangements for our stay in the "Logdominium". Northern Outdoors is a lodge and runs whitewater rafting trips. They also have a micro-brewery there and a large hot tub. So there never was any question where we would stay. I got my shower and made some phone calls. Dragon Slayer and Yoga Monkey arrived and got all cleaned up and we had a few beers while we waited for Sam and Janet. It is going to be a fun night! Guest author Sam:Pat has provided details on his race to the ford. Pat¢s/my friend Janet drove me up from her home in Augusta, and we met up with Pat at the quaintly named ¢Logdominium¢ at Northern Outdoors in Caratunk. Shared a lovely evening with Yoga Monkey and my childhood friend Dragon Slayer, including lots of good microbrew and a lengthy soak in the hot tub. I really don¢t understand all this ¢hardship¢ talk. I didn¢t see any hardship.Guest author Janet:Who, meeee? Oh, okay.Thursday, September 2nd: Janet awakes on theblissful island paradise of Matinicus, Maine.It's been raining and foggy for 4 days, but todayis sunny, beautifully sunny. And can Janet stayand enjoy it? nooooooo, because Janet is A Giver,and therefore she must leave her beautiful islandidyll and come back to her home in Augusta inorder to chauffer Sam to meet Patrick to hikeThat Silly Ol' Trail. Fortunately, Pat arranged accomodations to makeit worthwhile. Northern Outdoors is a place thatdoes things right. The "Logdominium," in spite ofits dumb name, is a classy row of two-levelrooms, each with a kitchenette, bath, livingroom, and three beds on the bottom floor, and alovely loft with two more beds at the top. AndVERY cheap if you've got five people. Plus theaforementioned hot tub. Stylin'!And the beers! Maine, kids, Maine is the land ofmicrobrews. They are everywhere, and they aregood. I've been industriously studying thesituation for 10 years now, and I know whereof Ispeak. Come to Maine, drink good beer. Seriously.Anyway, Northern Outdoors is excessivelycomfortable, even to folks like me and Sam whoare used to soft city living. I recommend thenachos especially, and the crabcakes I had weremighty fine too. The night was cold, and Pat complained, and wasnot pleased when I told him that he could, nowthat it's September, expect the same temperaturesevery night for the rest of his hike. I *TOLD*you to walk faster!!!After a merry evening of drinking and hot tub-ing(and drinking IN the hot tub), we all arose moreor less at about 8 the next morning, and Ifigured I might walk a couple hours with theother four, just so's I could say I did. But Isoon learned that the time a hiker arises hasNOTHING to do with the time a hiker hits thetrail. First, there's breakfast. Then, every itemin every pack has to be taken out, examined,discussed with other hikers, and put back ordiscarded. Then, phone calls have to be made.Then, foot injuries have to be described anddiscussed. Then, post cards have to be bought.Then, post cards have to be written. Then, thelaws of physics have to be pushed to the limit byloading four packs into the trunk of my '97 GeoPrizm. Then, a stop at the store, where everyitem in the store has to be examined anddiscussed, interspersed with lengthy chats withthe store's proprietor. Then, it's lunchtime! Bythe time I dropped everybody at the trail head,it was 12:30, so I just left them to it. Bye-byeboys! Have fun storming the castle!!I went home to spend the weekend drinking moremicrobrews and waiting for that call on Sundaywhen Pat and Sam arrived at Monson so I couldchauffeur Sam back to Augusta. I have to say, Iloved all the driving. I found towns in Maine Inever knew were here. There's an Athens! There'sa Shirley! Who knew??