Date: 2004-10-09
From: Maine 15, Monson

To: Leeman Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: clear sky

After a long 3-day, 68 mile stretch, I feel great to have hiked 3 miles. I can thank Sunshine¢s leg for that. Since I last wrote I have procured champagne, ate my best breakfast on the trail, and solidified the fact that I do not know how I am getting home :-). I have also entered the 100-mile wilderness. I awoke by 4:30 a.m. and finished up yesterday¢s journal. At 6:00 a.m., Keith Sr., called me for breakfast¢¦WOW! I had coffee, OJ, 3 French toast, 3 bacon, 3 ham, 3 sausage, 3 eggs, w/ cheese & vegetables, and a pile of home-fries. As I ate, Sunshine, Dapper Dan, ¢Rael¢, and ¢Bones¢ emerged. ¢Bones¢ through-hiked this year and is doing work for stay and ¢Rael¢ headed home by bus today. I hiked with Rael back in VA. All of us chatted and ate. The breakfast was awesome! It was also awesome to listen to Keith Sr., who is an old guy with some spunk. He talked about the last 30 years of Shaw¢s while we happily fed our faces. After breakfast we went to the store in town with Keith Sr. I bought a winter hat, a camera to replace my newly broken one :-(, batteries, food, cigars, and champagne. The champagne was 4 dollars and I will carry the extra weight for the next 6 days. While my friends had sent me some money, Sunshine spotted me a couple of bucks until I reached the Post Office, so that I could get all I needed. I knew 2 people had spoke of sending me 20 and 50 respectively¢¦Yay! When we got home I went to the Post Office. My food box was there along with 2 little cigars and 2 extra candy bars. No money came :-( . I decided to live and not stress though. I am well aware that God has carried me to this point. On the way home I ran into Mickey & Mallory, Wideload, Butterfingers, & Blackfoot, all of whom are in town. Butterfingers & Wideload are a couple I had never met. I talked to all 5 of them before I headed back to Shaw¢s.         Over the course of the day we were bums. I sorted food and stuff. Then I realized: I left my camera at the store in town. Keith Sr. rocks though, and drove me back to get it. As I packed up I realized my food bag is heavier than it has ever been AND I¢m carrying champagne ¢¦ugh. By 1:00 I was ready to leave, minus trying to call home about a ride. Dapper and Sunshine were happy to use me as a reason to stall. While they lazed on the couches I walked over to the gas station to use the pay phone. On the phone I reached my maildrop person. My friend who wants to pick me up never gave me his number, and she can¢t seem to contact him. In other words, I am about to enter 5 days of no phones and I have not contacted my ride. I decided again to not stress. I left directions for where my friend can meet me Friday morning the 15th and said I will look for him. Otherwise I will plan on hitching or taking a bus out of Millinocket. I¢m actually fine with ¢winging it¢, I just want to climb Katahdin first. I called my buds Zac & Jen again and they said they can help me in Millinocket with some money to hitch or catch a bus. Right now, I just find it unbelievable that I¢m discussing the logistics of how to go home. By 2:30 p.m. I returned to Shaw¢s with all business taken care of.The boys were watching ¢Butterfly Effect¢. The movie was riveting and was about a guy who could change the past by re-reading his journals. We sat until 4 p.m. and decided 10 miles might be easier than 15 :-). Keith Jr. drove us to the trail and my hat fell off on the highway. Without missing a beat, he pulled off, hit reverse, and we zoomed down the shoulder to it, YAY! With my hat on my head we hit the trail just after 4:00. On the whole the stay at Shaw¢s was wonderful. The 3 of us began hiking in a silly mood, re-enacting parts of the movie, playing games, and complaining of heavy packs. It was all good when Sunshine said ¢Wouldn¢t it suck to end our trip with an injury this far in?¢ Two minutes later he tripped and pulled his shin and knee in the wrong direction. It looks like Sunshine will be OK, but will have to push through some pain. After 3 root-filled miles we called it quits at the first shelter so Sunshine could rest up his leg. 15, 10, 3¢¦whatever. This leaves us 101 miles in 5 days to the base of Katahdin. We can do it, and have a lot of fun in the process. I just hope that Sunshine¢s leg holds up. Tomorrow will be a real day, but I just hope to savor every minute of it. I cannot believe we¢re this close. I also cannot believe how blessed I am. I could write more but I hear a discussion of ¢who¢s more attractive of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kirstin Dunst¢? I¢m going to go be a boy and join the talking :-). Its like we¢re guys at a sleep-over¢¦woohoo. Goodnight, BEATBOX   ttt