Date: 2018-07-08
To: The Hospital
Miles today: 0.0

7/08:Zero day. The closest Urgent Care to Gorham is 65 miles away, so I hadto get a ride about 10 miles over to Berlin NH where AndroscogginValley Hospital is for medical help. The x-ray showed that I had aclosed avulsion fracture of my right ankle. My hike must stop untilmy ankle heals.7/09:Zero day. I'm not going to just sit in a hostel for weeks waiting formy ankle to heal, so I will go back to Toledo and come back when I amready to hike again. I had a 7 am shuttle from the hostel to the Busstation in Gorham where I could catch the Concord Coach Line bus toBoston. The bus got into Boston at 12:15 PM, my Amtrak train toToledo was scheduled to depart at 1:20 PM. I would be back in Toledoat 7 AM on July 10th.Storyof the day: The train story. Before I left on this hike, Idecided that I would ride Amtrak from Boston back to Toledo when thehike was over at a cost of $77. Right after I decided this, Amtrakannounced that this route would no longer have a lounge car with it.When I was at the Hospital, I had them print me off the trainschedule for Amtrak to Toledo. The train leaves Boston's southstation every day at 12:50 pm. When I got back to the Hostel from theHospital, I was given great news that there was a bus station inGorham, and the bus went to Boston each day at 7:50 AM at a cost of$38. When I was buying my bus ticket, I was informed that not onlydoes the bus go to the south station, but it would get there at 12:20 pm,giving me a half an hour to get to my train. Coming into the southstation, I asked the woman next to me how to get from the bus toAmtrak, and she told me to just follow her, which I did, and when wegot there, she pointed out the Amtrak ticket window to me. At theticket window, I asked for a $77 ticket for that day's train toToledo, and if there was a lounge car with the train. She confirmedthat there was no lounge car, and that my ticket was $185 because Idid not buy it two weeks in advance. Coming from the ticket window,there was a large food court area of which the first place wasadvertising that they were selling bottle water for $1 each. With mytrain not having a lounge car, I would not be able to get any food ordrink during the 17 hour train ride to Toledo, so I ordered twowaters and was told that it would cost me $4.17. When I pointed outthat the overhead sign said that they were $1, she told me that wasonly if you also buy a large pizza. I was going to need the water forthe ride, so I got the two bottles. Next I saw the big board with allthe trains listed, with my train listed as on time at 1:20 pm, notthe 12:50 pm that was on the web site. I had trail food with me, butwith this extra time I decided to get some lunch at the station. Itwas lunchtime and all of the food court was busy. The only placethat looked like you could get some food fast was McDonald's. I havenot eaten at McDonald's in decades but there I went. When I saw thata quarter pounder with cheese without the meal was $10, I decidedthat trail food was fine for me. As the train was leaving thestation, the very first thing that we were told was that the loungecar was open. Around Midnight, I got up to walk the train to stretchmy legs a little bit, and notice that 50 to 70 percent of thepassengers were Amish. The train ended up getting into Toledoan hour late, and then I had to walk the mile home from there.