Date: 2014-08-01
From: Monson, Maine

To: KATAHDIN!
Miles today: 114.5

Day 142: Friday, 1 August 2014 A dream come true, almost¢¦.I had a dream last night, and I don¢t dream very often, at least not that I remember. I dreamt that we were waiting anxiously for word from Buffalo. It was late afternoon, and nothing yet. We even had some of his friends over, not sure why, to just wait for a phone call. Then early evening, Buffalo walks in! Although very happy to see him, I was surprised to SEE him.¢What happened?¢ I asked.¢It was a struggle through the 100-Mile Wilderness, and I just didn¢t want to go any further. I got off, called Aunt Barb as soon as I could to stop them from coming, and got a hitch to the nearest place to get a flight home.¢In reality, there are a lot of holes in that explanation, so of course, I was perplexed. Even in my dream, I was perplexed, but hey, it¢s a dream, and I guess I didn¢t pursue the fact that the flight ticket I bought him was just lost and all the food and plans that Aunt Barb and Uncle Dave made went bye-bye, or that he just gave up, like one or two days out! (Those of you who know Buffalo know that he thinks ¢struggling¢ while hiking is all fun!)As we talked and celebrated his return, my sister and brother walked in! The surprise was on ME! Buffalo DID make it to Katahdin and by some miracle in the dream, they made it to Olympia (although the house in the dream didn¢t look like our house) in a dream¢s instant!Back to reality, I¢m waiting for the phone call, but in the meantime, my sister sent their GPS spot for where she and my brother stayed last night. They were off I-95 in Waterville, Maine, just maybe 5 miles southeast of East Millinocket. I then checked Buffalo¢s debit card and saw an expenditure at a campground in Millinocket, which is maybe 7-8 miles west of East Millinocket. They may have been only 12-15 miles apart last night! Wonder if my dream is trying to tell me something!I hurried the dogs for their morning walk, Chena checking out the corner for Trail Magic! (See 7/30/2014 for Canine Trail Magic.) I decided to pick the ripe plums I can reach on our tree and make jam, something to keep me busy and close to the phone! As I was picking, a doe came up behind me. Yes, we have a small herd (deer, not Buffalo) that goes through our yard. They know me. I pick apples for them. Well, this doe was within 3 feet of me, not afraid, obviously (she knows me well!), and was inching over to my bowl of PICKED plums! She had already eaten the moldy one I threw on the ground, so I gave her two less desirable ones in my bowl. I now have about 6 12 cups of plum-ginger jam! But no phone call yet (12 noon PST).Every time the phone rang, I hurried to it with a smile. Well, it¢s 5 days before our Primary and we¢re getting a lot of pre-recorded ¢Vote-For-Me¢ calls. Drats!Then, 6:30pm PST, ¢Hey, Mom!¢ (9:30pm EST!)¢Finally! What happened? Were you able to climb Katahdin? Were there thunderstorms?¢¢It was beautiful! There was a cloud layer below us, but is was pretty awesome on top, above the clouds! Most of the Herd went up for the sunrise, so when I got there, everyone was still there, including Shy Bear, Dorothy, and Rocket Girl. I was the last to leave the top. As I was coming down, I was wondering how I¢d find Aunt Barb and Uncle Dave. I saw some day-use people with a lot of people hanging around and eating. When I got close, it was them!¢¢Aunt Barb set up her ¢Aunt of Buffalo¢ signs, so when the first few came down, they saw the signs and said, ¢We know a Buffalo.¢ Aunt Barb waved at them and told them to, ¢Come on over!¢¢¢Hey, did you go into Millinocket yesterday?¢ I told him about seeing the expenditure.¢No, those are from the Abol Bridge Campground and Northern Restaurant near the park. Guess it¢s considered Millinocket. I cut it pretty close with the food, even with the fresh blueberries Joules & I picked on our 30-mile day!¢We talked about Connor, On Point, who had to get off the PCT again. His foot was acting up. And about the upcoming 50-miler that he and I will be going on with the Scouts. I also told him that Katie called me. She wanted to know if I wanted Buffalo to stay at home after the hike, or if it was OK if he joined her, Stuart, and Claire in Colorado to work and live, until he and Claire take off on the CDT next year. ¢Katie told me that if I want you home, she¢ll stop bugging you, but if I want you out of the house, she¢ll bug you even more!¢¢I honestly could not have imagined such a finish to this hike. Climbing Katahdin was incredible. (He thought it was more difficult than Mahoosuc Notch!) The ending was amazing! I¢m in good hands now, and I¢ll see you soon!¢¢Bye, Michael. I love you! See you soon!¢¢Yup, then it¢s the 50-miler on the PCT! I¢ll call from Rochester. Love you!¢Thanks so much for following along on this convoluted journey! We¢ll be posting photos once Buffalo gets back from the 50-miler. Mum, The Transcriber, Over and Out!