Date: 2006-07-29
From: Somewhere on Old Blue

To: Andover, South Arm Road
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Up early at 5 am. I want to get to Andover as soon as possible and get dried out. Everything is wet and is smelling of mildew. Even my stuff sacks. I don't know how everything in my pack got wet! I have a pack cover. May have to do some re-evaluating of how things get packed.Glad I decided to stay the night on Old Blue. The last little bit of the steep downhill would not have been fun in the rain! I met another early hiker going north, Slow Walker. Speaks with an Irish accent. Very friendly.Finally, I see the road. It still amazes me how you can look up and see the road from the top of the mountain (there was a viewing point) and the next thing you know you are there. Of course it was work to get there, but still amazing how you can travel that change in elevation. I'm a little worried about my decision to go into Andover on a Saturday morning and early at that (8 am). There appears to be no traffic on this road. I may never get a hitch. But, I decide to start walking anyways. A truck pulling a boat passes the other direction, darn. Wait. What's that I hear? Yes, a car. Thumb out. Pray they stop. They do! Woohoo! Two ladies from the camp down the road going into to town to do laundry (I think). So grateful that they stopped. It was a long drive into Andover. Very friendly these ladies, one, Marge, is a former music teacher. We have a lovely converstaion. They drop me off at the Andover Road House. Not the Cabin as I had thought I would stay, but more convenient. The post office is just a block away. Groceries across the street. Phone, internet, laundry, shower, kitchen use, all for $20. Can't beat that. Kris, the innkeeper is very friendly and pleasant. I call home, pick up my packages, shower, get something to eat, laundry, and update these journals. Of course today is sunny and beautiful - perfect for hiking. But I am enjoying a day off from my work of hiking. It's perfect weather for relaxing too! Very important to a hiker's body and spirit. I even get to listen to Dierks Bentley in concert on CMT on the television as I type. Fantastic!!! I'm the only hiker here for now and am relishing this time alone. But, it would be nice to have some company tonight.As I arrived, Kris was picking up three hikers to shuttle back to the trail. One of them was Goatmilk. I guess he was able to get off the mountain and in to town yesterday. He did tell me that the mountain (Old Blue) "tried to kill" him. Always good hearing that other hikers (even those more fit than me) struggle with parts of the mountain. Comforting to know that I am not alone. He is planning on just going to the next shelter. Oh, speaking of fit, there is a bathroom scale here and I have now learned that in a month of hiking, I have lost approximately 15 pounds! Excellent! Lizzie, maybe a reason to take up hiking??? hmmmm????!!!! I am finally beginning to see resemblances of my high school dancer thighs, but I guess now they are hiker thighs. Hooty Hoo!!! I think that once again, I will place myself in the non-purist category of thru-hiking by slackpacking tomorrow. A purist is a thru-hiker or section hiker who makes it a point to hike every mile of the white-blazed Trail (preferably with full pack.) (As mentioned in an earlier post, I took a detour and on that detour, I rode in a car.) As a slackpacker, I will still walk by every white blaze, but will do so with a day pack and not my full pack. It's ten miles between where I got off the trail and the next road crossing which also leads to Andover. Kris, is happy to shuttle hikers. I had not envisioned myself slackpacking when I planned this journey, but as the journey evolves, it sounds like a good idea. It's almost thrilling to a rule following personality type person to break the rules a bit. Of course, there are no rules to hiking the AT. In fact, the mantra of thru-hiking is "Hike your own hike." Plus, I will get to still make miles, but do so in a more relaxed way, giving my body more time to heal (its feeling a bit taxed by all of this adventuring).So that's that for now. Post script:I was not alone on Saturday night. Two nobo female hikers, Overflow and Granite, were there as well as sobo Nemo. Yep, Nemo is back on the trail again after taking four days off to rest his foot (tendinitus). The girls were very pleasant and offered good trail advice and stories.