Date: 2011-08-11
From: Hanover, NH

To: Moose Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: few clouds

Got up about 6:30, took a shower and headed to a cafe around the corner from the hotel to get breakfast. Had the usual country breakfast with eggs and sausage plus today and home fries. My plan was to get packed up then hit the grocery store on my way along the trail. It was literally next to the trail as it pass through town. I got back to the room to start the packing process. Now that I had my winter gear, I would have to change up my packing scheme because of the extra bulk. I forgot to get rid of the pack cover yesterday so I initially decided to just toss it. When I went to fill the hydration bladder with water, I noticed that the area around the bladder was wet which suggested a leak. I sighed because that meant a delay in leaving because I had to wait for the outfitter to open. I decided to test it for leaks first by filling it with water and looking for water around seams and other weak points. When that didn't show anything, I inflated it with air and held it under water and looked for any air bubbles escaping. I couldn't find any air coming out so I assumed that out was ok As a last ditch test, I placed the while bladder in a plastic bag. If it leaked, the inside of the bag would be wet. If it was just condensation, then the outside of the bag would be wet. I continued packing when I realized that I needed to buy another gas cylinder for the stove. It was downstairs to the outfitters to get a cylinder. More delays. By the time I got all of the gear issues worked out and figured how to pack with the winter gear, it was 10:30. I still had to buy food for the next 4 days. After I finally got going, it was about noon. It was latest I got out of town. I was hoping to go about 16 miles or so for several reasons but had to settle for a shorter day. One of the food items I bought was Vermont cheddar cheese. For lunch, I made cheese sandwiches which was very tasty. At least there was that bright spot in the day. The rest of the hike was quiet with very good weather. When I got to a parking area about 2.5 miles from the shelter I ended up stopping at, I realized that it was late in the day and it wasn't practical to push on to the shelter I wanted to go to originally. That's when I decided for a shorter day. While eating a snack in the parking area, a couple more northbounders, "Bear Bait" and "Waterbug" joined me for a break. We talked awhile then I took off for the shelter. Once I got there, I ran into many folks I had been with over the last couple of weeks. As a result, many of the tent sites had been taken. I set mine up them came back to the shelter to make dinner. We spent the evening talking and joking around. Since we were in a new state, thoughts of finishing the trip were talked about. It was good to hear that many of the guys became emotional when they thought about getting to the top of Katadyn. I thought I was the only emotional guy. It's a strange feeling when I think about finishing the trip because of the mixture of emotions. First of all, there's just a sense of accomplishment. Not many people have done a hike like this. It is a big effort to do something like this. One must endure the elements, deal with aches and pains, plan out meals, etc. Also there is much that cannot be controlled. Getting rides into town, weather and shelter/tenting space. Everyone who completes the trail I think learns to deal with things as they come up. They learn not to get frustrated with things when they don't turn out like they hoped. I certainly have learned to just enjoy the journey and not worry. Along with this effort, one must keep their focus on completing the journey. It's easy to get distracted. The second thing is tendon created by being on the y'all for so long. Part of me wants to finish and move on to other things but part of me has gotten so used to trail life that finishing means leaving the trail. There exists a community on the trail that I believe is unmatched by anything else I've experienced. It's like being forced to leave home. There are several people that have ended up devoting their life to hiking simply because they don't wish to leave the trail. It's hard right now to express what is going through my head at the moment. There are ideas which words cannot express. That which seems to be hides that which really is.