Date: 2017-07-06
From: Highway 25

To: Eastman Ledges
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

What a great morning! Trail angel Mike is in the kitchen when I open my bedroom door at 6:00 am. Smalls o pancakes and bacon waft in the air. Dot, Franky, Mack, and I sit down to a first breakfast that would even make a rich hobbit like Bilbo Baggins envious. Back during the depression hobos, not so different from thru-hikers, would chalk symbols on houses ¢ friendly house, good for a meal, good for a bed. Mike and Dorian¢s was all three and then some. If I knew the symbol, I¢d chalk it on their front door.We dropped the other three off at their trailhead. They are two big Whites behind me ¢ Kinsman and Moosilauke. At the trailhead, just getting ready to start out northbound, was Malinck. ¢Scout, you made my day.¢ (Remember the trail magic I missed from hiker Margaret the baker, at Lonesome Lake Hut?) Malinck proceeded to tell me how he¢d been having a hard day, but my promise of trail magic 6 miles ahead had perked him right up. I told Malinck my impressions from the opposite side of the coin. How I¢d been bummed about screwing up, and how knowing he¢d get to receive the trail magic had also made my day. We hugged. Malinck went off to follow my steps to Maine and Katahdin. I got back in the car for my ride to a trailhead, from which I would trace his steps through 11 more states to Springer Mountain in Georgia.¢Scout, you should see The Egg Man today. He¢s got a tarp shack set up on Ore Hill. He makes the world¢s best omelets.¢Northbounders generally hit trail magic ¢ someone grilling burgers, a cooler with cold drinks or fresh fruit ¢ at many places in their first several hundred miles of trail. We¢ve had none (other than some cold grapes I lucked into). The Egg Man would be our first.I was a picky eater growing up. It drove my mother bananas, which I loathed. Also cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, fish, the list went on and on. To Frodo¢s great relief, in my early adulthood I made myself try these, explore my palate like I would a forest.  All these I now like, many a lot. But eggs. Nope. And when I fed our three kids smashed bananas when they were little, it was an act of love. So I was excited about seeing the Egg Man and his set-up 8 miles into my day, but no omelet for this boy.Together with the northbounders who arrived at the same time¢ No Egg Man ¢ I was disappointed. But he¢d left another treat in his absence. Two dozen of them for hikers to take ¢ can you guess? Do you see where this is heading?Yes. Two dozen yellow, ripe bananas. (Frodo: Ha! I laughed out loud when I read this!)  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...The first ten miles of trail felt nearly smooth as silk. Sure, there was a climb and some xxxx, but all that felt in the minority. (Frodo: So I was able to talk to Scout and ask what that word is, and he looked on his handwritten journal pages and was stumped. He told me to just leave it out. But I said, no, I¢m going to make a snarky comment about you not being able to read your own writing. He laughed and told me to do that, because he deserves it. Ha!)But the miles after that changed from silk to sandpaper. I had hoped to get further, but I¢m stealth camping after 16 miles.In two days I will be in Hanover, home of Dartmouth where Sean went to college. I¢ll arrive on a nearo day and then take a full zero day. I have not had a full zero since Pinkham Notch, which will have been 9 days. I need one.Time for dinner. But first a big Shout-Out to a Birthday Boy. He was born in 1924. My dear father turned 93 today. Happy Birthday, Dad! I called him last night ¢ can¢t today. ¢Night, all