Date: 2014-07-26
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Blotz Road
Miles today: 14.2

Today I didn't like the trail despite a great start to the day. I was up at 6:00 and left my bunk for the downstairs common room at the cabin where caretaker Bob and Joel were serving up coffee and pancakes. I sat at the table with Dad, Titan, and Zeke, the first thru-hiking SOBO I have met. A little later Owlbear and I Believe joined us. Sitting, relaxing over a cup of morning joe ON the trail can't be beat. There were some questions about the trail ahead for Zeke who has finished the Whites and VT, but one thing I have come to learn is that one hiker's description of the trail is based on that hiker's personal perspective and experiences, and not necessarily how I will perceive the same section as I hike it. I know the trail ahead will be a challenge physically and mentally, but that is nothing new. I am taking it a day at a time. It doesn't really matter how much mud there is in VT or how many rock faces I have to scale in the Whites. I just have to get up each day and deal with what the trail demands that day. Today I didn't deal well with the trail. I finished packing up, thanked Bob and Joel for their hospitality, and I Believe and I were on the .5 mile blue blaze trail back to the AT at 7:10. As I walked this extra 1/2 mile, I thought about the 20 mile day ahead. Twenty miles is a long day for me, but it was the payback for our short 10 mile day yesterday. The trail was all about mud and roots today. Aren't roots, by definition, supposed to be underground? I pondered that question all day, so much so that I looked up the definition of root on my phone. As I thought, a root "grows downward into the soil to anchor and absorb nutriment and moisture." Well, not along the AT they don't. The roots were incessant, the mud prolific, and I let both of them get to me today. I could never get any rhythm in my step, and the miles dragged on. Interestingly, I Believe said she enjoyed the trail today. It just goes to show that it is all about the mental game. There will be lots of mud and roots between here and Katahdin. I need to make an attitude adjustment. As I got closer to the road where Houdini was meeting up with us, I wanted just to be done hiking for the day. Ten more miles, even though slack packing seemed more than I could deal with today. It was after 1:00 when I got to the road. I Believe was waiting for me and Houdini hadn't arrived yet, so she and I walked the 100 yds down the road to "The Cookie Lady's" house. The cookie lady offers free homemade cookies to hikers, and sells soda, ice cream, and hard boiled eggs. Owlbear was already there, and the 3 of us sat at the picnic table in the cookie lady's yard and chatted with her. Owlbear Bear bought I Believe and me a Klondike Bar. Thanks Owlbear. Houdini arrived with fixings for turkey sandwiches, and it was after 2:00 by the time we'd eaten lunch. At that point, neither I Believe nor I wanted to do 10 more miles, so we compromised. There was one more road crossing 3 miles up the trail where Houdini could pick us up, so that is what we did. We hiked 3 more miles, then Houdini drove us into Dalton where we are staying at the Shamrock Village Inn. Titan, who I met this morning at the Cabin, Owlbear whom Houdini slacked today also, and Cyclone and Sherlock are in town. Cyclone has Lyme disease. She and Sherlock are hiking, but they have had to cut down their mileage. No Name and Salty Hat are hiking into town tomorrow, so we will see them. I've iced my feet twice already.