Date: 2005-08-19
To: Long Way Dungan
Miles today: 0.0

Welcome friends of Dream Catcher (or DC as she has become known but only because I'm too lazy to write out her complete trail name). I spoke to her yesterday (Thursday) and she is doing well. She was in a town near Andover, ME. She was tired, but I could hear the happiness in her voice. I know she's homesick, but happy to be back out fulfilling her dream.Let's see...DC told me that this was by far the hardest part of the AT she has hit so far. It seemed that no one was very happy or pumped about being on this section. She did meet up with Spartacus and Rainbow, so she had some companionship. She said that at Mahoosuc Notch she found out that the house-sized boulders she read about were just that....boulders the size of houses. She had to climb them wihtout ropes, and with a 35 lbs pack on her back. It was EXTREMELY challenging.Her foot is ok, and it is sore, but she told me she was doing fine. Because of the rock climbing, her legs are pretty bruised, but again, they are ok. DC said there were several patches of ice which also made navigating some of the boulders even more of a challenge. It took her over 2 1/2 hours to complete a 1 mile stretch. But now, our little Dream Catcher can say she has actually climbed Mt. Success. I asked if this was the real name, and it is. DC said she has now seen 2 moose (1 bull moose at a pond in the rain, and a cow moose by another water source), and commented that they really needed nose jobs. She laughed and said she did actually think of Bullwinkle.The people have been really nice, and she is learning more about herself everyday. One thing she has had to learn was to surrender her will. At times, it's not about her determination or (dare I say) stubbornness, but more about the trail, the weather, her body, etc. Things she does not have control over.She met up with some old friends at one of the shelters. The Caretaker was there, as well as Still Walking, Shadow and Choo-Choo. She's also run into Navigator, and Boots and Blue Light (a husband and wife team). The caretaker at the shelter asked her where she had come from, and DC could not remember. The only thing she could say was "Hell. I've come from hell." This was after the boulders, cliffs, etc. DC was exhausted and was felling every inch of the trail she had covered that day. A very honest answer if you ask me.DC then told me a story about eating in town. She had come into town late, so the next morning she was getting breakfast and totally surprised everyone there. Now if you've ever had breakfast with DC, you know she eats like a bird. Well this morning she had the following on her plate (a dinner sized plate I might add): 2 eggs, 2 thick pancakes, 2 strips of bacon, 2 orders of cubed fired potatoes, and toast. The man waiting on her asked if she was actually going to eat all of that. DC said, "Yup, I sure am." AND SHE DID!!! What was even more astonishing to DC was that an hour later she wanted a snack.Well, that's all for now. DC is back on the trail in the next day or so, and I know she welcomes all of your thoughts and prayers. Remember her email is cyberyoung1@gmail.com. She gets a real kick out of reading the messages in her guest book too.