Date: 2008-07-24
From: Hiker's Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH

To: Hiker's Welcome Hostel, Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Oh man...I've GOT to get some earplugs. I don't blame anyone else, it's mylight sleeping issue and nobody else can control that. Poor Panama Snail had anightmare and woke us all up almost yelling in her sleep. I felt badly for her. Then there was snoring and can you believe a mosquito found me? The bunkroomisn't totally sealed off to the outdoors. About 4:00 a.m., Salvage got up andI was in pain from the bunk, so I decided to get up and use my new Big AgnesAir Core for the first time...ON the bunk mattress. I went downstairs to blowit up and caught Salvage looking at what him and his wife call his "porn,"which isn't porn at all..it's a website about XBox games! LOL I blew up mysleeping pad, takes like 5 minutes tops and went back upstairs. It reallyhelped, and I finally drifted back to sleep, but woke like 20 times. Hostelsare just loud places, even when people try to be quiet. You can't match thepeace and silence of the woods you know?I finally woke up for good @ 8, and got up. I had some Trix and Cheerios, and 3cups of coffee..mmm...caffeine!!! Salvage and Lizard's camera died on them andthey are so ticked because they're entering the Whites and who doesn't want acamera for that you know? They are stopping at Mt. Washington. They werediscussing this, and Bear Paw heard them and told them she's making a trip toWal-Mart for hostel resupply, so she offered to take them to Wal-Mart free ofcharge. Well, when I found this out, I gave Salvage a little list for iPodearbuds, earPLUGS, gatorade, and another memory card for my camera. I'mworried I'll run out of room on this one before my slow ass gets to Gorhamwhere I told Persistent to mail me my other one.So it was me, Lizard, and Fat Chap this morning, and this 77 yr old guy namedRay who has never had a driver's license, but rides a bike everywhere and he'ssort of a groupee here. We all had a wonderful conversation and Fat Chap wasso encouraging about how my life has evolved. I gave him the short version ofall of my careers, and he totally "got" me..which is a rare thing. I do runinto people more out here that get my choices, but as Fat Chap said to me, "youlook like one of the happiest people I've seen come through here, so who caresif people don't understand how you live." He's totally right. I can say I'mgenuinely happy, and although society wants me to grow up and settle down withthat cube job, I'm going to have to just keep doing what my gut tells me isright for me. Well..let me tell you, if you all saw the email I got fromPersistent about how she's been moved into a temp office so they can move hercubical to an exact 90-degree position, as opposed to the 89-degree angle it'sat now..you'd understand why I can't settle. She's looking at 2 non-coloredwalls and facing so that everyone who walks by can see everything she's doing.This is exactly how my last cube job was too, and it sucked my soul dry. Isuppose I'd rather search my whole life than settle. I appreciated Fat Chap somuch, and he just met me yesterday but connected with me. It was cool, and Ireally needed that.So Salvage returned and YIPPY!!! I have earbuds now, earPLUGS, and a 2GB memorycard for my camera. Everything a woman needs. LOL It's raining again, so asalways, glad I dodged that one. I don't think the weather looks good for thecoming days, but you know..I don't give a crap anymore. I'll be so glad when Idon't have to consider the weather so much in my daily life. I do hope I'll getsome good views though. I will be one unhappy camper if it stays like this theentire time I'm in the Whites.So I met Mountain Sailor (MI) and Rabbit (OH) who hiked in this morning.They've seen Seattle Sailor about 3 days back, and I'm so glad he's stillgoing. Mountain Sailor had a hilarious story though. He'd been waitingforever to buy these certain crocs he wanted in Hanover. He got them, and THEDAY he hiked out, he lost them and never even wore them once!!! He's postedrewards if a hiker will bring them to the hostel. His reward is a 6 pack ofbeer, which will probably work better than $ out here. So he was going throughthe hiker box here and found a used pair of sandals for now. I mean..thatsucks. I lost one of my crocks last year in VA, and Karen surprised me with anew pair, but to buy them and not even be able to wear them? I died laughing(with him of course..not AT him). Then we all went upstairs and talked abouthow the NY/700'ish miles left to go is a real mental downer and so many of usstruggle in NY. I did, Rabbit did, Persistent did in that area. You feel likewhen you get to New England you'll be close, but then you realize...oh man..I'mnot close AT ALL!!! Be aware of this future hikers. Prepare for that, becauseit's common for hikers to get really discouraged in this area.So today I'm listening to music, I'm about to eat...for the third time in 6hours, and I think I'll get my pack squared away for tomorrow. Folks...I'mgoing to say it, I think I'll be on Mt. Katahdin this year. It's starting tofeel real, feel, within my grasp, feel like it's going to happen. New emotionsto deal with, and I'll explore and express them as I go through it as always.Right now, I flip from feeling ecstatic to be able to go home soon, toliterally being in tears just thinking about what it will feel like to touchthe sign on Katahdin and knowing that is the physical (not mental) end to thisjourney. It's scary and exhilerating at the same time. Whew...it's going tobe a wild ride for the next few months. Lucky for me, Karen is alreadyanticipating this and is already encouraging me to try not to think too farahead, because I'm going to have some stuff to go through for a bit once I'mhome.Not sure if anything else exciting will happen today..it's only 2:00 p.m. I'mgoing to free up the computer now so others can use it, but I'll probably addmore later. Now, I've got a big bag of Doritoes and a sub sandwich to diginto!Oh, I did forget to mention that yesterday afternoon, a hiker called here fromMoose Mountain. He was confused and exhausted and wasn't sure if he'd passedthe Moose Mtn. Shelter or not, so I talked to him since I was just there a fewdays back. It is a little confusing, there's a cross path and a sign sayingMoose Mtn. Shelter .2, and it's pointing down the AT, but you might think it'swrong and want to go down the cross path. Obviously, you follow the sign, butFat Chap, who is also a medic, was explaining something he calls Hiker Brain.It's when your body becomes so depleted that your brain neurons aren't totallyfiring on all cylinders and you can become unclear and confused. He figuredthat's what was going on with this guy and he said it's because you aren'tgetting enough vitamins, protein, and electrolytes. He suggested people doinghigher mileage days drink protein shakes and take Emergen-C (much like theperson who signed my guestbook awhile back). Only problem is that it's oftendifficult to find that stuff in many towns, say Warren for example.I often forget that in normal life, what I put into my body doesn't seem to havemuch of an affect on me, my moods, my energy levels, etc., but out here, whenyou are really pushing yourself and eating crap everyday, your body really doessuffer and become depleted of things it really needs. I may try to find someEmergen-C too, but I think the vitamins are helping. In a way, we all becomeextreme athletes of sorts, only 99% of us don't have education or knowledge onthe phsyiological effects of hiking all day and eating Lipton's sides everynite.Anyway, interesting stuff I've learned. I hope that hiker made it, but I'm surehe did. I knew exactly where he was and told him to follow the AT and he'd seea side trail to take to the shelter to the right. I told him if he got to astream with an orange sign pointing to the water, then he'd gone too far.Hopefully it gave him some peace of mind.We're watching Harry Potter 5 right now. I've only seen the first one, so it'sok. It's cold and pouring..as usual. I watched Balitmore Jack alphabetize all5,000 DVD's on the shelf. Bearpaw guestimated they'd stay that way for 3 daystops. LOL Well, I'll close for today. Gonna try to warm up...I'm cold asusual.~Certain