Date: 2015-08-14
From: Redington Stream Campsite

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: broken clouds

How often do you think they repaint the words on that fateful wooden sign on the summit of Katahdin? How quickly do the letters get worn off by the wistful touches and ecstatic kisses of hikers?I don't even know where to begin with today. I wish my pants still fit the way they used to. However I also REALLY wish I had some M&Ms right now.I forgot that Bear had told me that the stream at the campground I stayed at last night was bad. Oops. I might have Giardia. I ALWAYS treat my water with my SteriPen, but just one stray drop could be a million buggers in my tummy. Now I am putting my immune system to the test! Will all the dirt mom let me eat as a child have sufficiently strengthened my stomach acids enough to destroy tiny parasites?!It was a nice campsite. On my platform, under my tiny clearing, I fell asleep to the dulcet snores of a hiker tented downhill. I left my vestibule open and breathed in all that fresh mountain air. And when I woke up to pee, and to roll over and readjust to allow my feet to get a little more circulation, I got a brilliant view of the stars overhead. Beautiful. I always go to sleep so early, I don't see the stars that often. They struck me in the middle of the night.When I hit the trail this morning, I felt better. I don't know why. Maybe it was the good sleep. But I made it over Saddleback Junior without seriously wanting to cry or die once. I CONQUERED that morning mountain. Hooray!As I created the summit, the sun glared in my eyes, and I had to squint and struggle to find my way up the trail without being blinded. It's hard to shield your eyes and wield trekking poles at the same time.I headed down Saddleback Junior and managed not to fall and die.And the morning miles seemed easier. I don't know why, or how, but the trail seemed beautiful again. Maybe it was the sun. Maybe I just always need two days to readjust. But I felt like I had hit my stride again, despite the mud and the roots and the rocks.I passed Poplar Ridge Lean-to, and greeted Apple Cider, who I met at Mizpah Hut. I also said good morning to a couple collecting water, and an older woman tented up the trail.I got to Poplar Ridge and passed a hiker in an orange shirt who seemed to be messing with his phone. He made no move to acknowledge me as I passed so I continued on without pausing to ponder the signpost next to him, which marked the ridge.A few minutes later, I heard someone approaching from behind. They weren't close enough that I needed to move aside to let them pass. But they just kept on behind me as I climbed down, their footsteps thump, thump, thumping behind me. I picked up my pace a little. Still, for like ten minutes he was right on my tail.I HATE having someone right behind me. It is like an unconscious pressure go move faster overtakes me. I feel like I am in the way, that it's a race. I hate hearing them behind me, wondering if they are watching my chubby butt slip and slide and sloppily hike in that uncoordinated mess of movement that I have mastered.Eventually it got to me enough that I pulled over and waited for the hiker to pass. It was orange shirt guy. He said something about how he wasn't going faster than me. I just told him I was taking a break.And even though it was early for a snack, I ate one anyway, giving him time to get ahead. I also checked my dying phone, and pulled up about six Facebook messages... including one from Candace, one from Hands, and from Jeralyn.I don't know if I mentioned it before, but Jeralyn (my awesome newlywed friend who I stayed with in Vermont) works for the Valley News. For her wedding programs, she had the GENIUS idea of making little newspapers with mini articles about her enduring love story and the bridal party.Jeralyn is an amazing writer as well as an amazing friend, and has been writing a column about her transition from living in Florida to living in Vermont (totally different worlds!). But she took a break from her usual topic and wrote about ME!The article is so cute, and so well written. You can read it at: http://mobile.vnews.com/home/18002389-108/red-panda-sighted-in-the-upper-valley-a-trail-taleSeriously, I have the best friends. I feel so famous now!After reading the article, I turned my phone back off to save battery and continued on. I tried not to cry as I thought of my friend. And I didn't! My catharsis cry seems to have done its job. I didn't even cry two minutes later when I slipped on a root and TOTALLY fell, crushing Gertrude beneath me (sorry, Gertrude). I really kind of wanted to. But I DIDN'T. RED PANDA SUCKS IT UP AGAIN. With every fall, I earn that feeling of pride I will wear upon Katahdin!After my emotional bout, I rose up out of the mud and the trail rose again to meet me and I continued to actually enjoy it. Even the uphill parts didn't seem quite so steep. I dripped with sweat but powered on without too many pauses to recover.I stopped for an early lunch at Spaulding Mountain Shelter. When I arrived, orange shirt guy was eating lunch. The distinct smell of SPAM filled my nostrils. I can't do SPAM. Tuna in a pouch? Totally. SPAM? No way.Did I ever tell you that the South Koreans give SPAM gift sets at major holidays? A relic of wartime rations, it is cooked for breakfast, and rolled up in seaweed with rice and vegetables. Fancy crates of the finest fruits sit next to boxes of gross processed pig parts on grocery store shelves as women dressed in hanbok, traditional Korean dresses, try to convince you that what your in-laws REALLY want this holiday season is salted pork. Blegh. (Look! http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24140705)Orange shirt guy's name is Tiger Bob, and he is planning to reach Katahdin on the 26th. He is a fast hiker, and hoped to put in 20 miles today.I am not going to lie, after my awesome morning miles I was really tempted to try to get to Stratton today (I am closing in on the Aussie Legs!), but I am pacing myself. I am trying to slow down. I am attempting to stick to The Plan.Tiger Bob left and I aired out my sleeping bag and Thermarest in the sun. They were rather damp this morning, especially at the feet. It's like my dead sailor toes had lost all of their moisture into the fabric of my bedthings. Weird.I also put my shoes and socks in the sun to dry. It kind of worked! Hooray for having just damp instead of saturated feet for the second half of the day! I felt so spoiled. I missed the sunshine.I spent a long time at that shelter. I plucked my eyebrows and ate my lunch and stamped the register. I wanted to write letters, but as I was preparing to do so, #1 and Octo, heading south, dropped in and talked for a while. They said that the Stratton sheriff and deputy are having a contest to see who can pick up the most hikers in a month. Maybe I will get a ride into town in a cop car tomorrow!I continued to pluck my eyebrows while they sat behind me in the shelter and talked. I realize this is weird. I have noticed that my levels of caring have been dropping lately... I realize this is BAD. BUT I chalk it up to being exhausted after four months of hiking. At least I still care enough about my bodily hygiene and appearance to care about my unibrow. That's something, right?! I am not TOTALLY slovenly. I still wash the mud off my legs and scrub my toes every night.After lunch, i set off again. After a couple miles, I ran into a couple from New Milford (very close to my home!) who were section hiking. They listed a bunch of hikers they had passed, naming many unfamiliar names. When they said, "You might catch those girls from New Zealand.", a stab of hope drove through my heart. They meant the Aussie Legs!The New Milford couple were very nice but talked for too long. It took half an hour for feeling to return to my left foot, which I had put in an awkward position for the duration of our conversation. Oops again. Oh well. As they left, they said, "Who knows! Maybe we'll see you in Goshen someday! Or at the Goshen Fair!"It was weird to cry back at them as they disappeared, "I'll probably be there this year!"The fair isn't that far away, and is usually a sign that summer is ending. WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?! Down the drain. Soon my hike will be over and I will be a normal person again. What a depressing revelation.The last miles of the day were a bit rough. The last miles are ALWAYS hard because you are tired and just want them to be behind you. But today they really were literally rough. The descent down Sugarloaf was steep and rocky and took some butt-sliding. A couple of times, the trail broke out onto the mountainside, and I could see way down to the river which I later crossed.I arrived at the campsite to find Iso and Silent Force. Familiar faces! I greeted them with enthusiasm and chatted while I prepared to collect water and "bathe". They plan to hike into Stratton tomorrow, too.I eagerly anticipate my mail drop and snacks. And real food. I have only been back on the trail for three days and have been devouring snacks like a bear but I still feel like I could eat a pizza. My butt feels bigger yet my tummy still rumbles. Maybe I will try to be good and eat a salad, but I doubt I will have the self control.I also look forward to showering. And shaving my legs. I SMELL SO BAD. Wet Wipe bathing can only do so much. It is deplorable.Of course this platform is not actually level, and my head is downhill. Hopefully I can still sleep.Tomorrow I will nero into Stratton, visit the laundromat, collect my mail drop, shave my legs, and call home. The Plan is still in the works.I am really hoping that I may be able to catch up to the Aussie Legs in a couple of days. Maybe not being so alone will make me feel better.I am sure I forgot 20 important things. There is small drama to relate but I'll save it for later. I am still processing it.I did a lot of reading last night and hope to get a little more in today.I am thankful for snacks. And maybe seeing the Aussies soon. And for a convenient tree with low branches to hang my clothes on. And for a renewed sense of wonder for the trail. And for a clear sky!I am also really thankful for the support network I have. I hope all of my friends and family know that I think about them every day I walk this trail. I miss you.