Date: 2010-07-18
From: stratton

To: View Entry
Miles today: 73.3

The day in Stratton was nice. We all chipped in and bought lunch meat rolls, soda and chips and had a family style lunch feast. I resupplied at the grocery store across the street and took a nice long nap. Headed back on the trail tomorrow and going to do either 8 or 13 miles depending on how I feel. Resupply...Takes some explaining. The approach to hiker resupply is the exact opposite to shopping back home. If you are in the grocery store at home, you probally spend a signifigant amount of time looking at calorie content. We do to, but only to find the foods with the highest calorie content possible. Calories are a hikers friend. You burn so many in a day it is a constant struggle to replace them and yield much needed energy for hiking. It becomes a bragging point for hikers to find fattening combinations of food that yield more calorie content than a platter of philly cheese steaks. However, it is a constant struggle of food vs. weight. If you wanna eat good you have to carry a heavy food bag. Heavy food bags over mountains suck....ya gotta compromise. However, in town ou indulge all your cravings and than some. Pizza, soda, chocolate milk, beer...you name it. It is a time for replenishing.A couple nights ago we stayed at a Lean too at a place called Pierce pond. It was spectacular. Everything you would expect from Maine and the trail. It was a shelter just feet from a lake with mountains on the other side reflecting on the water and these animals called Loons? making these amazing sounds. It had a perfect spot for swimming so that is how we spent the day. There were about 8 or 9 of us there including a few North Bounders. As evening came we sat on a rock by the lakes sharing stories. The North Bounders we meet are nice and helpful for the most part sharing stories and advice on the 2000 miles that still await us. I kindly remind them that I am a veteran of Katahdin (the last mountain on the trail) and if there is anything they would like to know I got them covered.Most of the day I hike alone. I dont mind this. There is something about being in those mountains and woods that is spectacular. The way the trees and the wind and the animals harmonize in perfect brilliance. Every once in a while I will just stop and be perfectly still and just enjoy being. Just when you think something couldnt get better, it does. A beautiful sunset catching distant clouds in a fiery display as if God had just a few more brush strokes to finish a masterpiece that was the day.There was a young couple that came into the shelter a while ago. Doozy and Moon Pie. They are both 19 and high school sweethearts who took college deferments to thru hike together. They are from Philly and Maryland and met in boarding school. They are about as nice as can be, and I've really enjoyed spending time with them. They are finishing August 1st and than both heading to school in Boston. Hiking the trail restores alot of faith in humanity....for the most part. There are shadys too.Well Im going to hit the sack. I wish i got better reception on my phone and could update more often. Perhaps when I get down south. Until than, it looks like I can only update from towns.Oh, one more thing. I may have forgotten to mention I have a trail name......Churchill. I got it a while ago. Since I started the trail with a handful of cigars and I smoke a pipe, some one said you look like Winston Churchill always smoking a Cigar or Pipe. Some section hiker also reminded me I was a little "rolly polly" like Churchill. Asshole. The man who told me that was morbidly obese and hiking 4 mile days.Please continue to leave messages I really look forward to them all!!!Till next time......Churchill