Date: 2015-06-13
From: Mt Wilcox North Shelter

To: The Cookie Lady's House
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: broken clouds

There was an epic thunderstorm last night. It lasted from 10pm to 2am. I listened to it for an hour, and was seriously tempted to run into the shelter. The thunder sounded like it was right above me, and the rain itself felt electrified. There were about a dozen flashes of lightning. It was so loud, it was really quite scary. I was reminded of Lorax, who told me that entire herds of cows are killed by lightning strikes. I didn't feel particularly safe in my thin tent. But at least I managed to stay mostly dry! I left camp about 7.15, without having tea since my gas canister is almost empty. The morning started off pretty miserable, with rain still being shaken off the trees. The trail was all muddy too, which didn't really help things. I had two big climbs today, though both weren't terrible. It seems like the trail designers finally realised that there are more directions than just straight up and straight down. The sun finally broke through and made the entire forest come alive. Without the sun, the trails feels like I'm half blind. All the colour is dulled and the details are harder to spot. The sun makes a huge difference, even when dispersed through the leaves. Throughout the day I played leapfrog with Trailwalker, Brother Louis, and 10 Speed. Eventually Trailwalker and Brother Louis stopped at the Upper Goose Cabin, where there is allegedly pancakes for breakfast. I passed it by as I need to get to Dalton tomorrow. I have nearly completely run out of food. I tried the Clif bars that Mudflap gave to me in Salisbury. Clif bars usually retail for about $2, and are popular with many hikers. I first tried the chocolate chip version. It tasted like sawdust and PVA glue. There was no hint of chocolate. I could see the chips, but the rest of the bar seemed to suck away its flavour. It also looked like something a cat had regurgitated and then frozen in bar form. It had 280 calories, which is less than poptarts or Little Debbie snacks. There was absolutely nothing about the Clif bar that would convince me to buy it myself. I still have three more to somehow ingest tomorrow. I stopped by a little wooden bridge over a brook for lunch. I think the fish must have been extremely hungry, as every crumb I dropped started a feeding frenzy. I also spotted a small lobster. It was a nice place to stop, despite the bugs. Today the mosquitoes were better, but there were swarms of midgies about face height. After lunch, I hiked to the Lakeside Lodge. It was locked, but a random resident gave me two bottles of water, which was exactly what I needed. From there I just had one more climb. After spending the whole day carefully navigating the rocks, roots, and wooden planks to avoid the worst of the mud, I finally stepped straight into it. I could feel it seeping slowly into my sock for ages afterwards.At the top of the last mountain, there was a log book. I stopped and signed it, and I noticed that Not Yet had seen a moose today. Great, another animal for me to be afraid of. I asked 10 Speed what I was supposed to do if I saw a moose, but neither of us knew. Nothing I have read offered any guidance on moose contact. Eventually I made it to the October Mountain shelter at 5pm. I had already hiked 23 miles, and the terrain was not easy. The heat still had me pouring with sweat. I also developed a sore on the sole of my left foot somehow. I suspect it will blister soon. Despite that, I refilled a bit of water and continued two more miles to the Cookie Lady's house. I had heard there was ice cream, coke, and of course cookies. But she wasn't home. I met four other flip floppers, and we are all camping in the grass beside the house. Actually, it's a large farm with chickens and blueberries (not in season). 10 Speed caught up and is in his hammock, which he hates. We all had our little stove dinners together and chatted for a couple hours. Eventually the Cookie Lady herself, and her husband, finally returned. She quickly brought out a basket of banana bread. As I was using the bathroom (which had original push panel features), she brought out more bread and cookies, as well as the ice creams that everyone had bought. I got a Klondike bar. I am in love. It's just like a choc ice, but bigger! I can't believe that I've never had one before.Tomorrow, I will finally be in Dalton.