Date: 2007-08-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Day 20I got a little bit later start than I wanted. I did not hit the trail until7:30 or so. Funny how back home I never saw 8am let alone some of these 5ammorning. Then again I saw 3am a lot and now I am usually asleep at dark or 10pmat the latest.Today's hiking was great. Nice and short. Today stopped and took a couplepics of a beaver damn. I am always impressed by them. Just past it I stoppedand hear some splashing. I looked over and 15 yards from me was a small moose. Probibly only a year or 2 old. No mom in sight though.I watched it for about 10 minutes and got a lot of great photos of it. It wouldput it's head under water and eat something off of the bottom. The best part isit knew I was there. It even looked at me in some of my photos. It just wentabout it's business. After it was done, it slowly walked away.I got to the road at 11:50am. I am not a watch person, I just wanted to see howlong it was until I got a ride. This time I also was hitching in the rightdirection. I come to realize later that I was hitching the wrong direction inCaratunk. Probibly why no one gave me a ride.After about 15 minutes and 20 cars someone stopped. After all of other cars andpickups drove by, that I would of happily rode in the back of, an older woman inthe 60's alone stopped. A really nice woman who lived in Oregan close to thePCT and was used to picking up hikers. She said her son and his lids where outhiking today too. I think what helped too is I put my trekking poles down. I'll have to do that first next time.She dropped me right off at the Stratton hostel and motel. Stratton has all of800 people on a good day, but 4 or 5 motels. Lots of hikers and workers I told.Originally I was not going to stay the night. I looked at my budget and I wasway under fo I figured why not. I budgeted $115 a week and still have not spent$100. That's not includiong my food starting out or my complete resupplymaildrop at Monson.This place is great. For $22 I got a bed in the bunk room, free internet, freelong distance, lundray, shower, and use of the kicten. The shower felt great. My clothed were not too bad, but I washed them anyways. After Showering, eatingsomeone's extra piece of pizza and beer left in the refrig, I went to the marketto resupply. I also bought food to cook at the hostel.My total bill was $43. For 4 days of resupply, 2 lbs ground chuck {the fattyestcut I could find}, sloopy joe mix, 2 AA batteries, chz, and ben and jerrys. Notto shabby. Cooking at the hostel is going to be the real saver.I went through 1.5 lbs of sloopy joes in 2 different sitting. That, thecholcate milk, and ben and jerrys really hit the spot. A couple free beers fromthe hostel frig with nice too.It was nice to check in on all the cyber hanging. I think it is going to takeme a month to catch up on all the new ideas when I get back.I also got the chance to call and take to a few people. Same old going on. Can't say that is all bad.I did end up staying up late watching I,Robot. I get hooked on movies prettyeasily. Oh well bed at 10pm. Listening to the radio too.I have the place all to my self. 2 people are staying in the motel. A flipflopper by the name of Spock and a northbounder doing a long multi month sectionhike by the name of Hoosier. He is actually from Lima, OH. Which is only anhour from my hometown. He said he used to drive through there all the time. Crazy how small the world is.He has a cool story behind him. He is a minister. The Lilly foundation decidedthat the bext way for them to help Indiana was to help the ministers travel andsee more of the world. Give them a fresh veiw on things. He has already hikedin Isreal and a couple other countries. They pay for his expenses and any bythe church caused by his abstense.