Date: 2015-07-23
From: Route 12

To: Podunk Road
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

My belly is so full I can barely walk. I am packing on the pounds like a bear prepping for hibernation. I have to make sure that I don't end up hypothermic in the Whites, right?I woke up and shuffled about, organizing my gear (an impossible task), choosing the day's snacks, and deciding which things to leave behind, since Mackenzie's mom would be picking me up again at a road crossing (hooray!)Today's neglected items include: stove and fuel, Thermarest, and extra food. Gertrude feels weird when she is too light. I don't like the slackpacking sensation. So I brought all of my clothes with me, as well as my "odds and ends" bag, for comfort weight. I also brought my sleeping bag since I needed to mail it home once I picked up my cold-weather bag at the post office.Jim cooked me breakfast. It was so sweet! A napkin and fork, as well as the rest of the watermelon, sat on the table waiting for me as I made my way (and by that I mean hobbled... it takes a while for my feet to remember how to work) upstairs to the kitchen.He denied my attempts to offer help, and served me a plate of what were probably the best scrambled eggs I have ever eaten (I am totally serious, I didn't even add salt or pepper, and normally I'm all over both of those shakers), along with amazing toast (the bread was so good!) smeared with raspberry jam. Only a million times better than cold oatmeal or PopTarts.Then I packed up and it was off to the trail!As I rode in Jim's truck, we talked about life and happiness and chasing dreams. I feel parallels with my own life, around Mackenzie's family. A farm family (family everywhere, just like mine!) divorce and new relationships...I asked him why he had moved to Vermont after living in Connecticut. He has just had a love affair with the state, and I can see why. "This is my morning commute!" he said as we drove past barns, fields rolling in front of us to meet the brilliantly blue sky. I told him sadly that I was a little sad to be heading into the green tunnel, which shelters me from the beautiful blue expanse of infinite space (strange to remember that that's what it is, isn't it?) 99% of the time.All in all, it was a good talk. It made me feel grateful to have a good relationship with both of my parents AND their significant others (what would I do without my pizza fairy?!)At the trailhead, I waved goodbye and said those magical words... "See you tonight!"And then climbed a big hill. I would have considered it a mountain, honestly. But the guidebook calls it "Dana Hill" so I guess I am wrong on this one. Hill, mountain... what defines the difference?! Slope? Height? The amount of time it takes a puffing, pink-faced, pudding-buns panda to climb it?!Soooo slooowww.That was my hike today. Wonderfully sluggish. I think I hiked 3.5 miles in the first two hours. That is an ATROCIOUS speed! It is shameful! I am embarrassed just thinking about it.Okay, it wasn't that bad. I wasn't actually that slow. I stopped to call my mom while I had phone service, which took a decent chunk of time (but happy time it was!)Still, I enjoyed a lot of meandering today. Also a few steep mountains. A few times my mind was screaming, "What happened to the switchbacks?!" as I climbed straight up a near-vertical path up a freaking MOUNTAIN. Of course, a few times, right after that thought, the trail rounded a corner and evened out for a nice recovery stretch.I trundled along today. I think that might be the perfect word. I passed through fields and forest, my pack light but still heavy, just moseying along. I mean, I didn't trundle up hills (mountains, WHATEVER), I slugged up them as usual, but I did a good bit of trundling the rest of the time. It was quite pleasant.I passed even more southbound hikers (so many!) and a few day hikers. One man asked, "Are you going to Georgia?" and then, when I replied that I CAME from Georgia and was headed for Maine, "You're going north?"I think he had his directions confused.People always ask me if I am alone. I never really feel that alone. There are so many people (and so many friends!) that even though I am technically alone, I still am always aware of a sense of hiker community on the trail. It's weird to explain. I just don't feel alone, usually.The other night, Silent Force asked me if I had ever camped alone on the trail, and I was surprised that he hasn't. I wonder how unusual it is. I am in love with stealth camping now.I enjoyed a lunch full of fresh veggies. I tried to call dad while I had service but missed him. Sorry, daddy.I started to get nervous when it grew a little more overcast during the afternoon, realizing that I had forgotten to repack Gertrude's rain cover, leaving it out to dry yesterday. Luckily, no falling water came to torment poor Gertrude.I reached today's rendezvous point a little early and worried about Mackenzie's mom finding me, since the trail crosses the road twice. There's a sign at the other road crossing, but not the one that I stopped at. Also there seems to be no phone signal anywhere in Vermont unless you are on top of a mountain (or "hill").After a while, I decided to walk towards what I thought would be the other road crossing that I had walked 0.7 miles ago. I walked on the road instead of the trail, though, in case Marie (Mackenzie's mom) came past looking for me.Turns out I went the wrong way, dead-ending at a driveway. A man and his son were outside, and, like the bonkers wanderer I am, I snuck over and said, " Excuse me? Can I ask a question? How can I get to where Podunk Road intersects with Tigerton?"He tried to explain it to me but could clearly see that I was just getting more confused. Thankfully, they were headed out anyway and offered toTHANK GOODNESS THEY DID. It was so far! I have no idea what is up with that section, but it was like 5 miles by road (at least, it seemed like it) to get back to what was only 0.7 to hike through the woods. CRAZY. I never would have freaking found my way without their help. Once again, the trail delivered. If I had been a few minutes later, they would have been gone, and I would be a lost, stranded panda.They left me off next to Marie's parked car at the other road crossing. "I am so sorry!" I called to her as I plunked my poles and pack in the trunk. I explained my screwup, feeling so guilty that I had made her wait so long. She just waved it off in another act of amazing kindness and offered to drive me to Hanover to pick up my mail drop so I could sort it this afternoon instead of in the post office tomorrow.It was funny. As I brought my box into the house, Marie asked, "There's a sleeping bag in there?!" Ultralight gear is small! However, as I was packing it into Gertrude this evening, I was thinking, "How is this thing so huge and heavy?!" My summer bag was so much smaller and lighter!So my mail drop has been sorted. I ate a disgusting amount of food and loved it. I said a sad goodbye to Marie and Jim (who are leaving tomorrow to Maine for vacation) and headed off to bed.My pack is going to be SO HEAVY tomorrow! I have been loaded up with excess goods, including half of a loaf of lemon bread (thanks, Mackenzie!) Also my mail drop was overkill since I still have food left over from the last one, since I have been so spoiled by my trail angels! I am going to try to leave a few extra items somewhere on the trail (hopefully at a business that will be willing to hold them for a few days) for Coco and Magnus, as they are the closest behind me.I am getting to the point where I am anxious to see my bubblemates. Reality has hit hard, like it always does. Katahdin is close, and the opportunities I have to spend with these amazing people are shrinking daily. But what do I do?! The Aussie Legs, Doc, Forward, Klank (and countless others) are ahead, but Chris, Coco, and Magnus are behind. I am stuck in a hiker sandwich.Luckily the decision is pretty much made for me... Mom and Dan will visit next weekend (YESSS!!!) so I will take time off to hang around with them, which should put me back around Team MoCo and Chris. It is sad to think that there are some people I probably will never see again. SO SAD. LET'S CHANGE TOPICS NOW.I forgot to share good news! While I was at the Red Sled the other day, I emailed Merrell. They are sending me new shoes. This is amazingly wonderfully awesome. These are the best shoes I have had, so I am so glad that I will be able to hike the rest of the trail with them (well, different ones of the same style...) My feet, though still weird and thick with an inch of callous, are They should arrive at the end of next week (yay!)In order to make sure that my current pair last me until next week, I applied a liberal amount of super glue and duct tape to the toes last night. The duct tape started peeling off early in the morning, flapping about in the mud and dirt and... well, trail. But it stayed stuck enough all day, and the toes haven't peeled back again yet. Success! Fingers are crossed that my luck continues. I still have glue left... I will glue the heck out of those suckers if I have to. I will use up that tube of glue! I will wrap them so tight in duct tape that they bend!Hopefully it doesn't come to that.I am so thankful for the last two days, spent with Mackenzie's family. Every time I think it can't get better, it does. I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am. I am thankful for a full stomach and strong legs, for friends old and new, and for more mountains to climb. Tomorrow, I get to see Jeralyn! And in a week, my mom and the pizza fairy. Life is fantastic.