Date: 2003-08-29
From: Great Barrington, Mass.

To: Hanover, H.N.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

start Great Barringtondestination Hanover,NHWell,today was a sad one for me and a joyous one. All wrapped up in one day. Carnethy Bob, Chafe, Mudbutt, Papermaker and I walked down to Martin's for breakfast. Such a grand time we all had,sharing trail tales and jokes. We sat around, taking our time, trying not to think about the inevitable. Trail partners going different ways. Back at the motel, we all packed up and went down to the bus station to see first Carnethy Bob off, then Chafe. At one point Mudbutt said she was beginning to realize what our goodbye would be like in a few months. Before we know it, her and I are in tears!! I would rather not even think about that. We got into my car and once again headed north. We are skipping ahead to the White Mountains. The weather there is already getting cold at night. I love traveling with my husband. He loves to stop at these little country places to eat. Had we not been in a hurry, we would have stopped at the little town museums and shops. But, we are on a mission today. To get to Hanover. We stop in Dalton, Mass. where Mudbutt and I both have maildrops. Garmont has shipped me a replacement pair of boots there also. Unfortunatly, the new boots are not the same brand, and do not fit. The last thing I want to do, is break in new boots on the Whites. We get into town and find the outfitters. They carry Garmont boots, but since they do not carry the brand I have, they refuse to replace my boots even though they are still under warranty. This puts me in a very foul mood.I have been in the retail business. There is something to be said for customer service. It is too late to call Garmont, and the manager will not budge. As bad as I hate to do it, I have to buy a pair of boots here. The saleman that helped me really did a great job, and brought out ever boot he had for me to try on. After an hour, the very last pair I tryed on were the ones. I knew it as soon as I slid my foot into them. Here I am, back in Asolo boots. The brand I started out with. This is my fourth pair of boots. I am not wearing them out. The soles keep separating from the boots. The evening goes downhill from there. We go to a restaurant and it takes 90 minutes for us to get our meal. Mudbutt and I both have to send our meals back for various mistakes. Papermaker just kept his mouth shut and ate his meatloaf cold! On the positive side, our motel room was very nice, with several nice special touches to it. And much to Mudbutt's releif, I found the bathroom to be really clean. I admit, I have a problem about motel room bathrooms being clean. I don't want to find hair in them at all. At least not until I take a shower and it is my hair. I snuggle up close to Papermaker. It is wonderful to be with him. I still cannot beleive he pulled this over on me. Every time he comes up though, it is harder and harder to watch him go home without me. I realize that I probably will not be able to finish the trail this year. This causes me great distress. Part of me feels like I wil have failed what I set out to do. The complete AT all 2172 miles of it. But when I think back over the past five months, I can't think of anything I would really change. I could not help that Mudbutt got sick, or that I had to go home for 10 days. Every thing that we have done, every blue blaze side trail has been so much fun. I have no regrets. I only hope I can come to accept the fact that I will not finish the trail this year. I do not want those feelings to take away from the adventures I have had. I do not want there to be any regrets at the end. It will take some real hard self talk to get me through this. Then I worry about the people who have paid me already. The penny a mile for the polio fund. Will they feel like I cheated them? Papermaker says not. He says I have already hiked farther than anyone ever thought I could or would. I am not sure how to take that. Tomorrow we head for the mountains. I am apprehensive, but excited. Another new challenge for us.