Date: 2015-08-28
From: Piazza Rock Lean-To

To: ME 4 Rangeley Maine
Miles today: 2.8

I woke to cool morning temperatures. Mike said it felt like fall was in the air. I agreed. It seemed like a good time for me to get off the trail. Mike said he looked forward to a nice shower and clean clothes. He left camp before me.   I was one of the last to leave camp. The privy was a two seater with a cribbage board in between. I can not imagine playing cribbage as I did my business. See pictures.   As I came out of the privy, I was greeted by a large group from Cosby College. They were on a few days excursion to train the camp leaders. The camp would be bringing students here in two weeks. A woman entered the privy asking if there was toilet paper and anti-bacterial lotion in the privy. I had not seen either in a privy my entire time in Maine. They had a lot to learn. She got the toiletry bag with these items and closed the privy door.    It was a beautiful day for hiking and the trail was delightful. I met another group from Cosby College. I was envious of their cleanliness and energy.    At ME 4, on the guard rail was a sign to the Hiker Hut. See picture. I made reservations at the Hiker Hut before I left home on August 6. When I was in Monson at Shaw's Hostel, I got on-line and saw an email asking me to confirm my reservation. I was glad I saw the email. I have a dumb phone that does not have internet access. The only time I have access to the internet is at hostels. I called Steve and Catherine at the Hiker Hut. I was to call them again in Stratton, which I did.    I walked the 0.3 miles to The Hiker Hut. It was a flat short hike. I turned down the road for the Hiker Hut. It was welcoming and peaceful with trees providing canopy over the road. I rang the "Bombay Bell" as the sign requested. See the picture. I continued walking to the sign that said "to Poets n Pilgrims and Lovers n Seekers ..." Catherine and Bear Belle the Elder were on the front porch of the bunk house.    Catherine welcomed me and asked what I would like to do first, eat, laundry or shower. The Hiker Hut does not have electricity. They use a generator to vacuum. The kitchen is an ice box and a two burner camp stove. We chatted a while and then I was starved. I am hypoglycemic. I have only fainted once from low blood sugar. When I get that hungry, it feels like I am fighting for my survival in my need to eat soon. Catherine recognized the starving look and fixed me some delicious oatmeal. I asked her if Mike had come by. She said yes but he had moved on to The Farmhouse that has electricity.Catherine drove Bear Belle and I to the YMCA where we enjoyed a hiker shower. As I was combing my wet hair, I saw myself in the mirror for the first time in many days. I was so thin. I told Bear Belle I either needed to buy new clothes or gain weight. She suggested I gain weight. It was much more fun. Then Catherine drove us to the laundromat in Rangeley. We enjoyed the town clothes there, while we washed our clothes. We walked to Sarge's Sports Pub & Grub. Bear Belle treated me to a steak lunch. We discussed spiritual matters. We walked back to the laundromat and finished drying our clothes. We waited in the front but decided to wait on the side, in the shade. Catherine did not see us on the side. We called her and she came to pick us up.Back at the Hikers Hut, I met Steve, the proprietor. He had been in Boston helping with a marathon/5K run. He ran marathons professionally for 20 years. When he stopped, he had depression from the lack of endorphins. Steve's passion is two disfigured children in India. He has raised money for them to have multiple surgeries.That night I met an older woman and an older man. They were friends whose spouses were not backpackers. They had section hiked most of the Appalachian Trail. Each had suffered an injury in the Whites and had decided to go home.The next day Steve gave me an exceptionally long hug goodbye and said I was welcome to come back any time. Catherine drove me to the Bangor airport. She confirmed my concerns about Trail Mike with the vibes she had felt. She said it was customary for Steve to give long hugs goodbye. It felt strange in the airport pretending to be civilized.