Date: 2009-08-16
From: near Zeta pass

To: US 2 (Gorham, NH)
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

I didn¢t get up too early, but, still, it appeared that I was the first one up. I sat on a side trail and ate my oatmeal and trailmix and then packed everything up. The guys woke up and got going before I finished.       My day began with yet another climb, and I took my first break on a rocky ridgetop, where I encountered a man carrying a bunch of tools, heading south. He told me I had some very difficult terrain up ahead, which didn¢t make me feel too happy! I had been under the impression that the Wildcats were the toughest part of this section, but apparently, this whole range was difficult! He did say that it wasn¢t supposed to rain for a few days, though.    As I was scooting down some rocks further ahead, I ran across a family of three. The father asked if I was thru-hiking (I wanted, facetiously, to ask him if he could tell by my facile movement, which really was anything but). The mother urged me to be careful on the slippery rocks.       After I made my way down Carter Mountain, I had to decide whether I should go down the sidepath to the Imp campsite to take a beak, or stay on the trail. The sidepath was very rocky. I decided upon going anyway. The two guys who had camped with me were coming out and told me it was much longer than 0.1 miles, but I figured I might as well continue at this point. They did say there was a nice water source there and I was running low on water.   I read through the register, which had a lot of last year¢s entries in it (I always loved coming across these as I know a bunch of people who hiked last year) and saw that Braid had written in recently. I had been trying to catch him for quite some time! From his writings, he appeared to be in a great mood, and I wondered why I felt so exhausted...I collected water twice and snacked, and finally got moving.   Next, I had to climb Mt. Moriah, which wasn¢t too bad after the break. With about four miles to go, I came across a woman named Judy. She instantly knew that I was a thru-hiker and offered me an overnight stay in her home. I had to decline, as I needed to get into Gorham to get my maildrop, and she didn¢t have a car. She wanted to keep me company for the rest of the day, and the miles seemed to go by more quickly with someone to talk to. She had thru-hiked, herself, a couple of times, and day-hiked this area frequently. Whenever we came to a landmark, she would say that we were doing really well! We were walking faster than she had anticipated. When we reached the parking lot, we found the two guys that I had camped with packing up. Judy asked them if they were headed towards Gorham and if they would mind taking me there as well.    In the car, I asked the guys if either one happened to have a Canon Powershot camera. The one in the passenger seat did, and I was able to confirm that it was my memory card that was the problem, and not my camera! They dropped me off at the ¢Hiker¢s Paradise¢ and took off. I went inside, rang the bell, and explained to the woman that I hadn¢t realized they didn¢t accept maildrops until after my friend had sent mine and asked her if she still had it. Without even asking my name, she said, ¢no,¢ they didn¢t have it. She said they send them back to the sender when they show up. I asked if she wouldn¢t mind checking to make sure. She asked if I was staying the night and I told her I wasn¢t sure as of yet (Judy had highly recommended the White Birches, and the way this woman was treating me, I was definitely not inclined to stay). She stood there and seemed to have forgotten about checking on the package. I asked again if she wouldn¢t mind checking, and she turned and went into the door of her home. I thought she would not return! As I stood waiting, I thought about how I would resupply without my package. Finally, she returned, holding a box. ¢Unfortunately, we had it,¢ she said, with a sour face. ¢It¢s because of people like you who keep bothering us that we don¢t accept them.¢      I thanked her, apologized again, and left stunned. How could anyone live their life with such an attitude? There was no way I would stay there (and I highly encourage others not to as well). That place was the exact opposite of ¢Hiker¢s Paradise¢!      I next had to find my way to some dinner, before getting to the White Birches, which was a couple of miles at the opposite end of town. I was so tired, that I did not feel like walking with my pack and newly acquired box, so I tried hitching. Luckily, a nice young girl picked me up, and dropped me off at the drugstore, where I hoped to buy a new memory card. However, since it was Sunday, it was closed. I then walked across the street to ¢Mr. Pizza¢ for dinner, which Judy also recommended. My guidebook didn¢t have the White Birches listed, so I called Erik and had him look up the number on the web. After connecting with them, they said they would come and pick me up, and that there were two other hikers currently eating there. I thought one of the names she mentioned sounded something like Braid, so after I finished eating, I got up and looked all over the restaurant for Braid or any other hikers. However, I found none!       While waiting outside, I did meet the two other girls who were staying at the hostel. They said they preferred to walk back. Then, I saw Carpenter and Doublezip walking across the street, so I waved them over. They were telling me who else was in town, and one of them happened to be Braid! ¢Braid? Braid is in town?¢ I couldn¢t believe it! I thought he was still a couple of days ahead of me! They told me he was staying at the Barn and would be around in the morning, as he had things to do. Wonderful!   I got my ride back to the hostel, was able to send a quick e-mail to Braid to let him know I was around, washed my clothes, and took a shower, before settling into my bunk. I didn¢t know any of the other hikers there, as most were southbounders.