Date: 2009-07-13
From: Ten Mile River Lean-to

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 8.7

I was still so tired in the morning that I did not get up until 7:20. Kog had already left, and I didn¢t think I¢d see him again, knowing the pace he hikes, and the fact that he doesn¢t like to stop in towns. There was supposed to be a pump from a well for water, but no one could find it, so I collected water from the river. It was pretty in the sunlight. I packed up, ate a power bar, and got going. I needed to listen to my ipod for energy that day.    The hike first took us along the Ten Mile river. Up ahead, I saw something move in the woods. Three deer sprinted across the trail to the other side of the woods. They stayed there and looked at me with lifted heads and pricked ears. I told them they had a nice home! One of them seemed to want me to move along. It would lift its foreleg and stomp it to the ground every now and then. I finally left the deer and continued on to the second of three NY/CT borders. I had a 1000 foot climb in front of me, which was no easy feat. The rest of the hike was more difficult than our guidebooks let on. It was a constant series of ups and downs for the rest of the way. I listened to my Katahdin summit song and cried a little, as I thought about all the effort I had put into this, and all that I still had to give. I passed several southbound hikers on my way. One gentlemen offered to carry out my trash for me as he was headed to his car, but I told him I¢d throw it out in Kent. I officially crossed into New England upon my arrival at the third NY/CT border. I was coming home!   I stopped in at the Mt Algo Lean-to, where I read a good entry from Pusher, echoing the same sentiments I had about todays¢s hike. I planned on only stopping in Kent for a few hours- to eat and do my laundry and then head back into the woods, as there were no reasonably priced places to stay there. To my surprise, as I was walking into town, I saw Kog walking back to the trail! He resupplied very quickly, as usual, and was headed back out for another 11 miles. I told him I probably wouldn¢t see him again, but he said he would be taking some time off in MA and told me what his schedule was. There was still hope that we would run into each other up ahead. ¢I¢ll see you when I see you¢, he said. It was a nice interaction. I passed the pretty Kent Academy, and felt at home in my familiar New England with its prep schools. I reached the center of town sooner than I expected and right away saw the caf© where Bones was interviewed last year for the New York Times article. I saw Chance and Colonel Mustard and asked them where a good place to eat was. They directed me to ¢The Villager¢, and as I was putting my pack down, Squeegie ran out to invite me in to eat with her and the twins, the twins¢ mother, and a family friend. The twins are two very lucky girls to have such a beautiful and nice mother! I had a turkey club and cranberry juice and the twins¢ mother was very kind and included my lunch with the bill. Thank you, Mrs. Grady! While the twins and Squeegie readied for their slackpack, I headed over to the coffee shop for a brownie and coffee, and to recharge my electronics. It was a very comfortable place to relax! I then headed over to the outfitters to pick up my maildrop, and received a second package from my friend Laura, which included an encouraging note and two delicious chocolate bars! Thanks, Laura! I looked around the store for some buffs, which I could not find in any of the other outfitters. Today I was in luck! Not only did this outfitter¢s have buffs, but they had a lot of jewelry, which I had also been wanting for a long time! I had fun trying on different things and finally bought a necklace and three pairs of earrings, along with my (expensive) denatured alcohol. I was one happy girl!       I headed back to the coffee shop to label my pictures and drink some ice water, and then went to the panini shop before it closed at 5 for a breakfast bagel and second coffee. I was waiting for Laura to call me back and trying to figure out my plan. I was not feeling very well and was no longer motivated to go back out on the trail. A lot of hikers were camping in the backyard of a church, but there were no trees for my hammock. When I told one person that I wasn¢t feeling well, he convinced me to stay in Kent and camp out with them. I decided that tonight would be the night I would try to cowboy camp for the first time! After I arranged my sleeping pad and bag, I headed over to the ice cream shop to journal, as it was the only caf©-like place open at night. As I sat there, Veggie Steve came in and kicked my foot (which really hurt!). I had heard that he was trying to change his reputation and become friendlier to the other hikers, and I saw this change for myself when he offered to buy me some ice cream! I got a cup of coffee and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Thanks, Veggie Steve! I then finally talked with Laura, who was starting to organize a visit out to the trail when I arrived in Massachusetts. I stayed at the ice cream shop until almost 8 and then headed back to my sleeping bag for my first night under the stars. It was not the most pleasant night, as I fought off the bugs and dew...I couldn¢t wait to get going in the morning!