Date: 2003-08-31
From: Monson (Blue blaze side trail)

To: Monson, ME (Maine route 15)
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: broken clouds

Well, rested and hungry I headed over to the main house at Shaws for the all you can eat home cooked breakfast. I had 2 eggs with cheese, potatoes, 2 French toast, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, 2 ham slices, tons of coffee, orange juice and a donut. I¢m stuffed, good thing I¢m only hiking a few miles today. Back to my room to go through my bounce box, then a nap, before grocery shopping and lunch. As we were leaving Shaws, in came Coffee, Aloha Anne, Cee Bee, Don Quixote, and Mountain dance. It¢s good to see them, we spent a couple of nights with this group and like them all. A lot of smart assed wit, combined with trail savvy and genuine friendliness (don¢t tell them I said this). Anyway, we went to lunch (stuffed again), and to IGA to shop for food and to get an anniversary card . I didn¢t forget my anniversary, but it was close (dates all run together out here), it¢s hard to remember things from the ¢real world¢, when you just worry about day to day things out here. I¢ve been on the trail for 6 months, but it seems like I started a lifetime ago. It¢s been lots of 2-7 day pieces from town to town, like lots of mini hikes combined until finally, I¢m here in Monson. So many trail names and faces, I can¢t remember them all, and the people I can remember, I can¢t always match a name or trail name to. Anyway, back top the boarding house for more food, dinner was squash, Turkey, beans, potatoes, bread, gravy, coffee, with berries and ice cream for dessert. Yup, stuffed again. Boy, with all the talking I did about food and shopping, I almost forgot to mention our hike today. Mama and Papa Wench, Wench, Eric and I took a leisurely stroll of 3.3 miles to Maine highway 15 today. It was a nice, easy walk in the woods, talking the whole way. This was good exercise for my sore heel (in my new boots, with new padded insoles), over easy terrain, and a slow pace. My heel was mostly OK, but I experimented with an extra layer of foam padding under it (it seemed to help). We have to walk 61 miles into the hundred mile wilderness in the next 4 days, so Papa Wench can pick us up at Jo Mary road and take me to a hotel, and Wench to a wedding in Booth Bay Harbor. If my foot acts up, I¢ll have to let her go ahead and change my plans, but no worries, I think I can do it. Once we get done with this 4 day section, there are no more big mountains left until Katahdin! It¢s hard to believe, that we are going into the hundred mile wilderness tomorrow¢¦ The journey winds down, the end is in sight¢¦ I want it to end, but I don¢t¢¦ Hey, I just heard from Keith Shaw (he was at Katahdin today) that ¢5 alive¢ (Speck, Slickrock, Ketchup, ooh poo, and diesel) are summiting tomorrow! Awesome! Wench and I just looked over the maps, drank beer, and finalized our schedule to Jo Mary road, and now I need to go to sleep. NOTE: Even now, 6 months later, I want to just drop everything, head to Maine, and hike the whole state again¢¦ I¢ve felt empty since I got home, no job yet, I feel out of place. Hiking the AT was simpler. I got the feeling back a week or so ago when I rehiked the AT from Springer to Neels gap (the start of a section hike), but I need to do more. Life is good!