Date: 2015-07-15
From: Maine 4 Road

To: Rangeley
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up as it started to rain on my tent about 5.45am. It had taken me ages to get to sleep. The rain lasted for a few hours, long enough to soak the tent that I had managed to dry out overnight. About 6, I started waking up. Stoat and Poppins quickly packed up and made for the comfort of the dry car. I followed shortly after, and at 6.30 we were making our way back into Rangeley. Although the rain stopped in the morning, and the day turned into a decent one (if windy and cooler than usual), I decided to take a zero day and spend more time with Stoat and Poppins before they vanished off back to the real world. We had a small breakfast at a bakery place, and then we went to try and meet some other hikers at a random road crossing. We stayed their for a while, eating cereal and then playing the AT card game. We went through literally all of the cards. Some of the questions are a bit difficult and funny, "where should you store waterproof matches?" was a particularly memorable one. Another stated that cat holes should be 4-6 inches wide as well as 8 inches deep. That's practically a trench compared to what people actually do. We eventually went back to the coffee shop/gift shop in Rangeley, which has comfy chairs but high prices. After, we dropped into the outfitters, where I was eyeing up a new trekking pole. Unfortunately, they were costly and only sold in pairs. However, a random old man offered me a hiking pole that he said he has been trying to get rid of for a year! It was perfect, and saved me some money too. Later, we went back to the road crossing and I finally met the AK Twins. They are twins from Arkansas, and they're particularly notable because they both wear hiking kilts. I actually saw another hiker wearing a kilt later on, so I guess they must be getting fashionable. One of them also played the ocarina. Stoat and Poppins filled them up with biscuits and fizzy drinks before we headed back. We stopped at a random diner for lunch, where Stoat and I tried lobster rolls for the first time. It was pretty good. Maine has a reputation for lobster based foods, and it seems well earned. After that it was nearly time for me to be dropped back. We stopped at the supermarket once more and have a ride to the hostel to another hiker. I checked into the Farmhouse Inn whilst Stoat and Poppins gave two boxes of cans to the hikers. I said goodbye to Stoat and Poppins. It was as sad as I expected it to be. I wish I could have spent more time with them on the trail, but their speed and strength was more than I could ever do. Still, it was very helpful to learn what will be ahead of me and what to expect when I stop hiking. They also gave me some useful things, include a larger Sawyer! This will drastically cut my filtering time down. I'm going to donate my mini sawyer to a SOBOer or stick it in a hiker box.At the Farmhouse Inn, I bumped into Drifter, Longhorn and his dad, and a whole bunch of SOBOs. The owner told me that BigBen had just left and was heading for Stratton. I don't know if I will be able to catch up with him. The hostel itself is kind of spread out. There are a bunch of beds and bunks just in random rooms, and I'm in what appears to be a living room. The building is apparently under reconstruction, so there are bare walls and no ceilings all over the place. There is construction equipment in the garden, along with chickens and a pig. The bed is comfy though, and despite the ongoing work, it's still quite clean. I decided not to go to dinner for town, I had eaten so much today already. I did however relish taking a shower and scrubbing the mud off the back of my legs. I didn't do laundry this time though, it seemed a bit pointless after doing it just a couple days ago with very little effect.