Date: 2008-09-06
From: Middle Carter Mountain

To: Gorham, New Hampshire
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept 'in' until 7:00 AM. I was moderately tired from hiking until fairly late yesterday. Got on the Trail about 8:00 AM. Descended a bit then went up and over the last Carter Mountain, North Carter Mountain. Then, had a rapid descent, mostly down rocks, for about 2 miles.Then, the descent was more gradual as the Trail continued to NH Highway Route 2 some 7 miles away. It was a quite enjoyable hike, following the Rattle River and going through some scenic terrain.I got to the road about 3:00 PM. Snow Plow came down off the Trail about 15 minutes later. We tried hitchhiking into Gorham (some 3.6 miles West), but didn't have any luck. I called a local guy, Bruce, Golden Waldo, Feige, who does Shuttles and he came a picked us up. He took Snow Plow to the Hostel and me to the Royalty Inn Motel, where I had made a reservation. He also took me to Shaw's Market and I got groceries for the next section of Trail.In the hike today, I have hiked 1778 miles, which means that I have less than 300 miles (298, to be exact) to get to the top of Mt. Katahdin.I slept 'in' until 7:00 AM. I was moderately tired from hiking until fairly late yesterday. Got on the Trail about 8:00 AM. Descended a bit then went up and over the last Carter Mountain, North Carter Mountain. Then, had a rapid descent, mostly down rocks, for about 2 miles.Then, the descent was more gradual as the Trail continued to NH Highway Route 2 some 7 miles away. It was a quite enjoyable hike, following the Rattle River and going through some scenic terrain.I got to the road about 3:00 PM. Snow Plow came down off the Trail about 15 minutes later. We tried hitchhiking into Gorham (some 3.6 miles West), but didn't have any luck. I called a local guy, Bruce, Golden Waldo, Feige, who does Shuttles and he came a picked us up. He took Snow Plow to the Hostel and me to the Royalty Inn Motel, where I had made a reservation. He also took me to Shaw's Market and I got groceries for the next section of Trail.In the hike today, I have hiked 1778 miles, which means that I have less than 300 miles (298, to be exact) to get to the top of Mt. Katahdin.I went and had supper at the Mexican restaurant next door (Crabby Joe's) and then went back to my room about 7:30. I turned on my cell phone and tried to call Nancy at home, but got now answer. My cell phone said I had a voice mail, and I checked it, and it was my brother-in-law, Gardie, with a message to call him as soon as I got this. Ominous. I called him and he told me that Nancy, my wife, had been taken to the Emergency Room at Emory by ambulance this afternoon. It appeared that she was having a repeat of a previous episode, in which she was dizzy and disoriented, due to low blood pressure and irregular heart beat, with some more serious condition. I talked to my Mother-in-Law and my daughter, Kirsten, who went over to the hospital and called me. I was obvious that I needed to get home as soon as I could and started finding ways to do so. Fortunately, a bus company called Concord Bus Lines, has a bus from Gorham to Logan Airport in Boston, and it turned out that the driver for the bus was staying overnight in the same motel. I got in touch with him and arranged to leave with him for Logan Airport the next morning.