Date: 2009-07-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Dear readers,I am at my home for the next two days and there is internet, woo hoo! We are staying at Loon's boyfriend's mom's best friends house. How's that for a connection? Her name is Betsy and she lives right on the trail in Norwich, VT- a mile south of Hanover, NH and loves helping out hikers as they pass by. Her home is cozy and I'm looking forward to spending the next day and a half here. I believe that movies on the comfy couch in the cool basement are on the agenda. I just took my first shower in 8 days and gosh, did it feel good. I was way overdue for a good cleaning. I think my clothes were definitely the worst though. They really had reached the rotting animal carcass stage. Plus, it has been raining, so on top of sweat and body odor, everything was infiltrated with the smell of mildew, too. Everything absorbs the bad smells of dirty laundry, including the pack. Don't even get me started on how badly the straps of the pack reek. Everything as Loon puts it, gets "funktified". Gross.Speaking of sweat, we have often found ourselves camping in porcupine territory. I can't wait 'til the day when Gangsta has issues with a porcupine getting into her stuff. You know it's bound to happen. Apparently they love the salt on shoes and clothes so we're taking extra precautions at shelters. Often times, the edge of the shelters and the support beams are knawed all around from porcupine damage. It makes me question the structural integrity of some of the shelters. Mr. Right saw one the other day when he took a .4 mile blue blaze to the summit of Pico Mt. I was going to go, but when I saw the steepness, my laziness got the best of me and I opted out. It would have been worth it for my first ever porcupine sighting, though! Also, we've continued to see a lot of moose poop -but no moose sightings yet! We had fun writing Plunger's name in moose poop on the trail for her to come across the next day. Gangsta actually did it (using her hands). I just took photos and video and dispensed the Purell for her afterwards.My appetite has been through the roof lately. Nothing on the trail satiates me anymore. I am still hungry after finishing a box of macaroni and cheese (3 servings). I am having to strictly ration my food as we near town because I can't seem to carry enough. A big reason is because we are back to climbing mountains and having a lot of elevation change each day. My appetite has noticeably increased with elevation changes. Also, I'm getting tired of the diet out here. I've resorted to eating straight peanut butter often because it's got the best bang for your buck as far as calories go... 100 calories per tablespoon! Pop-tarts and candy bars provide me with about 30 minutes of energy before I'm hungry again. I haven't lost a ton of weight (no female in their 20s that I know out here has), maybe 5-10 lbs. but I am down to what I weighed in high school. The love handles, however, apparently will always remain. There was the annual Appalachian Trail Conservancy convention going on all last week. It was taking place in the area so we encountered many members out on day hikes all week long! Some we even saw multiple days as they were out doing different sections each day and our paths continued to cross. We also encountered some who have been following our journals which is always fun...We have less than 500 miles left. 442 miles to be exact. If we summit on the 26th as planned, that is 34 days left. Only two states remain. Our next border will be Maine. It's crazy to think about all the different ways you can phrase what is left of this grand adventure. Some days Maine feels like a long way off and other days it feels so close. The White mountains loom ahead,and although they are supposed to be incredible,they are also a bit daunting and nerve wracking. A part of me will be glad to have them behind me. We might have 1700+ miles under our belt, but it will still be more challenging than anything we have yet to encounter. My fingers and toes are crossed for nice weather. Our bodies are definitely starting to feel weary. 1700 miles has taken it's toll and zero days are much appreciated and feel more necessary more frequently. I am thankful for this nero/zero before the Whites. I no longer want to do big mileage days. I hope I never see a 20+ again. Sometimes I feel as though I'm getting burnt out and other days I think I could do this forever. My mindset and attitude change as frequently as the weather... Luckily, Gangsta and I only need to average 13 miles/day in order to summit on August 26th. It should be a pretty relaxed itinerary for us through Maine unless we go really slowly through the Whites. We'll be forced to chill out, which I think will be really good for us. In the grand scheme of things, I have been out for almost 130 days, and another 34 is nothing. I'm also a bit sad to think of life after August 26 when this entire community I've formed out here and life I have become so comfortable in disappears in a matter of minutes when I climb into the car and drive away. I don't really like to think about that. The trail has certainly grown to feel like my home and my fellow hiking buddies, my family. Life on the trail is familiar, routine, and comfortable. My tent feels like my home, my pack is my life. To know how happy I can be with such simple pleasures in life is a feeling I hope to not let go of. I wish I could relay feelings of safety, coziness, and happiness felt the other night while snuggled up in my sleeping bag in my tent while the rain pounded the rainfly. The weather that night reminded me of my first night on Springer Mt. on March 14th, 1700 miles prior. The weather was the same, but I enjoyed thinking what was different: I have close friendships built on 4 months of trail memories, Maine now sounds like a realistic goal- not a bizarre dream, 20 miles is a manageable hiking distance, my legs are a lot stronger (and hairier), I have the confidence that my tent will stay dry and I will sleep well when it's raining, I have made peace with the rain, my gear has seen a lot of love displayed by the amount of duct tape repairs on everything. I found it ironic that that night was the only other night where the weather was almost identical to that of March 14th-- a steady rain that lasted all night long, into morning. I was at that shelter at mile 1700.4 with Gangsta, Rolling Stone, and his pup, Coal-- all people who I met that first rainy night on the trail. It's crazy to see how far we've come. That first night and morning on the trail continues to be my most challenging day out here yet. I think it was the AT testing me, asking me if I had what it takes to get to Maine.From the afternoon that I spent in Hanover today, it appears to be a pretty cool town, home of Dartmouth. It also seems pretty preppy - JCrew U? We didn't really fit in, to say the least. As Gangsta often quotes, her favorite line from Sex and the City, "I feel like I'm wearing Patchouli in a room full of Chanel." The best part about being in Prep Central today was when Gangsta and I were standing on curb, dirty, smelly, and unkept, with our thumbs out trying to get a hitch back to Norwich as a tour group walked by full of prospective students. Awesome. I bet parents loved seeing the sight of us knowing they could potentially be paying thousands of dollars in tuition to send their children here a year or two from now.Lastly, before I wrap this up, I want to thank everyone who sent stuff to my Hanover maildrop. It once again felt like Christmas at the post office and I felt so loved, so encouraged and supported, and well, you all made me feel pretty badass for making it to New Hampshire, so thanks! I think a special shout out needs to go to Lilli for including a Wag Bag in my box of goodies. I believe it will come with me to Katahdin, assuming it goes unused...Okay, I need to get going. Linda (Dom's mom) just arrived and apparently she's a massage therapist and brought her table with her. I just died and went to heaven. Happy Zero Day,Wags