Date: 2013-08-09
From: St Mary's Hiker Hostel, Cheshire, MA

To: St. Mary's Hiker Hostel, Cheshire, MA
Miles today: 0.0

It started raining last night, and it didn't stop. It was coming down hard. I could hear it pounding on the roof; I had originally though it was the A/C. My phone said we were under a flash flood warning. If there was a day to take advantage of a free place to stay, this was the day! I sat outside the door under the awning and watched the rain come down in sheets. The water formed a river that ran across the parking lot. A church parishioner came in and asked if we'd like some coffee. Cheshire is a lovely town, but there are no convenience stores or diners for the caffeine-deprived to get their fix. A short while later, she returned with a gallon of Dunkin' Donuts coffee, cups, creamers and a dozen fresh muffins. I LOVE Cheshire. I got to talk to Tom and his parents and my parents. I called the post office in Williamstown to have some packages forwarded on. I was planning to be there today, but I won't make it in time to catch the post office open. So I'm having them bounced up to Vermont to some family that I'll be staying with in a week or so. I also called the outfitter back in Kent, CT to find out if she ever forwarded on the boots. She hadn't. Darn it. So I asked her to mail those to Vermont as well. My boots will be beyond worn out by the time I get to my next pair.The rain continued to fall. Someone mentioned that there was a local bus that passed through Cheshire on its way to the local shopping mall. There was a an Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) outfitter and a movie theater. Hmmm...this could work. A group of seven or eight of us huddled under the tiniest bus-stop, waiting for an even tinier bus to arrive. We were dripping and soggy when it arrived, but no one seemed annoyed when they had to shift seats to make room. It was just part of public transportation. The bus dropped us at the mall, and the driver told us which bus to catch to get back. And without further ado, we were released into the general population... It felt weird. I got some strange looks with my dress, down jacket, hiking cap, knee socks, green Crocs and very, very hairy legs. I could see shoppers giving me the up-and-down look, trying to figure out what was going on. I was surprised by how self-conscious it made me feel. I'd thought that I would be more unaffected by strangers' glances, and yet here I was feeling the need to explain myself. But I didn't. I went to EMS and tried on boots. I found a pair that might work, but I'm not in love with them. I decided to buy them and mail them to my family Vermont as well. At least I'll have a back up pair if the ones I ordered don't work out. The sales associate asked how my hike was going. She got it! She said it was the Crocs that gave me away; she'd thru-hike a few years prior. I decided to go see a movie. It was silly and mindless, but it was nice to live in an alternate universe for a bit. I ate popcorn and drank a coke. And suddenly, I realized that I couldn't remember where I was. I had to think hard to remember. I caught the bus back to the hostel with Pressure-D and Rock Dancer. I asked Rock Dancer if he wouldn't mind giving my pack a shake down. I know it's pretty heavy still, and I'd like to shed some weight where I can. He tore my pack apart, and I surprised by how vulnerable it made me feel and by how defensive I got. He was doing exactly what I asked him to do, but it was a real knock to my ego and confidence. My gear had become an extension of my self. It had gotten me this far. And I didn't like it criticized, I found out too late. Oh well. I texted Beerdra, and she made me feel better. I miss her. I hope we reconnect so we can hike together. I spent a few more hours farting around on my phone, but got exact ZERO trail journals updated. Shame on me. Oh well....