Date: 2009-08-08
To: Caratunk
Miles today: 0.0

Only the best day ever!!! To start off¢I got to sleep in! Not by lying in bed, but actually sleeping (that never happens out here). So I started hiking around 10 o¢clock and was planning on just cruising into Caratunk and staying at the Northern Outdoors¢a short little 20 miles. Well I was just about to sit down and eat lunch at 1 o¢clock when I ran into Nanigoat! Nanigoat and Stooge were our trail parents down in Virginia. They treated Buckeye, Blue Sky, Wimbledon, Smile Train, am myself like their own kids. It was awesome. We looked forward to seeing Stooge waiting at every road crossing with a cold coke and snickers bar. Nanigoat jumped up ahead. I kept in touch with Stooge, so I knew we would be crossing paths soon. So we hug, caught up, and she asked me if I was planning on catching the ferry across the Kennebec. I responded with a yeah, of course, what do you mean?Well it's 12 miles away and the ferry service stops running at 4. This caught me off guard, so I just hit the trail running¢covering the 12 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes to catch the last ferry. So a total of 20 miles in less than 6 hours with no lunch and only 1 1/2 litters of water. I am turning into a machine out here and love it! Around 2 o¢clock in the middle of absolutely nowhere (so remote, that the guide book that I use has the map on three consecutive pages¢meaning that there was nothing to explain about this area¢even in the 100 mile wilderness there is stuff to explain) there were 2 bananas, two sodas, and two triple AAA batteries!!! The answer to my lunch! It was amazing; I was able to eat on the fly! As soon as I realized that I had to hit the trail running I immediately pulled out my music and I was able to pick up just one station, and it came through perfectly! Good old southern hard rock¢the perfect music to get me pumped up to fly down the trail. Long story short, I don¢t carry any spare batteries, I just pull the batteries out of my head lamp when I need them to use in my radio. Well I was down to the last one and it ran out! I was able to put the new super duper, 8x more power, AAA batteries in and keep on rocking! So I get to the river! As I crossed in a canoe, I found out that I am the 150 NOBO thru-hiker to make it this far! Starting at the back on the pack, this is a pretty cool feat! Crossed the river and immediately got a hitch to the Northern Outdoors, a rafting and canoe outfit, and also a Pub and Brewery! Live music tonight! Oh and did I mention they have free showers! Hot tub, that holds 16! A pool! I mean it can¢t get any better than this! So I am sitting relaxing in the hot tub, obviously out of place. Then I start working my magic, telling stories, casually mentioning that I crossed over the 2,000 mile mark today! Which I did! So I end up getting invited to dinner by the couple from Canada! And when I mean free dinner, I mean a 16-ounce sirloin steak, baked potato, and vegetables! Man I live a good life!It turns out the place is absolutely booked and I can see why. But no worries, I have already been invited to three different campsites, evidently they all have room, and want to feed me! I think I can do a second and third dinner tonight!170 miles to Maine! 8 days! And I get to see Mom and Dad!!!