Date: 2004-08-15
From: Franconia Notch Trailhead, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Yep, another zero dayNorthern Peaks Motor InnGorham, NHThis should be my last zero day for a while. I'm planning on hiking tomorrow!! I feel like I need to hike again.I woke up in the back of my truck again this morning after a good nights sleep at Franconia Notch Trailhead. I hid a food stash there at for when I hike through that area later this week. That should keep me from going into N. Woodstock to resupply.I drove down to Indian Head Resort and checked to see when they start serving breakfast. They start at 7:30am. I had some time before then, so I drove to Kinsman Notch and hid a food stash for when I hike through.I went back to Indian Head Resort and got seated for breakfast. They have a buffet and will cook omelettes to order. I was seated by the window where I could look at the mountain across the way and see the figure of an Indian head in the rocks. It was supposed to rain last night and today, but that all missed me. After breakfast, I drove to Willey House at Crawford Notch and left a food box with them. I inquired about a campground that Frogcaller had told me about. If I feel like I need a shower when I go through that area, I will stay at the campground.I drove by Mt. Washington and noticed alot of bicycles, so I parked and went down to see what was happening. When I hiked through here in '02, there was a bike race up the mountain. This year there were mostly dirt bikes. I didn't hang around long because I was trying to get to Gorham to see LWOP, who LiteShoe told me was in the area.I headed on to Pinkham Notch and again dropped off a food drop in their store.On my way from there to Gorham, I saw a bear cub that came out to cross the road, but got scared and ran back into the forest.That's the first bear I've seen in the Whites.I got to Gorham a little after noon and stopped by The Barn to see if LWOP was there. I was told that he had left an hour ago. I looked at my map and realized that I wouldn't be able to find him at a road crossing because there weren't any. I went down to the motel I like to stay at here in Gorham and got a room and arranged to leave my truck here until the 24th of this month. At that time, I will slowly make my way to Ohio to catch a ride with Skeemer out to California to do the John Muir Trail.I made a call to talk to Skeemer and was leaving a message on his voice recorder when I saw LWOP in the parking lot scratching his head. I yelled out the door at him, all this while I had Skeemer's recorder on the other end of the phone. Sorry about the crazy message Skeemer. It was good to run into LWOP. I thought for sure that I missed him. He is hiking with Bear Bag Hanger and Hammock Hanger. They both came over to my room and we talked for a while. I tried calling LiteShoe on the phone so she could talk to her friend, LWOP. I was leaving a message on her recorder and was jokingly saying that LWOP had a pair of woman's black lace bikini underwear hanging out of his pocket. I was just playing. LWOP pulled out a pair of woman's black lace underwear and threw them at me. I had no idea he really was carrying those. I guess that in our emails, I heard about these underwear, but I thought it was a joke, but it wasn't...he had them and had been carrying them since Kent, Ct.That's very strange there LWOP, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. If I had to guess who on the whole trail was carrying those underwear, it would be LWOP.He told a funny story about them. He tried leaving them somewhere and another hiker saw he was putting together a bounce box to send ahead, so the hiker stuck the underwear in the box, thinking he would be surprised when he got to the town where his bounce box was and looked in to see those underwear again. The box wasn't a bounce box though, it was a box he was sending home to his wife. I would have loved to hear that conversation after she got the box and opened it. I wonder how he got his wife to send them back. Maybe he said something like; "Please honey, would you send them back. They're the only thing that keeps me from chafing while I'm hiking." or maybe something like this; "When I do laundry in town, I have to wear something." or "I'm planning on wearing those for my summit photo on Katahdin." { LWOP is a retired postal worker}I got in touch with Liteshoe and she said there is a rumor going around that I ate some brownies that I was carrying up to a caretaker...It's not a rumor...they were delicious!!!What was I supposed to do?? When I got to where the caretaker was staying, I found out she wouldn't be back until the next day. I couldn't just leave the brownies sitting there. They would have attracted bears or mice or hikers, so in true, leave no trace practice...I left no trace!!That discussion is mostly for Lady Di, so she will understand that it's not my fault if someone chooses to send food out with me. They should know better.LWOP, Hammock Hanger and Bear Bag Hanger were getting hungry, so I dropped them off at a restaurant. I was still full from breakfast.I went and bought me a disposable camera, since my digital camera's charger is in CT at John Galt's house. I sure wish I had my digital charged up to go through the Whites.I came back and finished packing my backpack and watched The Weather Channel.LWOP, Hammock Hanger, Bear Bag Hanger and I went to the pizza place for dinner. It's always great to talk to other hiker's because they love to talk about hiking.LWOP kept telling me about his hike, so I grinned every once in a while and acted like I was listening to him.I asked Hammock Hanger about hanging hammocks because John Galt always took so long to get his hammock ready to crawl in. She said it shouldn't take more than a few minutes...hear that John Galt?? I would get to camp and set up my tent, eat and write half my journal entry while John Galt was hanging his hammock. I knew it shouldn't take that long.Another great day near the A.T.