Date: 2019-08-23
From: East B Hill Road, Andover, ME

To: South Arm Road, Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.1

I slept okay last night. I was awake for a while in the middle of the night because someone got up and slammed a bunch of doors at 1:45am. SC had pancakes for breakfast and I finished my chips and cheese. We got in the first shuttle to go slack packing. There is a group of 12 hikers here who have been hiking together for some time, and they are hiking north, so we are doing the same hike because it was easier for the hostel. We get started just after 8:30. There are a few hikers getting dropped off by another hostel. I hike with a woman probably about 25 years older than me and am able to keep up with her up the first hill and down the first hill, but when we start up the second hill, I wish her a good hike. ¢Oh, you¢ll see me again,¢ she assured me. ¢I take lots of breaks.¢ I didn¢t see her again. The first 4 miles are primarily uphill to the top of Wyman Mountain. It¢s a nice, gentle climb. SC and I stop at Hall Mountain Lean-To. Then it is down to Sawyer Brook. There¢s one more mountain and the elevation profile looks steeper than Wyman. The climb up is steep but not too steep. I get to the top of this mountain, Moody, about 3pm. I am feeling moody myself. The shuttle driver had said we should be done with the hike about 1. I was still coming down Wyman at that time. Fortunately, they have another shuttle coming at 4pm.As I¢m on top of Moody, I take a look at Guthook to see when the Andover post office is open because we have a package waiting. Guthook shows that it closes at 4:15(!) and has no hours listed for Saturdays. I start to get a little panicked. Yesterday the shuttle showed up at 3:30. Maybe he¢ll be early today too. The climb down Moody is steep but it has rock stairs in a lot of places, which makes the downhill easier. When we are almost to the road, suddenly there¢s a privy! I hadn¢t realized there was an established campsite there when we got picked up here yesterday. SC is at the campsite enjoying some trail magic, and I let her know I¢m headed to the road in case the shuttle comes early.I get to the road about 3:40 and do what I can to be ready to jump in the shuttle like collapse my trekking poles and have my ¢wallet¢ out. SC is there a few minutes later joined by a couple of others who will be joining us at the hostel. One is a nobo with a hurt ankle. The other is our friend from the 100MW, Sidewinder! We had last seen him at the last hostel we stayed at a week ago. He¢s still 10 miles behind us but he should be able to make that up tomorrow when we take a short day. I check with Sidewinder and the nobo and ask if it¢s okay if we go straight to the post office and try to get there before it closes. They say they are good with that. The shuttle driver gets there maybe 2 minutes before 4pm. I ask him if there¢s any way we could get to the post office before it closes. He says maybe, but he then keeps forgetting he¢s trying to go fast. We get to town about 4:13 and pull up to the post office at 4:14. I jump out of the car and sprint to the door. The woman running the post office is coming out to lock the door. ¢I¢m closed,¢ she tells me, ¢and I don¢t get paid for overtime.¢ There¢s something in her tone that just hurts. Here I am, having tried to do everything I could to get there on time, adrenaline all spiked, and she can¢t even see what it is that I need? Anyway, I walk away and break down crying.The shuttle driver takes us to the convenience store while he goes to pick up hikers from the other trailhead. I stand in the store crying, so SC and the nobo give me a group hug. I feel a little better and then I find the protein bar section of the store. They actually carry some that I¢m not allergic to. I pick up a couple for breakfast. Tonight they are serving hamburgers at the hostel, so at least I can have that.It takes a while for the hostel driver to return from the other trailhead and then those hikers are let out at the convenience store so they can go shopping. It seems like forever before we get back to the hostel.We¢ve been moved from our futons in the loft to bunks in the bunk room. I¢m fine with this because it should be darker and cooler in the bunk room.Anyway, after putting in my hamburger order, I go out to the back deck and call Spike¢s Dad. I cry some more. I think several things came together today. 1. We were hiking north and so it was more clear than usual how slow I am because of all the people passing me. 2. I haven¢t eaten much the last few days. 3. Rushing to get to the post office only to get there right as it was closing and getting no compassion from the woman there. I¢ve now eaten and am in bed. I just had to ask a guy to leave because he was on a video call with his family in the bunk room. There are signs everywhere saying that the bunk room is a quiet room for sleeping only. Apparently he was doing this out by the TV and was distracting everyone and they asked him to go somewhere else, so instead of going outside, he came into the bunk room?! Fortunately, Sidewinder backed me up when I said something. However, now I¢m in bed angry at the post office lady and the guy on the phone. I hope I can sleep.