Date: 2006-06-23
From: Galehead hut

To: Hikers Paradise Hostel, Gorham NH
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: light rain

Long entry today.7:15 a.m. Another day of what I call "weather poker". I woke up at 4;30 a.m. to the boom and crash of thunder and lightning. It was a short storm. I stood and looked down into the misty valley of the horseshoe. (The "horseshoe" is the semi-circular ridgeline fromed by a number of 4,000 foot peaks in the Pemigewassett Wilderness). To my left, the summit of South Twin was obscured by clouds. To my right, the summit of Galehead was clear. At a 1/2 mile distance it seemed close enough to touch. Wispy fog slid around its eastern slope. There was no sun, no blue sky, only clouds and near 100% humidity. Yet I could hear the chorus of the birds, whistling, chirping and singing. Maybe it will be a good day yet.I did my work for stay chores at Galehead and left at 8:35. It took me 45 minutes to climb roughly 1,100 feet in about 8/10th's of a mile. like the Garfiled descent, STEEP! Catching 2 of the guests near the summit who had been the hut and left nearly an hour before me made me feel good about my ability to traverse these rugged mountains. But still, it took over 4 hours to make it the 7 miles to Zealand Falls Hut.At the hut, I had a few bowls of soup and coffee (the coffee was in a cup, not a bowl) and looked over the map to detemine my options. The weather was looking better, but rain was still in the forecast. I wanted to get to AMC's Highlands Center. The options were: shortest route, 5.5 miles up over the shoulder of Mt Tom and by the Avalon and A-Z trails and arrive directly at the center. Option 2, follow the AT 7.5 miles to Rt 302 and hitch about 3 1/2 miles to the center. Option 3, follow the flat Zealand trail 2.5 miles to Zealand Rd and out to Rt 302, then hitch the 6 miles to the center.Trail magic intervened. Staring at the sign at the Ethan Pond trail jct, Bob Yarnold, originally from England now living in Montreal, approached from behind. I explained my predicament and he offered to ride me to the center. He was parked at the Zealand Rd trailhead. So how about that. trail Magic is even offered by international trail angels.Since Bob drove me to the Highlands Center, I got there before the last shuttle departed to Pinkham Notch. I wanted to get to the Hikers Paradise in Gorham. There was a group of hikers waiting on the shuttle also. Madeline and her son Simon, Carol and her son Todd, all from VT, and Dan, a hiker from ME who was trying to get to the Appalchia trail head.We shared stories on the shuttle which took about 40 minutes. At Pinkham Notch, I checked at the visitor center for my box bounce. It hadn't arrived yet. Even though madeline was driving a small car for 6 people to squeeze into, she provide her own bit of trail magic and agreed to drop me in Gorham and Dan at Appalchia. This required Todd to sit on his mom's lap in the back. Since I was the largest passenger, I had the luxury of rising shotgun. Fortunatley, Madeline had a Thule rack on her roof where Dan and I stowed our packs. Otherwise, it would have been like a bunch of college kids seeing how many we could stuff into a Volkswagon.After getting to the hostel, I called the PO in Gorham to see if my bouce box was there. It appeared to be MIA. Bruno Kanicki and his wife Mary Ann run a top notch hostel and provide all the amenities a thru hiker would need. Mainly, telephone access, cable TV, a place to cook, clean up, sleep, and poop.I met my the 1st SOBO thru hiker, gary, and we went to Pizza Hut. Surprisingly, I had leftovers which I of course brought back to the hostel for an evening snack. We watched an old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western classic and then crashed.Since my bounce box is MIA, and I don't want to lose any time waiting on it, I decided to skip the Presidentials. Yep, another case of been there, done that. I can see the purists clutching there chests saying "oh my God, how can you do that?". That's simple. Been there, done that!2nd philosophical question, am i having fun?Fun is not the right word to describe this odyssey. Some days are purely enjoyable, some days are not. It's more like living in a fantasy world searching for the Holy Grail. I face primarily 2 antagonists: Mother Nature and Mother Earth. The former cast spells and conjures up snowstorms, rain, thunder and lightning to put me in a stae of misery to force me off the trail. The latter wields an army of ogres in the shape of steep mountains, treacherous streams and dark forests to stop me from physically going on.The protagonists are comprised of other hikers facing the same obstacles. Together we bond and gain strength from each others small victories and in some cases, each others failures. There is the strange cast of characters off the trail who provide safe haven in hostels. There are trail angels who provide trail magic in the form of rides or leave little treats along the trail that boosts morale and enable to trudge on.Finally, there is the thought of finding the Holy Grail and finishing this great quest. That Holy Grail, of course, is the sign sitting at the summit of Mt Katahdin. Reaching it, touching it, praying on it, crying on it. I think the photo titled "End of a journey" (?), for anybody who has seen it, says it all.