Date: 2018-08-25
From: Rangeley

To: Maine RT 4
Miles today: 13.1

Yesterday evening as we had dinner and then walked about Rangeley, Butterfly felt that her pulled calf muscle needed at least another day to heal, and she encouraged me to do a slack pack without her. (Slack packing is when you hike with a very light load - just enough for a day hike.) Fieldstone Hostel and Cottages provides shuttle services to and from the AT, and Stacy, the owner, said she could drop me off at Maine RT 17, so that I could do the 13.1 mile hike north bound to RT 4 where Butterfly and I finished on Thursday.After coffee and breakfast sandwiches, Stacy and Butterfly dropped me off at the trailhead at Maine RT 17 at 8:20. The trailhead is at an overlook of Lake Mooselookmeguntic (say that three times fast.) This morning, the lake was shrouded in fog with the tops of islands peeking through. Beautiful.The section of trail I hiked today was in pretty good condition, at least by Maine standards. It did not have a lot of elevation gain or loss, so it was an easy and fast hike. I passed by several beautiful, serene lakes and ponds but did not go for a swim as I did not have a change of clothes (darn).  Being a Saturday, there were more than the usual number of hikers on the trail. I passed a young father taking his two young sons, ages about 6 and 7, out for an overnight and thought about my father taking my brother Paul and me up Virginia¢s Old Rag Mountain for an overnight when we were young lads.  I also met Half Slow - someone I had met on the PCT in 2015 near the top of Mt San Jacinto. Half Slow is doing a supported through hike of the AT this year, and was walking south bound today. I said hello as we passed, partially recognized him by his face but more definitively recognized him by his voice when he responded. Neat guy. We talked for about 10 minutes. I explained Butterfly¢s situation, and, as we departed, he gave me this for Butterfly off the top of his head:All that is gold does not glitter.Deep roots are not touched by the frost.Couples that are strong do not wither,And not all those who wander are lost.I finished today¢s hike at 2:40 and was in the shower at our cottage by 3. Butterfly¢s calf was still hurting and she was considering taking another zero for recovery. After a short nap, we walked into Rangeley to get compression socks for Butterfly and some ice cream cones. Surprise! - Lelu and Bruce Willis were at the ice cream place. Bruce was very happy to see us - or maybe it was our ice cream cones he was so happy about. We sat down with Lelu at a picnic table. She had decided she was going to skip down to Connecticut because she was short on time and money and had had enough of Maine. She had tentative plans for a shuttle to Andover, ME tomorrow and, knowing about Butterfly¢s calf issues, asked if she wanted to share the shuttle. So plans for tomorrow fell in place at the ice cream stand. Laura will go to Andover by shuttle, and I¢ll slack pack there from the same spot I was dropped at this morning.  As the day waned, we walked up the hill to the IGA for a few items, stopping first at the overlook to take in the sun set (today¢s picture). In the IGA lot, we met Miss Janet, a trail angel with a van that drives up and down the trail each year. I took a picture of the back of her van (see photos) which is covered in hiker related stickers. Turns out she is helping Half Slow and he came out of the IGA a few minutes later.Today was a good day with chance encounters and pleasant hike in the woods. I am thankful for that and pray that Butterfly¢s leg heals.