Date: 2019-07-07
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Miles today: 0.0

My vacation from my vacation is coming to an end. As I sit here on another long travel day heading back to the trail I'm reminded of how very tired I am and how very worth the cost it was.I got home after midnight from the bus station. I was greeted by the lovely lady I'm dating, Jaci, who drove me home for a few hours sleep before getting back in the car with Dan (my sister's partner) to drive 4 hours to the beach the next day. I was excited to be home in my bed for at least one good night of sleep.Spent a relaxing few days at the beach with my family, niece, and nephew. We swam in the ocean, watched dolphins chasing bait fish, and ate some tasty seafood. On the carride back I was almost able to keep my 4 month old nephew from crying. Tough work.The next three and a half days I spent getting my gear ready for the final push. Resealed my tent, put new tips on my trekking poles, new rain jacket, washed my bag and jacket, etc. I ended up reordering the backback and went with the large instead of a medium. Everything fits! I'm still at 27lbs even after adding back my stove and headlamp plus an additional day of food. Got to spend an evening at the park with family and Jaci listening to my Dad play with the Greater Harrisburg Area Concert Band and went for drinks with a friend to Midstate Distillery to check out their new patio. Saw the new chickens at the farm and made sure my niece said hi to each one before moving on. Went to my Grandmothers for a dinner and saw two of my uncles.The other half of my vacation was spent in Canada with Jaci and three of her friends. Wow, where to start.I'd like to take a break here and explain how I'm coming into this. I moved back from CO in November, started part time at the Distillery in January, settled in my apartment in March, met Jaci in April, and left for the trail shortly after. Not a lot of time to settle in or put down roots again.We left for the 9 hour ride north around 7am after meeting her friends to exchange some cargo. The trip up was great until we reached the boarder. Apparently I didn't pay close enough attention to the details and Jaci was also fumbling some of the logistics to the point we were asked to pull over and get searched. I guess coming from PA with CO plates to Canada, then heading back to the US but dropping me off in NY to hike ME while Jaci returns to PA was too shakey of story. Can't say I blame them. The ride was beautiful though and we got to see Niagra Falls on a drive by tour. There was plenty for Jaci and I talk about after being away for two months and we're still getting to know each other which made the time pass quickly for me. I'm used to much longer periods of silence.Grocery shoppong was the only stressful part of the journey. Shopping for people I didn't know well for a weeks worth of food in a country I've never visited was rough. I overbought and felt like everything cost too much (darn exchange rate). I also heard 'Sorrey' at least a dozen times. Candians are so polite!We got to the AirB&B late and threw together a quick meal. Everyone in the group can play or sing so we formed the band Yellow Lady Slippers and rehearsed a few tracks. The stargazing that first night was the best I've seen.Second day was Singing Sands. The Bruce Pennisula is a haven for rare plants given it's unique location on the Niagra escarpment, giving orchids in particular a limestone rich soil to thrive in. I of course knew none of this and found myself on a crash course in bontany from Jaci and her friend Rachel who really orchestrated the trip. While I appreciated the beauty of the flowers and other plants they pointed out, I was completely out of my depth.It was Canada Day and we celebrated by grilling then watching the fireworks next to the harbor. I was overwhelmed by this point by not being part of the friend group (and used to more silence) and I missed most of the conversation.Next day we started at the visitors center then joined a guided tour offered by the park to Halfway Log Dump. We followed the Bruce Trail which runs from the peninsula down to Niagra Falls. It was mostly flat with some mixed rock scrambles. Our destination was three beautiful caves, the last of which was a bonus cave added onto the tour "because we were such a good group". The cave reminded me of a small cathedral with butresses reaching from the ceiling down to the ground. It was called bootleggers cave or something like that and I highly recommend the extra rock scrambling to get there.Wednesday Jaci and I went the tourist route and visited the Grotto. I can't get over how clear-blue the water was! Unfortunately, this is due to the invasion of zebra muscles and another mollusk or clam species which devastated the fish in the lake and therefore removed the sediment, crashing the food chain. While it's beautiful for tourists like me, environmentalists like Jaci and Rachel see the bigger problem.The Grotto was amazing! It's a rock cave over the water with beautiful cliffs and a steep rock shelf dropping into the lake. Jaci took some covincing, but we finally took a swim in the 54 degree water (for about 30 seconds). Got some great pics and watched some cliff jumpers before heading back to the house.In the afternoon, Rachel and Kristi took us to a spot they found on their morning hike. The water was shallow and lined with rocks and grasses (sedges??) which helped to heat the water to a comfortable swimming temperature. We kinda pulled ourselves along using our hands and floated down the channel out into deeper waters where it quickly became too cold to swim. Jaci dried of in the hammock while I found a patch of sunlight nearby to get warm. Later that afternoon I really crashed. I realized I'm not as good as I thought at getting along with a new group of friends. Good lesson, but really uncomfortable to feel like the outsider ruining a great time.The next day was better. We all booked tickets on a glass bottom boat that took us out over two wooden shipwrecks in the harbor before dropping us off at Flower Pot Island. The island got it's name from two 'flower pot' like rock towers that formed as the water eroded the stone. We walked all the trails on the island in search of wildlife and more rare plants. I was surprised at the health of the forest. It was alive with insects, snakes, birds, and a wide variety of ferns, flowers, and trees, all set into a landscape next to crystal clear waters and brick-like stone cliffs.After the charter boat dropped us off at the dock we went for ice cream and some souvenir shopping. Back at the house after dinner Jaci, Rachel, and I took out the canoe (provided at the house) on the bay right against the property. The sky and water almost blended into one on the horizon and the quiet of the pennisula was a perfect end to the day. We lit a fire next to the water and watched the sunset while Jaci painted the scenery. The stars weren't quite as bright that evening, but we could still see the Milky Way.Friday was another free day. Jaci and I took kayaks out around the coast and I got to spend more time enjoying the water and her company. We took lunch on a small rocky island then paddled over to a cave along the water with a skylight and a stone arch adjacent. On the way back we saw a tiny otter with a fish it had just caught.Back at the house we cleaned up and got ready for dinner. We went to the brewery in Tobormory and I had the best burger I've ever tasted (though I usually don't spend $20 on burgers). It was a great time to reflect on our favorite parts of the trip and laugh at the awkward start to the week. I really appreciate how these ladies love and support one another and are completely rediculous all the time. It was a hard group to walk into for an entire week in a new country, but I'm very thankful to have this experience and be lead by such a knowledgable, quirky, group. We got to see so much in just a few days and it was one of most exhausting (and rewarding) trips I've taken.After some more souvenir shopping and a necklace that fit Jaci perfectly, we came back to the house and had freshly baked apple pie for my birthday! They took turns telling me what they appreciate about me and I had a chance to reflect on the last year and what my goals are for this coming year. We rehearsed some more music for our first album. 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' was by far the best sightread we had.Saturday morning we were on the road early. No problems at the boarder this time. We stopped at a very terrible Tim Hortons and left promptly after their leaking (and broken) AC unit tripped the fire alarm and called the fire trucks out.After a long anticipated sing along in the car, Jaci and I spent the night in Newark, NJ before dropping me off at the train station in the morning. She left for home. Unfortunately I was at the wrong station and had to walk 8 blocks to the bus station to catch my ride.Now I'm sitting outside South Station in Boston, MA again on the same bench I found two weeks ago. I've got a new pack and fresh gear and I'm trying to wrap my tired brain around starting out tomorrow on the final stretch of my hike. I have 8 more hours before I reach Rattle River Hostel and my plan is to get 12 miles down trail to setup for the Mahoosik Notch on Tuesday which is said to be the hardest mile of the whole AT. Honestly, I'm looking forward to hiking again and the moments of silence desperately needed to collect my thoughts. Next month I start classes full time after a decade of working mostly blue collar jobs. I start a new position at the distillery making sales calls and deliveries. I'm also starting out on a new relationship. I'm still fixing up my apartment on a new property that needs a lot of attention. I'm grateful to be busy again, but this past week showed me how ill prepared I am for new people and responsibilites. In Colorado I was in the habit of working and staying at home. I read, played computer games, and pretty much kept to myself. This move back East was a purposeful attempt to get active again and I think I am set up to achieve that goal. My one wish for this coming year is to keep all the balls rolling and not drop any. I'll most definitely fail at times but my hope is to stay true to my goals and see them through to the other side. Finishing this 8 year journey on the AT is a good way to kick it off and I look forward to sharing my continued journey with everyone here reading this. I am staggered at the amount of views my writting has produced and I thank you all for your continual support on this adventure. I look forward to sharing my moment of completion with you and will do my best to keep posting from now until the end.Levi