Date: 2021-07-03
From: Rangeley Rt 4 (mile 220.4)

To: Rangeley Rt 4 (mile 220.4)
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: few clouds

Vera at the Hiker Hut is an artist. She does sketches and inks of AT scenes. Bring her your favorite photograph and she will reproduce it. For those with AT passports she draws a unique design rather than applying a rubber stamp. Steve has other items for sale. A silver AT necklace. And hand-tooled leather-bound journals made in India by Steve's friend that benefit kids there. I bought one with a Tree of Life design and had it sent home. It drizzled on and off this morning while we had our egg sandwich breakfasts. An elderly couple stayed in the private cabin by the stream last night. They are English but have lived in San Antonio for 45 years. They've been sectioning the AT and this could be their last section. The woman wondered aloud how anyone could enjoy the hiking in Maine. That was a bit surprising considering she'd done most of the trail. But Maine can be an acquired taste. Especially in the rain. Lucky Charms hiked in mid-morning. He's been only a few miles behind me for some days, but I haven't seen him since Monson. Calls himself Falcon Punch now, after being attacked by a goshawk near the Kennebec River. That's his fifth or sixth trail name. He's a nurse from south Florida. Going through a divorce, sold his house, and ready - perhaps - to see the world through different eyes, away from the stress and cynicism of urban life.Several of us were shuttled into Rangeley by Hiker Hut neighbor Bill. First stop: the outfitter Ecopelagicon, where I was able to exchange my worn Darn Tough socks for new. Darn Tough provides a lifetime warranty. So much thicker and softer than my old pair. It will be like walking on air! For a few miles at least.We walked to the other side of town, almost a mile, to get coffee and hang out at Moose Alley. I bowled and played pool with Beach Day and Prepack. Viewmaster, Just Maine and Falcon Punch got picked up by the Maine Roadhouse for the night. They all wanted a dry indoor retreat with power and heat. The day is damp, cool, and raw. They took my pack with them. I'd decided to hang out in town all day. Watched the England vs. Ukraine football match. Beach Day is a big fan of the English Premier League, particularly Leicester United, so I rooted for Ukraine. They got blanked 4-0, so I bought the next round.My swimming streak was challenged today. Rangeley is bustling with visitors on this Independence Day weekend. All the inns, B&B's, cabins, condos, and motels are full. While the town sits between Rangeley Lake and Haley Pond, there are no discrete but publicly-accessible spots to jump in. The public park that juts into the lake is hosting an art show. Most of the waterfront is private homes and businesses. I found a church with excellent lake access, but even on a Saturday afternoon a car stood in the lot with a church lady at the wheel. After walking up and down the main road I finally found a spot: a small boat launch behind the lumberyard, which closed early today. The lake here was very shallow but served its purpose. Even on a cool day the dip felt refreshing. But I did zip up my jacket as I walked back to the pub. Found Jacob at Sarge's pub. Jacob is the kid who took a few days off in Monson to sit for the state police exam. Now calls himself Bait because he's been harassed by a hawk, grouse, and a red squirrel. Just now he left his pack in the shuttle car and was hoping Bill would notice it soon. Later he nearly got shut out of the laundromat where his clothes were drying. He ripped his pants and shattered his phone screen on a guardrail walking to the Hiker Hut, and his sleeping pad has a leak. But he's got a wry smile every time he speaks, and seems to be loving the adventure.Moose Juice, Green Bag, and Kevin, now Spud, came into town from the Roadhouse with Falcon and the girls. We all ate at Sarge's, which was extremely busy and took forever. Plus we sat out on the upper deck and shivered from the cold wind. We paid up just as the fireworks display started and hustled over to the lakefront to catch the spectacular display that went on for over 20 minutes above the lake. The Roadhouse picked us all up after.My last visit here was just three nights ago. There was just one other guest, Pappy. But yesterday and tonight they're hosting around 20 guests. So they've quickly had to scale up the operation. Shuttling people to trails and towns, making breakfast for a big crowd, accommodating all the wet gear hikers want to dry out. The Trout family of 7 is here and is slackpacking tomorrow. Jenn has partnered with Dave of Dad's Shuttles to offer slackpacks over the Bigelows and the Crockers. Quite the rapid turnaround from the bad blood of just a few days ago. Viewmaster saved me a bunk where my pack was waiting. It happened to be the same one I had before. Jenn says she's going to put my name on it in honor of being one of their first guests. And for driving so much business their way. Never in my wildest dreams did I think so many hikers would find them so quickly off word of mouth and one Guthook comment. I'm very happy for them.