Date: 2015-08-17
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.7

I didn't even think much about Jim and Korea yesterday. I guess my good cry did its job. Woohoo, emotional progress.Last night, I fell asleep to the sound of Apple Cider turning the pages of her book next to me. I slept pretty well. I woke up a zillion times with throbbing feet and stiff legs like usual, but some good mid-night stretches sorted things out.The trail was good for thinking today. There were only two hills. And they were only hills, not mountains. Of course, flat trail doesn't mean easy trail. There were plenty of rocks and roots and squishy parts. My boots ended up in the pudding again this afternoon.I stopped after a couple of hours to get water and ate a lot of cookies. They are not very filling, and go down so easily. Also they are just so tasty. So amazingly tasty. My tummy is growing fatter but never seems fuller.The next stop was at the first shelter, where the southbound Half Full was still snuggled in his sleeping bag. Silent Force was there, and the Australians appeared soon after my arrival. Then Iso showed up, too. Most people started snacking, but I had already eaten mine, so I sat and talked before continuing on.Early lunch was had at the gorgeous, tiny sand beach at East Carry Pond. The Aussie Legs again arrived and sat down as well. Redback and Muddy Duckling enjoyed a swim, but Firebear and I decided that wet underwear = too high a risk of chafing.Today was so hot and I was so sweaty that I endured a bit of chafe anyway. I ducked behind the shelter to apply diaper paste to my butt this afternoon. Thanks, mom!I ate about three times as much as all of the Aussie Legs for lunch (no wonder they are so skinny, while I am so... bulky). IT IS MY LAST CHANCE TO EAT FLUFF AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS ON GRAHAM CRACKERS FOR LUNCH.After consuming a disgustingly wonderful amount of sugary calories, I departed that beautiful amazing beach. My heart broke as I left that sand and scenery behind. Tears poured down my face as I stepped back onto the trail, the sun blazing down upon my unprotected skin.Okay, that's a lie. Tears were not dripping down my face. Sweat was, though. Lots and lots of sweat. I was in good spirits. Gotta enjoy the trail before real life smacks me in the face again. Also the lack of exhausting mountains and the frequent company of people I actually like has been helping my mood.I headed out across the boardwalks, into the woods, among the pines and rocks and roots. More trail! Hooray!Even though the trail is long, it doesn't get boring. It is so varied. So beautiful. Sometimes not beautiful, but mostly beautiful. Every day, every mile is different. The trees, the path... it's never the same.I mean, sometimes I get sick of hiking. But I take a break and then I'm good.I got really excited at one point today when I heard a large animal moving through the brush. But it wasn't a moose. It was just a deer. I hiked on in bitter disappointment. WHEN WILL I SEE A MOOSE?! I AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME.The end of the hike was flat flat flat. Suddenly I can go faster than 2 mph again! I finished hiking at 2 o'clock today. SO EARLY. It's good that there are people to hang out with and talk to now, because I would go crazy all afternoon with nothing to do. The Aussie Legs are very good at telling stories.Half a mile or so from my destination shelter, I came upon a guy who asked, "Are you headed north?"I HATE THAT QUESTION.If you are walking south, and I am walking TOWARDS YOU (in other words, IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION), then isn't it obvious that I am going north?!Of course, I think that most of the time people really mean, "Are you thru-hiking?" or "You aren't slackpacking today, right?"BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY ASK.It kind of drives me crazy.I passed by the guy quickly with a "Yep, have a good hike."Shortly afterwards, I arrived at the shelter. It is on a pond. A big, beautiful, warm pond. MAINE IS POND HEAVEN. The first thing I did was go swimming. And it was even early enough that I could hang up my sweaty clothes and they are actually mostly dry now! They are still disgustingly gross, and it is a million degrees out here lately, so I they will be soaked with sweat in two minutes tomorrow morning, but at least it will be slightly less horrible to get dressed in the morning.SOON, I will be able to put on clean clothes every day. What a novel idea. It is weird that it will be weird to wear clean clothes. Cotton clothes. Comfortable clothes. Except that they won't fit me anymore. Ughhhhh.I am super excited to wear that nice pizza shirt... so comfy!Everything will be so different soon. I wonder what I will miss. What things that I have been deprived of on the trail will I be the happiest to have back in my life? Salad? Showers? Toilets? A supply of toilet paper that I don't have to carefully ration?It is so strange to think about. Although my journey has been punctuated by MANY stays in real homes (mine, Marie and Jim's, Jeralyn's) and hotel rooms and hostels, adjusting back to normal life (and hygiene) will be... just weird. I don't know the best word for it.It will be nice not to have to pluck my eyebrows looking into a tiny, precariously balanced mirror while trying to aim my face into the sunlight, I will say that. Since we all got to camp fairly early, and since hikers are always HUNGRY (seriously, I had triple dessert and I am already hungry again), everyone ate dinner early, cooking and talking in front of the shelter. Muddy Duckling made hot chocolate, overheated, and then explained netball to me. Iso, sitting nearby, threw in his two cents: netball is not a very interesting spectator sport.I didn't realize that Australia is such a large country. I feel like a very ignorant American sometimes. Also, their diction is just so confusing sometimes! Tomato sauce is ketchup? WHAT?! WHAT DO THEY CALL TOMATO SAUCE, THEN?!When I fell going up Avery peak yesterday, I somehow scraped in between my fingers on my left hand. One of my many little scrapes seems a bit infected, so I have taped it up with some antibiotic ointment. My hands get all sweaty and gross and those scrapes STING.(Later update: yup, not looking good. I extra cleaned them and reapplied ointment.)Tomorrow morning, I will have PANCAKES with the Aussies and Silent Force at the nearby Pierce Pond Camp. We took the 0.3 side trail this afternoon to meet the owner, Tim Harrison, and put in our orders. He also let us fill out water bottles and toss our trash in the very smelly can outside the lodge door.I was initially opposed to paying for pancakes when I have so many Pop Tarts. But then I learned that they are "patriotic" pancakes, which means that there are RASPBERRY (red), APPLE (white), and BLUEBERRY (blue) pancakes. Who could pass that up? Plus there will be FRIENDS.Also, I ate tomorrow's lunch for dessert... so if I have pancakes, I can eat my Pop Tarts for lunch. My cookies have also been disappearing at an alarming (but not surprising) rate.Also, the ferry across the Kennebec river doesn't start until 9:00, and is only 4 downhill miles away from this shelter. That's like an hour and a half of hiking. What else would I do all morning? I could only sleep half an hour late today before my body yelled, "GET UP! TIME TO START WALKING."It is a cool little lodge, where we will be eating our delicious fruity pancakes in the morning. It is kind of old and on a slant, like it might slip and slide into the river at any moment. It is very rustic inside. There is a bear skin on the back of the couch. Also, a huge old wood stove. It is awesome.Silent Force, Apple Cider, Muddy Duckling, Firebear and I are in the shelter tonight. A couple of young southbound guys are tenting nearby, as are Redback and Iso.I have been sharing my book with Firebear, who reads a bit as I type up my journal entries.I am thankful for diaper paste (seriously, what is my life?!). I am thankful for beautiful ponds and therapeutic thinking trail. I am thankful for chocolate and cookies and pancakes.I am thankful for a beautiful sunset and a beautiful group of people to observe it with. I have had amazing luck to end up in this weird end-bubble. Most of these people (the Aussie Legs, Silent Force, Iso, and Apple Cider) plan to summit Katahdin on the same day.Aghhh I forgot that I still have to get my clothes. And go for my last pee. I don't want to get up from my Thermarest. The spoiled hiker life is so hard....P.S. Pasta Sides suck.