Date: 2010-07-10
From: Monson

To: View Entry
Miles today: 109.3

Trail Legs. This is a term that describes a hikers legs when they morph into an enviable set of machines that are able to navigate all manner of mud, rocks and roots with ease. When the brain develops new neurons adjusting to its need to feed the legs a constant stream of information about where to place feet. Trail legs means muscle memory. Your legs become their own entity capable of doing things you never dreamed possible. Trail legs.....keep going. They are like the energizer bunny. Over mountains, hills, rivers they just go and go and go as far as you want them too. When you attain these coveted hiking limbs it is called "getting your trail legs".I dont have trail legs yet. But I do have blisters. Two. One for each foot. Infected and draining purulent fluid. And diaper rash. I got it bad. I don't quite remember having it when i was a baby but i'm certain this is worse. These are the types of things you know you will get and experiance but when your back home thinking about it you don't quite know how it feels. Do now!We left out of Baxter the morning after climbing Katahdin after a Dunkin Donuts breakfast, and a dreaded good-bye with Aubrey. I felt sick to my stomach the whole ride into Baxter with the thought of walking into the Wilderness as she drove away. But that is exactly what happened. I missed her instantly. Our first day hiking; actually the first few days were relatively flat. Relatively is a loose term. Our guide books don't much take into account all the 2-300 foot ups and downs. To a hiker that does not have trail legs yet, these are signifigant. The biggest event on our first push to a shelter were two fords (water crossings). I tried the first in my flip flops. Stupid stupid stupid. The water was flowing very swiftly, I lost my footing, fell into my chest and almost lost a flip flop. A moment later I lost my footing and almost lost me. Clinging the a boulder for dear life I looked at the shore line and saw a safe Sean scrambling. I thought he was getting in position for one of two things....to help me, or to take a picture. As I hung to that rock enjoying the irony, I found myself hoping he was going to take a picture. Turns out he was coming to help me. For the second ford I did not take a chance and left my boots on. Once again...stupid stupid stupid. This was the beginning of the blisters. We were the first two into the shelter that night. Soon after, Jan, proncounced Yon from Germany arrived. I have since trail named him creamsicle because he wears all orange and looks like a creamsicle coming thru the tree line. He is hiking for two months. Jeff, now known as "Geo" (geography major in school) joined us and has been with us most of the way. Even after busting his head open on a rock and having to get into town for 10 sutures. Today we are going to find some supplies in town so I can take out his sutures and he can avoid the medical bill. Sweet, my Nursing comes in handy even out here! There was a guyt named "Pyro" whos is flip flopping. He already did the southern section of the trail, than came up to maine to hike south finishing in Harpers ferry. He can go on for hours and hours about home made napalm, home made mortars, balloons filled with propane ect. ect. Hide the matches when he's around. Although he always has three lighters in his pocket so I dont suppose it would matter. Most of the chit chat for the first few days was giddy. About the trail, gear ect ect. There were quite a few that left out around the same time. From what we cant tell, at least 8-10 dropped out so far. There is no judging, or signifigant words spoken about this. We all know there is a long list of things that could take any one us off.A couple of days in, we met "Marker". Marker has been section hiking the AT since 2000. He is a Methodist pastor from Indiana. He is named marker because he stops to pee of so many trees. Marker was alot of fun these last 5-6 days into Monson. He has a good spirit about him and was uplifting. He was happy to be out of pastor mode for a while and out with the guys. He mentioned that its fun because we all have a tendancy to revert to a little bit of adolescence when we are bunch of guys in the woods together. The hiking was brutal on fresh city boy legs, but when we got to a shelter, boy was it worth it. We laughed and joked for hours, sharing our compaints and our joys. It was a shared experience. Marker spent the night in Monson with us before heading home, enjoying some beers and dinner. We asked him his departing thoughts from the prior week. He said "the trail is better shared, but you still have to hike your own hike". Well said. If there is one thing I learned this week, it is that all the camraderie in the world isnt going to carry your pack up a mountain. The hiking is your burden, it is everyones job to lift spirits. I am at Shaws Hostel in Monson. It is heaven. They are so nice here. They new exactly how we felt coming out of the 100 mile wilderness and went right to work making us comfortable. There is so much more the tell. I will try to update again before we head out tomorrow.I'm so happy.