Date: 2005-08-09
From: Boston, MA

To: Glencliff, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Hiking the trail has really made me recognize the good in people. The news is constantly full of "bad news" stories you start to believe that those sorts of things are all that exist in the whole world. Earlier in the year I was watching "The Motorcyle Diaries" with friends and the comment was made that they didn't think that it was possible for such of transformation of thought to occur. Now, I haven't become a Communist revolutionary or anything like that but I have the sense that I am not quite the same as I was at the start of the trip. My sterotypes about America and Americans have certainly been challenged and amended; but I think that it is more than that. Hiking mostly alone for the past 400 miles or so has certainly brought out my reflective side.This morning Stewie's sister left me a note letting me know that I could sleep on her bed take a shower and eat some breakfast before she went to work. I woke up just long enough to say hello. Now I rather wish that my one sentance could have been "thank-you". The nights sleep on the couch, and the further nap felt fantastic. It is funny how you can feel normal after hiking 25 miles in the woods, but exhausted after walking close to zero. I had a couple of slices of bread with penut butter for breakfast. I had a shower eventhough it would be four in five days; I figured that "normal city-folk" would appreciate my cleanliness.I packed up my bag, retreived my shoes from the plastic bag in which I had stode them (as not to infect the place with hiker-foot-rot) and headed off to do my city chores.Not knowing which direction would be best I just though "I'm going to walk in the correct dirction to find an ATM and a grocery store". As it turns out my random choice bore fruit in the form of a grocery store (where I bought resupply for the Whites), an ATM (where I got some American green-backs for the rest of the trip) and a conveinience store where I got a gatorade. I made my way back to the subway and rode it back to South Station. At the train station I got directions to the nearest PO (open until midnight weekdays, all day Saturday and on Sunday afternoon!!) to mail home my VA and MD maps and other assorted junk I didn't need or want to carry. I also restocked on stamps and got a new phone card. I learnt early in the trip to carry my own stach of stamps as most stores with post cards only sell the 23 cent ones. It cost 60 cents to mail a post card to Canada (I think 70 cents to other countries) so I got some comemorative 37 and 23 cent ones instead of the plain! brown 60 cent ones.Next I started looking for a store that would download my pictures off mycompact flash card and put them on cd. I still have space for ~150 more between the two memory cards, but I might need more capacity than that before Katahdin and I didn't tink I could count on the small towns in Maine to have anything like that.First I went to a photo store acros the street from South Station. After some discussion with the girl taking orders I found out that it would take them a day or two to transfer the files to CD - no good. Next I tried a Walgreens pharmacy. I downloaded all the pictures onto the machine (let me tell you that downloading 300+ high resolution pictures takes "a while") only to have the photo technician tell me that one of the machines was broken and I would have to pick up the order tommorrow - no good. My last effort, across the street at a CVS pharmacy, was successful. It took 45 minutes but IKm assuming that my files were transfered onto 3 cds successfully.Last on the list of "to-do"s was to call the hostel in Glencliff. I talked to Pack-rat and arranged to bepicked up in Plymouth. All I had time to do now was buy my bus ticket, wrte an e-mail to my mom checking in with her and eat dinner.I got dinner from the McDonals in the bus station, breaking an 8 year hiatus. They seem to be healthier now than they were back then. The "fruit" and walnut salad is really just some cut up apple slices (just buy an apple from the grocery store) but the grilled chicken ranch BLT sandwich was pretty good. I finished off the meal with a big glass of oj. Couldn't bring myself to eat the fries though, "Super-size Me" scared me away from those for good.Pack-Rat met me in Plymouth and shuttled me back to the hostel in Glencliff. I am practically over-joyed to be back up north. The flaura and fauna is very reminisant of back home; it makes me feel very comfortable and content. Of course I am beyond psyched for the Whites and hiking above treeline. The rest of the hikers were watching "-alking with Freedom" and the footage of the Whites is absolutely insanely gorgeous. It is kind of funny that we should be watching it, as the videographer himself, Lion King, is at the hostel right now. I have a sneeky feeling that thaat movie gets played almost every night. I think at ths point people want to see all the places they have been and to se the fantastic bit of trail that is left.I guess that my time of relative solitude has ended and I am back in the pack. As Calvin's Dad would say (as in Calvin & Hobbes) "misery builds character". It wasn't misery, just a good learning experience/chance for growth.Christmas at the Post Office tommorrow!