Date: 2008-06-24
From: Salisbury, CT

To: Salisbury, CT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Oh man, to wake up in a bed, with the sun actually up (meaning it's up before Iam) and to know I don't have to pack up and hike today. Days off are anabsolute necessity for me. Without them, I know I won't make it. Knowyourself...I keep preaching this people, but you must know yourself and be okwith saying, "I am this way." So what if some people can hike 3 monthsstraight without a day off. I can't and I'm having the time of my life in thistown.It was "late", 7:00 a.m. and I went downstairs. Vanessa had made coffee andlayed out this yummy bread stuff. Seattle Sailor showed up as did Vanessa'snephew Ken. We talked and laughed some more, but Vanessa had to leave. She'sworks for a woman who lives in a freakin castle!The weathermen said today would be nice, less humidity, etc. I put my tarp andshoes outside to dry out and wouldn't you know...15 minutes later it's raining! I don't get how weatherpeople can be so wrong and still have jobs. Can youimagine if we were that inaccurate at our jobs so many days? LOLSeattle Sailor came down and I said, "Have fun..it's raining." He goes, "Well,then I'm sitting right here till it stops. I'm tired of being wet." Smart manin my book.It subsided so I went to the PO and mailed my mem card to Persistent, mailedsome maps and stuff home I don't need anymore and then walked down to thelibrary, which is beautiful. The Scoville Library here is the country's firstpublic tax-supported library! How cool is that? It's not so much the buildingits in as the contents, as the librarian told me. I went in to use thecomputer, and suddenly tons of hikers showed up to use them, so I was limitedto 30 min. No biggie. I got up and walked down to the coffee house again. Igot an iced mocha and tried to use their computer, but it wouldn't connect tothe internet, so I decided to do my resupply shopping.There's a great market here that has all sorts of wonderful foods, so I shoppedand was a bit overwhelmed honestly. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING, because asusual, I'm hungry. I'm going back to get some stuff from their deli though.Oh yes, last nite, I raided my surprise box from Persistent and ate all thegirl scout cookies she mailed me. I couldn't help it. My appetite is out ofcontrol and my hiking shorts are starting to fall down, which means I'm goingdown yet another size (no complaints from me though). I also had to sew thebutt-seam of my shorts last nite w/my minty dental floss. All of the buttscooting and stretching my legs to climb these verticle scrambles has the seamabout to rip. Man, I hope nobody is behind me when that happens. LOLThen I went to the pharmacy which is more than your normal CVS. It has allkinds of cools stuff and I was able to find the batteries the market didn'thave. Also, I need denatured alcohol, but there isn't any here, so I decidedto buy 99% Isopropyl alcohol. I know it generally has some water in it and canbe sort of ashy when you burn it, but I don't have a choice. It will be a funexperiment.Finally, I decided to go back to the library and see if a computer was availableagain. It's overcast (wasn't supposed to be) and I'm glad I'm dry and in town.I got down here and they let me use a laptop in exchange for my driver'slicense. It works for me.So I'm in this cool place, resupply is done, I just need to repack everything,and now I'm going to get some food. The best thing is that it's only 12:40p.m. and I have th rest of the day!! YIPPY!!!!! The reset button in my brainis being pushed today, and that's key for me.Oh, I met The Milkman, a ridgerunner, and several other hikers. I can'tremember their names though...too many people. After I get packed up, I mightjust go hang out at the coffee house. That's one of my favorite things to doanyway.Gosh, I feel better. I had emailed Persistent back @ the RPH shelter and toldher I was really struggling. She sent me a wonderful email back and said thatyes, there are some very low low's (which we all know there will be, but whenyou hit one, it's horrific), but that it is so worth continuing. She remindedme there are no cubes and work schedules out here and that I get to breathefresh air and drink spring water everyday. I know all of this, but it doeshelp to hear someone say it anyway. So thank you Persistent. I appreciateyour words and am saving that email for other days. This trail takes me to theend of myself sometimes. I tell it like I experience it out here which I hopecan help future hikers.I'll be in Massachusettes tomorrow. 10 states will be behind me. Again,cognitively, that sounds like I'm almost finished, but when I see the nextmountain I have to climb...my brain is like.."oh shit." Well, one step, oneinch, one mile, one day at a time right? I'm going to do this...I'm going tofinish this trail damnit!!!!!!~Certain