Date: 2008-08-31
To: Monson
Miles today: 117.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, we have made it through the Wilderness! We are chillin in Monson, ME right now in the Lakeshore Hostel. It feels great to have a room to stay in and have a nice shower. Our parents and Ruth are on their way to join us tonight because Ruth is going to be hiking with us starting tommorow. So before we left and in my last journal, I was extremely anxious about the trail. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Our parents dropped us off to start the trail and I almost started crying, I was that nervous. My feelings have completely changed over this past week of hiking however.Where do I begin...(I'm going to do this list style becuase I work best that way).Hiking- Hiking has been awesome. We did the wilderness pretty fast, averaging about 17 miles a day. We had two 20 mile days which were long long days. Our feet are killing us right now. We both have a couple blisters, nothing serious enough to stop us from hiking. Our packs started out at about 45lbs, which was pretty heavy. Our backs were killing after the first couple days. As the food was eaten however, the packs got much more manageable. Our hiking philosophy goes as such: when you hike, you hike hard and fast. When you rest, you rest easy and long. We usually take an hour and a half lunch break at some beautiful place on the trail. We also try to get into camp around 5ish so that we have a long time to hang out before bed. Weather- Amazing. Over the 7 days of hiking, only one bit of rain that lasted for 5 minutes. It has been clear and cool the entire time. Perfect conditions for hiking. The NOBO's (Northbound AT hikers, Georgia to Maine--we are considered SOBO's or Maine to Georgia) we have passed told us about how they had to suffer through 25 days of rain through VT and NH. Weather is one of the biggest factors in whether a person completes their thru hike and it has been great for us thus far. Food- Breakfast every morning is usually oatmeal and Carnation drinks. Two mornings, as we were hiking, Nate and I picked wild blueberries that were on the top of the mountains we hiked and we added them to the oatmeal. It was awesome. Lunch is Gorp, peanut butter and power bars. Dinner is some sort of pasta meal, or a Dehydrated meal. We have had more than enough food thus far. We are usually forcing food down after dinner. Nate and I- We have got along great thus far. Neither of us are extreme extroverts so we don't talk the entire time while hiking but we have had some great discussions and prayers thus far. We are the same speed when hiking as well which allows us to stay together the entire time. All these NOBO's we have passed tell us how we will probably end up splitting up becuase we will get sick of each other or one will want to go faster/slower but I don't forsee that happening. I have loved the hiking part thus far. Hiking is an amazing thing. We hike for about 8-12 hours every day. That is a long time to think and just be in your own thoughts. The thing I have loved the most is that it has allowed me to memorize more scripture than I have ever memorized before. I asked my gramps this summer what is one word of wisdom he would give me for the rest of my life and all he said was "memorize more scripture". Such a simple concept yet something we don't usually do in our everyday lives. I am really trying to take my gramps words to heart.My current feelings- I am pumped about the trail and thus far have loved every second of it. We are trying to keep our perspective one day at a time because we still have a long way to go so I can't make any bold projections about finishing although that is the final goal. Thanks for your support and prayers. -Phil