Date: 2008-08-25
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Uncomfortable nite, stomach still hurting, legs hurting..shit, I feel like I'm 87 years old (no offense to you 87 year olds). I woke up @ 9 a.m., and called the medical center. There's also centers in nearby Berlin, but they all make appointments centrally. Nothing till 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, which I took, but asked to be contacted if there were any cancellations today.A.M. and V8 came over. Today, a sad day, V8 had to leave and drive away for good. She has to go back to work very soon...the end of her hike this year officially, which I know has to be tough for her.I told her goodbye and watched them walk away..A.M. is coming back and is planning on completing this section with me to Grafton Notch, which I'm glad about.Watching V8 walk away with her pack was really hard for me, made me very sad. It symbolizes a lot, is foreshadowing of the things to come for me...even though I'm so sick of this cycle. It brings right home to me in a tangible way, that she got into her car, took her pack off, and is driving to her home, will walk into her front door tonight, put her pack away and will then have to retool her brain into thinking about what to wear to work, answering phone calls, setting the alarm clock again (oh wait, she doesn't need one..she's a morning person)...but at least having to get into a routine of work, home, weekend, work, home weekend.V8, I'll be sending trail energy your direction, hoping the instant drop back into your real world won't send you spiraling down, and even now when I'm so tired of this hike, I will use the vision I have in my brain of you walking away for the final time as a means to motivate me...to not give up..to not let go, because your reality now and mine in a few weeks (maybe 5?) will soon be the same, and I know I'll miss this in time. It was a true honor and pleasure hiking with you, and this MUST be the beginning of our hiking times together..not the end.A.M. came back and as normal, she is so sweet too...doing my laundry with hers. She did some recon in Bethel, ME after dropping V8 off @ her car and found a possible place for Karen to use as a homebase for slackpacking in the future.I'm blah today, ate a plain cake doughnut with some milk finally...pain not excruciating, but I'm still off. My mom just called and I just found out she moved about 10 miles away from the town Chuck Norris and Tigger live in! She'd signed their guestbook and told them to call her..and they JUST DID! Wow..how weird is that? Now, when I go visit my mom, I'll also get to see them too! I think Kokopelli lives somewhere within striking distance too..I hope so. I'd love to hang out with her again too.Anyway, I'm trying to wrap my brain around what to do now..hiking wise. I almost feel like trying to slackpack using sidetrails would be wise in case the exertion of hiking really makes me feel worse, then the day will have a planned out already. Then I struggle with the additional sidetrail mileage versus lower pack weight, which will be less hard on me? There are ways to slack the remainder of the Mahoosucs, and a local hostel actually offers slacking too, but you have to use sidetrails. Oh man..what a mess. Really, what I need this moment is some sleep. I think I'll give it a rest for a bit, and decide after I see the doc tomorrow.The story continues.....~Certain