Date: 2018-08-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Tues Day 145 8/7 Kathy and GaryUp at 4:30 ready to hike at 5:30. Walk over to where Thumper's tent is. She is ready to go as well. So quarter of 6, we head out looking for PT. We pass one stealth site, somebody else is in it. We hiked for 15 minutes and I'm starting to worry we may not connect. The good news is we have a predetermined meeting place at our extraction point at 10 a.m. If we don't find PT, we'll just go to the extraction point. We come across PT sitting out by trail signs trying to figure out which way to go. He didn't see the AT which was on the back of the trail sign. He camped on the Saco River. It was a very nice stealth spot. A couple from Switzerland camped there as well. It's a nice gentle hike 4.5 miles down to Pinkham Notch. We arrived at 10 of 9. There's the all you can eat buffet as long as you pay before 9. So we jump in and load up our plates and start to eat. I'm stunned when I go back to get seconds because they have put away all the food. They didn't say we put away all the food at 9 a.m. You have to get it all on your plate before 9 a.m. So I spontaneously emote displeasure. Some fellow who appears is some kind of Boss. He says go through this door into the kitchen, get yourself a plate and load up, there's more food in there. So I end up having quite a good, massive breakfast. I go to the men's room to take off my knee braces. I hear Kathy talkin to the couple from Switzerland. She says "I'm out here to pick up three hikers." I immediately go over and introduce myself to Kathy the Trail Angel here to pick us up. We didn't know what she looked like she didn't know what we looked like. God put this little connection together. lt's good for all of us. So we ride for an hour up to South Paris, Maine. I nod in and out of sleep as we ride. Kathy is very happy and excited to be helping out through hikers. There's many ways to experience the trail. One of the ways is to be a support person, a Trail Angel for those on the trail. It's a very nice service and experience for all involved. We get to Kathy's home and meet her husband, Gerry who's just about to get in the car and drive 4 hours to pick up Durwood who summited Mount Katahdin yesterday. I don't realize it but he's also picking up Hot Sauce and ZoomZoom, who I hiked with earlier on the trail. So I get to sit on the recliner and fall asleep again. I doze in and out. At some point Ibex puts a blanket over me. My arms did catch some sunburn and as long as I keep out of the sun I'm okay. I sleep for a couple hours in the recliner. When I finally come to, so to speak, it's like 1 in the afternoon. I hang out talkin to Kathy and enjoying the day inside. When Gary gets back with the three thru-hikers it's quite a reunion. PT hiked with Durwood for 1800 miles. Hot Sauce and Zoom Zoom are excited to see me as well. We come in and have a big dinner. We then sit around the living room talking about what's to come ahead on the trail. By 9 I'm all done. Three days over Mount Washington took a lot out of me. When you're hiking you just keep a hard edge to keep going. It's only when you get on a zero, do you realize how tired you are. Gary and Kathy got involved as Trail Angels on the AT after their son, Russell passed away 6 years ago. Gary had done a lot of hiking with Russell and this is just a way that he can stay connected. We make a lot of emotional connections in the process of the evening. Hiking the trail is almost a cathartic, emotional release on many levels for many people. Everybody has things to process and emotionally resolve in their life. Question is when you take time to do that.