Date: 2003-07-29
From: Sherburne Pass Trail/Inn at the Long Trail 

To: Chateauguay Road 
Miles today: 12.8

Today was a great day! Or I just feel great about it. The room rate at the Inn included breakfast, so around 7:45 we dragged ourselves out of bed and headed down to the dining room. Space Monkey and his parents were there, and Puff Puff and Snappy arrived not long after we did. There were other "regular" people there too, including a couple from Detroit, who we met yesterday on the trail, and talked to more at the Inn last night. They are in the middle of a motorcycle trip, and on the trail when we first met them, we were all joking around immediately. (My new hiking shirt is blue, same color as Hotdog's, and when we met the couple, the guy said "I see you're both wearing your 'I'm with Stupid' shirts. It was too funny! And when he found out how long we'd been hiking together, he said "Gee, and you're still friends?" Hotdog and I were both quick responders. He said "We weren't friends in the first place." And I said "We don't talk to one another.")After breakfast, we slowly packed up our belongings, and I sent and received Pocketmail. While I was downstairs doing that, I started talking to a lady and a guy about my hike, and hiking on the AT. As it turns out, the lady is from Tampa, and has thruhiked the Long Trail. She said that hike changed her life, making her keep things simpler. I mentioned that I'd like to do that in my after-hike life, such as, when taking a car trip, sleeping in my car instead of getting a hotel room. She said she does that, and added that she thinks my desire to keep things simpler will stick with me, even after I return to 'real life'. That's good to hear, as I hope I don't revert back to my old ways of thinking once I'm off the trail.We got to the AT around 9:45, knowing we were going to stop to visit with Kinnickinic in 1.4mi. Well, we stopped to talk to Puff Puff and Snappy before that, as they were sitting along the trail. It just seemed like a day to take it easy. We soon got to Gifford Woods State Park, and found Kinnickinic's shelter and sat down to chat for a while. It was great chatting with her, and very tempting to stay all day! The air was cool and being pushed around by a breeze. It felt like great weather to take a nap, read a book, or talk. But, we eventually hiked on. Not before arranging a time and place to meet her again, where she'd give us subs, chips, soda and cookies! Mmmm... It was after noon when we hiked out of the state park, and all I could think about was the food I'd be getting up ahead. It was a nice hike, along Kent Pond, very pretty.Within an hour, we were roadwalking on the AT to the meeting place, and when we rounded a corner, we saw Kinnickinic coming our way, and her car behind her. We sat behind the car and ate lunch. It was so very kind of her to buy us lunch, and deliver it! It still amazes me, what people will do to help out. I really appreciated it, and hope I conveyed my thanks strongly enough. It means so much!She had things to do, and we were finished eating, each with half a sub, chips, and cookies left for later, so we went our separate ways. Hotdog and I had a steep climb ahead of us, which turned out to be easier than expected. It was still a good climb, just not as bad as I'd anticipated. It doesn't matter how steep or gradual the mountains are anyway, if there's a blaze on it, I hike it. Simple.We had some ups and some downs and just kept going, until we came to Stony Brook Shelter, about 8mi from where we started the day. It was around 3:30pm, not one of our most productive days, but good enough. We chatted with the two hikers already there (Papa Bear and ???). They are finishing up the AT, by hiking from Dalton, MA to Katahdin this summer. Kudos to them! Bankrobber arrived and we all talked for a while. It looked like he was carrying a daypack! I don't think he was slacking either! He has to be done before the end of August, and figured he needed to do 15-plus miles per day to do it. Sheesh! I'd hate to have the pressure of a deadline on me!Nearly an hour after we arrived, we finally left the shelter. About 100yds up the trail, we stopped for water. It's fun to take a break just minutes after an hour-long one! It was a quick break though, as I had to treat my water before we went on.We went mostly uphill, but with some breaks, for the next 4 miles. It wasn't bad hiking, but it was tiring. There were steep ups and steep downs, and I was getting tired. I stopped for a bathroom break, and when Hotdog caught up, we sat down for a real break. We decided once we got to Chateauguay Road, we'd grab water at a stream and look for a place to camp. It was easy to find a place. We're set up right by the stream, and as it turns out, Puff Puff and Snappy are hanging in their hammocks just up the trail from us.It was nice to just hike until we wante to stop. We used to do that all the time, until the rains came and never left. I don't mind tenting in the rain... I just hate setting up and taking down my tent in the rain. Besides, it's easier in a shelter: all I have to do is throw out my sleeping pad and bag and I'm ready for bed!I keep running numbers in my head: x miles left; y days until the wedding; etc. I shouldn't even worry about it, or bother with it because I have plenty of time, but I can't help it. I just keep running scenarios in my mind. For good or bad, I have Hotdog doing the same thing. Last night, he figured our average miles/day for the duration of the hike: 11.25, with zeros factored in. He also figured we'd finish Sept.14, if we hiked 10.8 miles/day. And that included 4 days off for the wedding. I did some calculating, and figured it would take an average of 12.8 miles/day to finish by Sept.4 (before the wedding). I stole an idea from.... Mule, I think... and created a miles account. Every step over the two averages (!0.8 and 12.8) goes into a bank account. I have an account for each scenario. This will help me have an idea of approximate finish date, or where we stand that day. It probably won't keep me from running numbers through my head all day long anyway, buy m! aybe it will help!I'm not trying to rush through the last two states, but I am anxious to get to New Hampshire, then the Whites, then to Maine, then to Katahdin. It's going to be fun... these last several hundred miles! I can't wait!