"...climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep..."
-Lyrics from "I Don't Mind"
Start: Shaker Campsite
Finish: Lakeside Inn
Today: 11.6 mi
Total: 360.4 mi
Today was another good day with a lot of ups and downs in elevation. They say if you've thru hiked the whole trail you have covered elevation gains and losses equivalent to 27 Mount Everests (from sea level). Doing over 700 miles of the trail in one of the most mountainous sections I'll estimate that we'll cover 11 Mt Everests in elevation change. This means that by the end of our journey we will have ascended and descended over 1/3 million feet. If that's not a shoe commercial, I don't know what is!
The trail today wasn't bad. After two steep climbs it leveled off on a ridge which rose up and down like 200 foot tall waves all the way to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. We were greeted at the cabin by the caretakers and some hikers we've met throughout our trek. One hiker, Lucky Ten, we haven't seen since PA.
Rather than soothing our muscles in the pond or kayaking through its calm waters, we jumped for the hiker logbook. The log is almost like a hiker newspaper and can be found in shelters, cabins, huts, campsites and even some hotels and restaurants along the path. In the log is information about when a hiker passed through, how their day was, weather, terrain, thoughts, feelings, etc. Most hikers, at the very least, will look to see how far ahead of them their fast friends are and write the date and their names so their slow friends can see how slow they are.
It was in the log that we found out our friend, Simple C, was in a tough spot. He was heading back home to be the best man in a wedding and the bride was insisting he shave off his man-trophy, the beard he had been cultivating for the better part of four months. I'm not sure if tan lines in the shape of the beard will look much better in the photos!
Heather and I sat and talked with Bonnie, one of the caretakers for this week. On the trail certain conversations inevitably come up: the distances to places, how far hiker friends are, FOOD, our smell and...poop. Bonnie brought up the topic as she shrugged her shoulders, explaining what she would have to do tonight. The privy (think miny shack with toilet bowl leading to a big hole below where the solid waste accumulates), she told me had to be "de- coned" tonight as the pile of...was approaching the seat. Hope nobody was eating dinner while reading this!
We were surprised and happy to see No Whistle on her second zero at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. She was planning on staying the night but we were toying with the idea of doing another 1.6 AT miles (2.1 mile from the cabin) to Lee for food and a cheap motel. The power of pizza prevailed as we said goodbye to the caretakers and other hikers.
2 miles later we walked across the I-90 overpass. This was a bigger moment for me than I thought it would be as it showed me how far north we walked. I-90 passes through Boston, Albany and I used to drive across it on my way to college in Buffalo. It also shows me how near the end of our journey I am and that I'll have to rejoin society soon.
The motel is perfect: cheap, on a beautiful lake and pizza and Chinese deliverer to it. We ordered pizza, showered, ate food and Miles Supertramp and Carver showed up. They still have a bit of trail the cover behind us but they hitched forward to be in the same hotel as us.
We all talked and caught up for a few hours before getting the urge for a second dinner. Heather and Carver felt like McDonald's while Miles, No Whistle and I felt like Chinese. Heather got on the phone with McDonald's and asked if they would deliver...no! She got on the phone with the Chinese place and somehow finagled them to deliver Chinese AND stop at McDonald's on the way in a display I can only describe as a trail miracle!
~DADDY LONG LEGS
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