Miles Today: 10.1
Mile Marker: 1943.0
This morning I got up bright and early and was the first one at breakfast right when the Red Hen opened at 6:30. They graciously allow us to camp in their backyard for free, so it wasn't that tall of an order. Cousin Eddie joined me, and then Cheese and Einstein showed up. I hung out with them until everyone was finished, and then I got my resupply. I was about to hitch when I noticed how strong the Red Hen’s WiFi was. It was insanely fast. In rural Maine they had better internet connection than I did in Fort Worth. I decided to carpe diem and update my blog and load up on podcasts and music.
Around 9:30 I started hitching. I got a hitch rather quickly from a couple in town to do some hiking and look at houses in the area. I was looking out for the trail because it just crosses the road with no trailhead and they weren't local. I spotted it and they let me out. About a minute later I realized I jumped the gun. They were already long gone when I realized. I was four miles from where I needed to be. It took over and hour before I got another ride. It was from a flatbed truck with some 2x4 hand built railing. That was the only time I've ever been unnerved by riding in (on) the back of a truck. The guy got me exactly where I needed to be though. Turns out there is a giant AT symbol painted on the road just before the crossing. Who knew.
I had every intention of continuing my chase to catch up with the crew when I hit the trail. The trail was giving little resistance, but my body was putting up a pretty good fight. I was incredibly exhausted and moving slowly. You would think 2,000 calories of breakfast would have gotten me going. Around 6:00 I started thinking about going back into town instead of going up the next mountain. At 6:30 I hit the road crossing and figured I'd give it a try. After all Hop Along would be in town and Einstein said the pizza was amazing. Why not throw in the towel after 10 miles. I caught a hitch fairly quickly from a nice family from New Hampshire out on a week long vacation. So here I am again. Back in Andover. Stuffed full of pizza and self promises of “we'll just hike harder tomorrow.” At least one of those two is tangible.