First 120 Miles!

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So I've made it to Monson! Woooo Hooo. The 100 mile wilderness is complete and I'm well on my way. It's been a hard trip so far and I hope it gets easier from here. I wore my Asolo Fugitive GTX hiking boots for the first 80 or so miles and I think that they may have lead to the severe knee pain I've been experiencing. I was so glad to have Dave Ort with me for the first leg of the trip and I wish I could have convinced him to carry on with me. We parked his car about a week away from the start and that is now to longest distance we've hiked together. The views from the top pf the mountains here have been breathtaking! I can't wait to show you pictures! Dave was supposed to make a photo bucket account and send me the info for it, but I haven't gotten an e-mail from him yet. Come to think of it.... I hope he made it home OK. There is no cell service here so I can't call him. The switching of the footwear at Dave's car was a good move I think. I had to take a 0 (not walk anywhere) at the Cloud Pond lean-to and try to rest up. That made significant improvements but I’m still not doing that great in the knee pain department. I think I'll be taking another short day today in town. I'm so excited for pizza and beer it's not funny. Unfortunately it doesn't open till 4! I managed to pay for a shower at the Laundromat ( convenient for sure ) and I'm all cleaned up and ready to relax. If my knee pain doesn't fade by the end of Maine I think I'll bail on this adventure. There is no point in crippling myself at such a young age. It was so bad that I had to do 17 miles over 4 mountain peeks without bending at the knee. If I do bail out, the back up plan is to canoe the Mississippi! I am enjoying the hike though and I’d love to complete it. I’ve met a lot of interesting people so far and I’m sure there are a ton more to add to that. Wess(Gash) & Stacy are a couple from Florida that have been with my since day 1. I lost them when I took the 0, but I believe they are still here in Monson and I will meet up with them today. The North Bounders (NoBo’s) that I’ve meet are mostly the ultra-light speedy hikers that take very few luxury items and put in huge mileage days. I’m jealous of their ability to move so quickly, but I’m here to enjoy myself, run past all the best parts just to get it over with.

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Comments

[amy]

stars above. i miss you so much. dave showed me a picture of you in your skydiving jumpsuit. i think it might be the most fantastic picture i've ever seen. i might make a t-shirt with it. good luck!