We only hiked 4 miles today, but I need a little break from the rocks. It's a lot better having trail runners, but my feet are still bothersome. Sore soles and achy feet are just part of the game. They say, "No rain, no pain, no Maine." Whoever said that is absolutely correct. I've been in pain almost every day, but I wouldn't change anything. My experience has been amazing. As for the rain, it is just another reason to be thankful for the sun. I don't want to sound like an annoying overly positive person, but I've sort of enjoyed the rain. It's been refreshing. The plants and trees need it and it makes the forest floor look so different and vibrant. The forest was extremely foggy and had a very eerie feeling. I liked it. It was chilling and looked like something out of the movies. I even saw a little newt today. The rain brings out different animals and makes the plants look different.
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| Newts are so cool! |
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| I might be obsessed with the newt |
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| Kind of slippery on these rocks |
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| Nope, doesn't hurt to walk on these at all! |
When we got to the 501 shelter we were so excited to order pizza that one would have thought we were starving. Much to our dismay, we learned that the delivering pizza joint was closed on Mondays. What a cruel joke to play on always hungry hikers. Hikers are hungry on Mondays too. :( We survived. Robby and Jeff got a ride into town and picked up some food. We crushed McDonalds like it was our last meal before the electric chair. Everything tasted so goooood.
We met a guy from Jersey who was very friendly and easy to talk to. Cable is what he going by on the trail. He gave us all oatmeal cream pies and they were delicious. He could have fooled me and said he got them from the finest bakery this side of the Mississippi and I would have believed him. I'm pretty sure they were just little Debbie's brand. Hahahaha.
We also met a couple from Switzerland. They were so friendly and sweet, it made me want to stay up all night just talking and laughing with them. Karma had a contagious laugh. And she laughed a lot. Which obviously made me laugh a lot and it made my heart happy. What an incredible person. She is the type of person that when you are around her you can feel her good energy and happiness. I feel fortunate to have met her. Her partner's name is Mountain Man and he had a very happy smile that spread right up to his eyes. He didn't speak nearly as much as Karma because he said his English wasn't as good. I thought otherwise. I could understand everything he said. Kudos to you Mountain Man! They told us about their first experience at Walmart and I LOVED hearing about it. In Switzerland if you need medication you go to the pharmacy. Even for medicine for a headache. I thought that was very interesting and made me think how you can get cough syrup at the gas station. Pretty crazy! They also talked about the people and that made me laugh. People watching at Walmart is great. I hope their image of the USA isn't tainted by the hillbillies they must have seen. I really hope we run into them on the trail again because they are amazing and I want to get to know them better.
With full bellies and happy hearts we all got toasty in our sleeping bags. I hope that tomorrow is as grand as today was.
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| 501 Shelter isn't much to look at but it's so cool on the inside! |
