Day 186
Start: Monson, ME
End: Big Wilson Stream
Miles Hiked: 13.0
Miles on AT: 2092.4
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I had big plans for how I wanted to start the day, but reality had other ideas. The morning started off well. Shaw’s holds a big hiker breakfast in the morning with trail-renowned pancakes, so of course I had to wake up early and join the feast. By the time the food was ready to be served, all of the hikers were eagerly awaiting their meals. It was a full house and we had a great time chowing down. Poet and Hippie Chick, the two former thru hikers who run the hostel, cooked for and served us. I remembered to get the message from Colossus to them, but apparently it wasn’t the first time they’d heard it.
Breakfast felt like a family affair, well, I guess a tramily affair. We all sat around the table, exchanging our trail stories and coming up with predictions for what Katahdin would be like. The weather forecast wasn’t looking the best for the week ahead. There was a day with some rain as well as falling temperatures, which could mean Katahdin might turn into a winter wonderland before October 15. I just hoped that the weather would hold long enough for me to get up there and back down safely.
After breakfast, it was time for my resupply. My plan was to shop the local grocery store and get more cash out of the ATM so that I could pay the fee at the Birches in Baxter Park and have a little left over. When it was time for me to check out, I ran into a snag. My credit card wasn’t working. We tried over and over again to get the transaction to go through, but there was an issue with the internet. It was down all throughout town. Oddly, some patrons were able to get their card transactions to go through while I had no luck with any of my cards, debit included. I tried to use the ATM, but, since the internet was down, it also wasn’t working.
Frustrated, there was nothing I could do but wait. The internet was down at Shaw’s, too, but they were able to use their cell service to get transactions to go through. I had some cash on me, but it wouldn’t cover all of my food, plus I needed to keep at least $10 for the Birches. I had backup options, but they weren’t my ideal. Still, when the trail throws a wrench in your plans (as it will always do at least once), the best thing to do is take a deep breath and find a different path.
So, that’s what I did. Back at Shaw’s, I hung out with more of the hikers and tried to distract myself. Around 10:30, though, I decided to pull the trigger on Plan B. I was ready to start hiking! I went back to the grocery store and paid for just enough items in cash to leave me with $12, then finished the rest of my resupply at Shaw’s. I also opted in for the food drop at the halfway point of the Hundred Mile Wilderness so that I didn’t have to carry so much food. With that, I was done, said my goodbyes, and walked the 1 mile (downhill this time!) back to the trailhead.
Ahhhh, it was good to be back on trail after being delayed for what felt like forever, even though it was only a couple of hours at most. One more selection, one more push, and then Katahdin. I could almost taste it – almost.
The day was a bit gloomy and chilly, but I was happy to be out there. Because of my late start, I didn’t quite make it to the shelter in which I had planned to stay. Night soon fell, and I found myself night hiking. This time, it wasn’t spooky or scary at all. I guess I finally discovered how to be comfortable in the dark.
Right before my planned stealth site, I ran into Van Gogh and his dog, Riley, again. As usual, Riley started barking like crazy, happy to see another human being. Van Gogh and I shouted our greetings over Riley’s howls and, since I knew he was probably looking to stop at the same stealth site that I was, I told him I was going to keep hiking on.
After our goodbyes, it wasn’t long until I found another stealth site, this time right next to my next river ford. The shelter was only about a half mile on the other side of the river, but I didn’t want to risk an accident in the water at night. As I set up camp and got my things in order in my tent, I heard a weird scratching sound on top of my tent. Just as I looked up, I saw the white underbelly of a mouse sliding down one side of my tent, I kid you not.
“Oh, hellll, no!’ I was not going to have a mouse party in my tent tonight. I got out and could clearly see the little guy running all around the stealth site. He was way too active for my liking. Like a good hiker, I hung my food bag far away from my tent, and went to sleep praying I wouldn’t have a visitor join me in my tent in the middle of the night.
And that’s day 186.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.