Post #30 Wildcats and Carters

August 16. Monday-  I am amazed at how many hikers are in Gorham during my zero day. In addition to the various hikers I see that receive just a nod and wave from me, there are a few I actually chat with, and others whom I met earlier on the trail that stop and catch up with me.  There is one woman in particular -“Annie Oscar the Grouch Walker” is her name- that I seem to keep bumping into every couple of days.  I chatted with her and her dog, Oscar the Grouch, passing on the street.

For me, a zero day means that I don’t do any trail miles but I will do town miles as I visit several stores to get supplies and food to last for the next three to six days. My food calculations depend on road crossings and their proximity to a town. Today I did two town miles.

Tuesday-  I have a history of forgetting things in rooms when I leave to get back on the trail: hat, sandwich, bratwurst, etc.  So I no longer rush out the door and will take an extra minute or two to check around the perimeter of the bed, in the bathroom or shower, on clothing racks, etc.  If only I could remember to check in the mini-fridge!  Three blocks away and moments before boarding the AMC shuttle to return to Pinkham Notch I remember that I left my turkey sub in the fridge ……ARGH!  Goodbye to today’s special lunch!

The trail up the Wildcat mountains from Pinkham Notch may well be the steepest six mile stretch of trail that I’ve been on. I spend seven hours covering those miles, and yet, perhaps due to fresh legs and the thousands of hours of trail work volunteers spent maneuvering 300 pound rocks to create stepping stones, I find it manageable. I later descend these mountains cautiously because the sloping rocks are wet from the intermittent light sprinkling of rain. My right knee and shin are scraped up from a couple of slips and skids.

Thursday- my third day of hiking the Wildcat and Carter mountains. While waiting for a brief rain shower to cease before packing up my rain fly and hammock, the meditation I read reminds me to set aside my agenda and expectations so that I can receive what actually shows up. Desiring community while on the trail is something I want but it may not happen. It would be better for me to set aside that desire, open my eyes and receive what God has set before me.

I hear an ominous weather forecast- 1-2” of rain in the next 24 hours. So, shortly before noon I arrive at NH Rt. 2, stick out my thumb, get a ride within 10 minutes, and head back to Gorham for another resuppy and a night in a dry room. During the hitch to town, I meet Lifesaver, another hiker heading for town.

Lifesaver and I chat during lunch at McD’s.  She is heading to Canada to visit her parents and then home to Israel in time to observe the Jewish holidays in September:

• Rosh Hashanah (new year celebration)
• Yom Kippur (day of atonement)
• Sukkot (commemorating the Exodus)
• Simchat Torah (celebrating the Torah)

We say our goodbyes and I head to Gorham Hardware for alcohol fuel, Dollar General for trail food, and the motel for a shower.

Next up: The Maine border.