Friends & Trail Family

I am surely going to miss this trail and this life! There are so many friends that have been made over the course of 2000miles. Yup! Crossed the 2000mile marker today! Hooray! That means only 170miles left.
There was a crowd of us headed out on the trail today...Croc Walker & Britanica, GG & Slip-n-Slide, Mountain Dancer, Mike, & I all slack packed today. It was great fun and a good re-energizing moment. Then when we returned, more friends (Bluey & Tri-Guy) had arrived at the Stratton Motel. They told me Spice Rack is only about a day behind them. Bluey tried to make it sound like Spice Rack was having a rough time without his awesome hiking partner, but I knew that was not true! Spice Rack is a strong hiker and person in general. I am sure he is doign well especially knowing he will catch the family planning on finishing on the 28th. To some degree I am jealous of his finish because of the people, but at the same time I am ready to be done!
Today was the Bigelow Mountains and thus the end of anything difficult according to trail rumor. We were a little baffled by the semi-easy trail we found ourselves on for a bit. Do not worry, the trail did make up for that short section of pleasure by throwing in roots and rocks before we finished for the day! Mother Nature also helped with trail conditions by throwing some rain on the rocks and roots to make them extra treacherous! Gotta love the AT, eh?
Tomorrow, we have a fun canoe ride across the Kennebec River into Caratunk! I look forward to checking out my packages and hoping to see my in-laws. Mike keeps promising messages from his mom! I hope she can do something for these malfunctioning knees and ankles! The day looks like a small hill (small in comparison to what we have been doing recently) in the morning followed by flat flat and more flat! Hooray! Mountains seem to be mostly shrunken by now! I like flat terrain! Looking forward to the 100mile wilderness where I may just give my gear to my in-laws and walk continuously until I reach Baxter State Park! That thought has crossed my mind multiple times in the past few days. I'm not sure my body woudl like me too much!
Oh yeah! I thought I should give a little humor to my blogspot since I have been such a downer lately. The reunion of Mike and I was a late night in North Conway. I had gotten us a sweet hotel room with a jacuzzi tub. The staff must have given me a discounted rate due to my talking to them about my AT experiences and how I was meeting my husband after being away from him for 4.5months. It was sweet and I made sure to have a nice soak in the tub while I waited for Mike to show up! The town was overwhelmed with tourists and felt kind of weird, but I enjoyed walking around watching the people! Mike arrived with Eben and Sunny around 10pm while I was finishing a large pizza on my own and drinking beer. We hung for a bit and then Eben and Sunny took off for Eben's aunt's house nearby. As Mike and I prepared for bed, I removed my top to head to bed and he began laughing. When I asked why he was laughing, he stated he recognized me until I took off my top! See,...What has happened over the course of the trail is that I left my boobs at Springer Mountain! Mike says our friend Holly and I need to compare and see who is smaller now! For once, my sister can feel great in regards to having a much larger chest size than I! Granted she is lactating. Anyway, Mike thought it funny my loss! I of course have been bothered by the loss of 2 of my favorite friends (my breasts) since the beginning of the trail. As my mother had to remind me, I will gain those back last of everything. So, I guess I will have to just be happy with how I look now, which I am!
Ok, I am not sure what the days ahead will hold for me. It looks like easy cruising, but depends on what The Awesome MIL and Father-in-law (FIL) are able to help us out with over the next few days! Mike is a little aprehensive of the 100mile wilderness as he has confessed that he cannot keep up with me on the flat portions of the trail. I have talked with him about doing 30mile days in the wilderness and the next few days. He does not sound too sure of it. We will see what happens! The GA-ME is almost over. I am sad and yet excited at the same time!
Thank you all for your support. I am celebrating my 2000mile marker with good beer and wonderful trail friends and family. It makes me ready to continue the trail with or without pack! Mike has confessed he does not like the weight of his pack and thus is working overtime to get us transportation and support. Wahoo! He has support for us! The awesome MIL and FIL are helping us out! I love it! The trail has gotten easy and my spirits have been raised tremendously! I am going to make it by the 22nd! See everyone on the flip side of the trail! Thank you for your support and love!