Zeroes til the Rain Stops

So, we got up, all packed and ready to hike, checked the weather, and it stopped us in our tracks, forcing us to change our plans. It called for rain for the next two days. We had been told by numerous southbounders to wait for sunny weather to hike the Whites, and we were trying our best to make that happen.

Lincoln, NH is a resort town, and all of the hotels were booked. We managed to get one more night at our hotel, but then we had to make a new plan.

We went out for a really nice breakfast, and spent a lot of time reworking our plan for up the trail. Keith and I went and saw "The Bourne Legacy" and loved it. As we were leaving, we spotted Dirty Girl and enjoyed chatting with him, and whining about the descent down Moosilauke.

We knew that there was a house in town that the owner opened up to thru-hikers, and decided to give him a call. His name was Chet, and when I called, he asked me three questions - was I a Nobo or a Sobo, where did I start, and what was the last mountain I had climbed. He said I had answered correctly and was welcome to stay at his house. He also said the bunks were full, but there was room on the floor. Sounded like a slumber party to me! I told him we'd prefer to tent, and he said there was space in the yard. A fellow hiker later told me that he quizzes everyone to make sure they are thru-hikers.

We gave Dirty Girl a ride to Chet's and were able to see what it looked like. We told him we would see him the next day. It was really his garage that had been converted into a bedroom, and six bunks had been installed against one wall. There were several chairs spread around, and a deck with a table out back. PIt was going to be fine to hang out here and camp out back. We recognized most of the hikers, and met a few new ones as well - Grits, Trekking Pole (from Poland), Pace. And Connect Four (loves the game). There was a bathroom with a shower we could use, as well as a fridge and plenty of outlets to charge phones.

We went back to the hotel and visites the jacuzzi again, and then enjoyed watching the Olympics

This morning, we slept as late as possible, and then the Geraghtys took us over to Chet's. We really hated to tell them goodbye, but we are all excited about how close we are to the end! We will see them very soon!



We visited with Chet, who is extremely nice and generous to open his home to hikers. We walked about 5 minutes down the street to Main Street where we had pizza, and I had the best gluten free pizza I've ever had!

The guys headed back to Chet's, but I walked down Main to roam around their local arts and crafts fair. I then headed back and visited at Chet's. Along the way, I saw the most colorful house I've ever seen. It definitely belonged to an artist.






For supper, we visited the same pizza place and passed a house on the way that had a sign out that said how many miles it was to Katahdin. A man was out front, and we ended up visiting with him and his wife, both former thru-hikers, and he showed us his tear drop camper, a little tiny camper that was just big enough to hold a mattress for two. He insisted on taking a picture of the three of us in front of his license plate, which said, "3Hikers."

It started raining, and we hung out at the pizza place til it ended. I don't know if Olympics were on, but this place had no TV anyway.

We have decided to slack pack 16 miles tomorrow, which is a rather nerve-wracking decision. I'll let you know how it goes!



389.4 miles to go!!


- Steady and F100