7/16/16     Random Campsite By River     14 or 15 miles

We left Shaw’s this morning to enter the 100 Mile Wilderness. We passed the famous sign telling us to carry ten days of food….we only have six and my pack already feels like I’m harboring a small child. I feel like I can eat all of it (the food that is) in one sitting which is somewhat disturbing. I just want to sit and eat anything and everything all the time; I may have a problem.

I fell three times in the first three miles really busting my ass hard the third time. I inspected the area and have a pretty good size bruise already forming on my cheek. There would be no other appropriate way for me to end this journey with out some sort of battle wound.

Although we left Shaw’s with a few other NoBo’s once we all settled in to our hiking pace the trail became quite and we felt a great sense of remoteness. We passed a few Southies but everyone seemed calm and reflective. Southies seem to be acknowledging they have conquered their first 100 miles but taking in the fact they have over 2,000 more. I could only rehash our first 100 miles on Mt. Albert; what a great day. It feels so long ago….

I tried to focus on what I came out here for last year and tried to remember that this time next week we will be on our way home. Apogee and Plyo are camping along the River with us along with two older ladies out for a section of trail. They all are so happy and comfortable out here. They all must be mad! I am so ready to be done! This is a very bittersweet feeling as we only hike closer to the end. I am a roller coaster of emotions.

Tomorrow we climb Chairback and  few others which all the Southies have warned us about. Hopefully they are again all wrong and it’ll be cake. I have discovered how skewed their thoughts on the trail are. I continuously size them up which I can’t help but do. I understand now how employees at Neal’s Gap must feel like when they see a fresh batch of NOBO’s. I feel like a weenie and a trail elder all in one.

*Saw a dead animal in the river today, it looked like ET from the scene where he is all white and sickly in the stream. It was kinda funny; ugg I’m such a sicko!

*I wanna strip my pack off and run down the trail to the finish line that is Katahdin. I am ready for something else.