Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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August 31, Crawford Notch - mile 1823.1

I'm so excited right now that I can hardly sit still! Tony is actually en route as I write for a surprise visit here. What an amazing surprise this is!

While I'm waiting, I'm hanging out here at a very small hostel where I had been planning to stay, but as it turns out, they're all booked so it's a good thing I've got alternate plans now. I was also supposed to pick up my mail drop here...but it is not here, either. Instead it's an hour north by car at the main headquarters, where they've been holding it instead of sending it here like they were supposed to. Needless to say, I would have been in a horrible mess if Tony weren't coming tonight. Nowhere to stay, no supplies and the nearest town a good 15 miles away and not really an easy hitch.

Well, I certainly enjoyed my first hut experience last night. We got to eat with the "croo" after the guests had finished and we had cleaned everything up after them. The food tasted fantastic! Fresh vegetables, mashed potatoes, pasta, home-made bread, pork and bean soup and choco-peanut butter bars for dessert. Then we pushed the tables to the edges and bunked down on the floor, but I didn't stay there for long. The other work-for-stay, Dust, snored like a freight train, so I abandoned the floor in there and made for the porch instead. There I got an excellent night's sleep, save for the 3am mouse visit. To my great surprise, he climbed up the side of my head, sat on my temple for a nano-second, which is about where I woke up, and then jumped across my face to the floor. I was mostly glad he jumped without touching the rest of my face, and then I went back to sleep.

This morning I did breakfast set-up and clean-up again, the only one who stayed since the others had all done their work yesterday afternoon when they got in. Afterwards I had my official hour of work, sweeping up the junk under all the mattresses in the bunkroom. It was a great experience overall - great croo to work with, great food and a great place to sleep. I don't know if I'll get any other work-for-stay at the huts, but I'm glad I got to do it at least once.