Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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September 15, Rangeley, ME - mile 1948.1

My head is spinning in circles, my stomach feels like a vast empty pit and my feet hurt so bad, I swear they must be bleeding, but I'm here in Rangeley and all is about to get better! I've already called the B&B to reserve a bed for myself tonight and now I'm at the restaurant and my order is cooking. If I wasn't in a public place, I'd love to wrench these boots off, but I fear if I did, everyone in here would pass out!

Gosh, what a day. I resolved early this morning to try to make it here, for one reason: FOOD! I was so weary already at 10AM, I felt like I was at the end of a 16 mile day instead of just starting it. I've come to recognize that feeling as my body's need for calorie-infusion, and lots of it, and here I was, still 4 days from my next planned stop. Since the road here was a good day's distance, I knew I wouldn't lose any part of a day by stopping here. I'll be here just overnight and hopefully back out by 6:30 in the morning.

Clearly, the terrain today was far easier than anything I've seen in the past 3 states, or there's no way I could have put on 16 miles. But not to worry, we're back to 5,000-footers starting first thing tomorrow! Today was an anomaly and I took every advantage of it. It was also a day of many ponds, and I got a close-up encounter with a moose at one of them. I almost missed it, because the first trail I took, thinking it was the one to the pond, was nothing but a soggy marsh. I trudged and trudged and finally decided I was on the wrong path. Once I got back down the trail, the real path was very obvious but I was tired of trudging and angry at wasting all that time. Nevertheless, I grabbed my camera and went down - and there she was! I watched her for about 10 minutes while she plunged over and over into the water and came up munching some moose delicacy. It was fascinating.

My lucky thumb got the first car to pass to stop tonight but I rather wish it hadn't. I got in safely and that's all I'll say!