Made it to Monson.

Day 124 - 8/22/10
Slept alright in the shelter, got up around 7, and Davin and I left by 7:30. Neither of us had much food or anything to eat, so that's part of the reason we were able to get moving so quickly. Plus with the added motivation of meeting my family and the thought of possible trail treats in our future we wanted to get to Monson sooner rather than later. It was a relatively flat 9 miles, only a few small hills, not even mountains, in between us and route 15. We took a few breaks in between, and made it to the road by 11:45. Mom, Christie, and Mary were all there, hanging out with The Crusher who had made it before us. He was sipping on a Blue Moon beer courtesy of Mom. Suddenly it seemed like there were so many hikers there in the parking lot because after Davin and I showed up Ichabod did soon after, and then Markus came rolling up in the back of a pick-up, coming back to the trail after having stayed the night in Monson last night.

We all hung out there for a bit, talking and having some laughs, and it was a jolly good time. I enjoyed the mix of having my family and friends meet friends from the trail. Mom ended up giving a ride to The Crusher and Ichabod into Monson, then came back for the rest of us, and Markus headed off into the hundred mile wilderness. Hope I run into him again at some point. Most likely I will. So us 5, Mom, 2 sis's, Davin, and I, went into Monson to Lakeshore House, one of the hostels in town that's also a pub/restaurant. We had a nice big lunch, which included several appetizers and beers. My favorite would have to be these things called Pachos that consist of french fries covered in bacon, cheese, and sour cream. They're like an alternate form of Nachos, hence the name. I got an explanation about the origin of them from the owner of this place later on.

After a hugely filling meal Mom, Christie, Mary, and Davin headed out (Christie was on call at 5 and needed to get back), so I said my goodbyes and then checked into the hostel here. I was going to go to the other one where The Crusher and Ichabod were, but since I had eaten here and was almost too full to move this seemed like the better option. It's actually a great place, and I felt right at home instantly. Had myself a shower, then went downstairs where there's a laundry-mat and threw my stinky clothes in. It's kind of crazy to think that what I'm doing here today, the shower, the laundry, the night of comfort, is my last one on the trail. This is it. My last hostel night. Because of this I decided to take full advantage of everything, so I may stay up a bit later tonight watching movies and hanging out. Anyway, after getting my laundry set I went to the store and bought myself a pint of Ben & Jerry's (Cherry Garcia!), which is also my last because after this I can't indulge in pints of ice cream and not worry about the after effects, and then came back to the hostel to watch a movie. The ice cream was for later, I was too full to eat it then, but I knew if I didn't get it early on I wouldn't end up going out for a nighttime snack run.

So back at the hostel it was just me hanging out, so I popped in Beauty and the Beast and watched it. What a great flick. I hadn't seen it in years, but I'd been craving to for so long. It was good to finally satisfy that one. I really forgot how good it was, and I was getting chills at the scary parts, the touching parts, the songs, everything. Maybe I'm just in a really emotional state right now where everything is accentuated and feels more intense than normal, or maybe it is just that good. Who knows. After watching that I heard from Three Bears, the only other hiker staying here, that Ichabod and The Crusher were downstairs at the pub, so I went and grabbed a beer with them. I also saw a father/son team I hadn't seen since Delaware Water Gap, the town right at the border between PA-NJ. So way back. I always enjoy those run-ins when you haven't seen someone for a long time. Well that's not true. Sometimes you bump into someone again you don't want to see. But for the most part I enjoy those, like today.

After the chill time I went and made a phone call to Jen before I went into the wilderness because I know I won't get service anywhere through there. Speaking of which, I want to mention now that I'm not going to attempt to post any blogs while going through there. I will continue to journal on my phone, and when I get service again I will post my adventures that I had through the 100-mile wilderness. I'm sort of glad about this because it will allow me to really reflect on this whole journey, which I think at this point is very appropriate. I imagine what I will write in these next few journals will be much more personal and introspective than anything I have previously written because honestly I'm starting to experience a lot of different emotions right now. It's an intense feeling. So, family members and friends, don't be alarmed when I haven't posted anything for 5-6 days.

Before I go to bed I wanted to mention one last thing. I want to thank my Mom and sisters for making it out here and getting the chance to do some trail magic for us. It made me really happy to be able to see you guys before I make my final trek and wrap all this up in a week or so. Every visit I've had from my family has been fantastic, and without your support through this I don't know if I would have made it. That also goes for everyone and anyone who left a comment or spoke with me along the way and gave me encouragement to keep going, but especially my parents. Thank you so much for backing me up and allowing me to follow my dream. Your support has meant so much, and I will carry it with me as I make my way to the finish. I feel like I'm rambling a bit, and I think it's in part because of all the thoughts swimming around in my head, so I'll cut it off there. See you all on the other side!

Total miles: 2064.6