Day 92 - Greetings frm Massachusetts (July 9)

I did about 23 miles today to get into Massachusetts. I'm camping at the Sages Ravine Brook campsite about 0.2 miles past the state line. I did not see any signs welcoming me into the state. Maybe Massachusetts doesn't like hikers, and only welcomes cars.

I started the day with Kanati. He was nearly packed when I left the shelter area around 6:00 AM. We were supposed to meet for breakfast at a dinner near the trail. I waited a couple hours, and Kanati did not show up.

Later, I met a father and son from Canada. They knew Kanati, but had not seen him today. I asked them about Canadian history. What I wanted to know was how many British colonies were in North America before the revolution. They did not know, and were not sure if Canada was a colony like the 13 colonies that became states. Its interesting how we interpret history looking backward. We don't as often put ourselves in the past and look forward.

If you ever go on the trail, make sure you bring a trail name. Otherwise, you might end up with a name like Meat Hook like one of the Canadians. There are lots of random poorly chosen names like that on the trail

I went into Salsbury today to resupply. Salsbury was a very pretty town. My pack is extra heavy now. My next resupply is Dalton in about 75 miles.

The terrain was easier today. There were higher mountains today. I think it might be easier to do sections with long ups and downs rather than lots of short ups and downs. Should be in some higher elevations soon. I'm hoping to get in some cooler temperatures too.

I can't believe none of my bones have snapped yet. The climb down from CT's highest point felt dangerous. It was a steep decent on wet bedrock outcroppings. It is so hot and humid today that the rocks are wet. The rocks were a little slimy in places too most likely because groundwater was coming out of the rocks. I wonder if a Parsons safety person would sign off on a JSA for hiking the trail today.

My spirits are higher today than the past couple days. I'm in less pain with my new shoes. I noticed that your body will often put your mind in a bad mood when you have too much pain and fatigue.

I think that I'm also just realizing how long the trail really is. I expected some burnout being on the trail so long. I was beginning to question why I was doing this.

I actually thought about burnout before I started the trail. I expected to feel it earlier in the trip. I wanted to know what long distance traveling by foot was like. The boredom and burnout are part of a trip like this. Understanding and accepting that makes me feel better. Understanding and accepting actually makes the boredom and burnout nearly go away. I still miss everyone and I still look forward to going home.