Getting up is always a chore when you are so comfortable, and yet I sleep on a Z-Lite. I heard English Girl up and my alarm, so I enjoyed a little Norah Jones before getting ready. Our stealth spot was pretty small so Lynn and I's tents were quite close. The walk was great, easy, and enjoyable. We had a few downs after the great part which sucked but was tolerable. I knew we were staying at the Upper goose Pond Cabin and wanted to get there as early as possible to enjoy what it had to offer. This put the stress on of getting there fast, and it seemed we should get there around 3:30-4:00 which was plenty of time. There was a beast of an uphill climb and on the way to our lunch spot, Lynn tucked and rolled right off a footbridge in the mud. For lunch I decided to make Ramen since we were sitting right next to a stream, and then as the day went on my knees, feet, ankles; well let's just say pretty much from the waist down was not happy with me. Only 3 miles to to go I thought. I sat for a minute to put on my knee brace and eat a snack while Lynn was off ahead of me. Must push on I thought, I'll be there sooner if I get up and walk. Next I saw a sign 1.6 to the cabin sign, and an additional .5 to the cabin. Great, I'll be there soon! Wrong. I think that was the longest 1.6 miles of my life. It was steep, rocky, exposed roots, and tiring. Then I saw Lynn waiting at a footbridge, how are we not there? Walking along the pond was a tease since then the trail went up a hill. Next we saw the old chimney which meant the sign for the cabin should be only .1 away. Up and around we went until we came across the sign, still .5 to go now off trail. I calculated that .5 takes me about 15 minutes; if I listen to 5 songs on my ipod that are about 3 minutes each-I will be there. By song 4 I saw the red cabin, thank god because I was about to saw off my legs with my own knife. We checked out the bunks in the bunkhouse upstairs where Lynn decided to set up. I looked around close by for a tent spot but came across nothing much. One of the caretakers showed me some mushrooms he gathered and we talked about them briefly. He showed me where the tent platforms were up the hill a little and I explained how I wanted to be close to the cabin and wasn't looking to walk even further. He said I could set up on a little flat spot near the work shed so I decided to do that. After, I met Lynn down at the dock and there was another woman and child there. The daughter's name was Greta and she was 8 years old, her mother had hiked the trail 19 years ago and used to come to this cabin as a child all the time. I was starving so I inhaled some chips, trail mix, and some fruit snacks, Greta stared in amazement. Greta's grandmother has been a caretaker for over 25 years and is currently 89 years old. Apparently she still goes skiing, but today she was floating around the pond on her float. The pond is so beautiful and even gas powered boats are allowed on it. I sat with my feet dangling in the water and the 5 inch fish were all checking out my toes. We hung out there for awhile until my toes were all pruned and Greta and her mother sat and read a chapter from Harry Potter out loud. I went up to the cabin after Lynn to make dinner and realized I wasn't even hungry. I knew I had to eat so I made couscous and mixed dehydrated vegetables and black beans. Guess I shouldn't have eaten so many snacks earlier. The cabin doesn't have electricity and they cook on a propane stove or the outdoor fire. Lynn and I sat beside the fire for awhile but a storm was coming and since I was tenting, I wanted to make sure I was inside before it hit. Lynn was the only one staying in the bunks tonight, and as soon as I decided to call it a night, the rain began. Just in time, I sat inside my tent in the pouring rain. I hope it stops in time to let my tent dry out before packing up in the morning, there are pancakes to look forward to though!
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