Becoming Odyssa - Jennifer Pharr Davis [124]
Unlike other resupply towns along the trail, Monson was not a quick jaunt down the road. The ride lasted nearly ten minutes, and throughout the drive, the mother apologized for the lack of room in the vehicle.
And did I mention that the SUV was not only clean, but it also smelled new? I prayed the scent was coming from some unseen air freshener, because God only knows what we did to that car. As much as I tried to contain myself, the limited space meant that parts of my body were plastered against the window and dashboard. And even without putting any weight on my feet, the mud and water on the bottom of my shoes left clear sneaker prints on the clean floor mat.
The family’s willingness to give of their time and to sacrifice their car for us was humbling and completely out of the ordinary. I’m still not convinced that they weren’t angels, but I like to think they were human . . . it’s more impressive that way.
20
TRIUMPH
MONSON, ME, TO MOUNT KATAHDIN,
ME,—118 MILES
The Hundred Mile Wilderness is filled with large lakes that are surrounded by warm white boulders. The plentiful water sources provide nice resting spots and a refreshing place to swim. After climbing over White Cap Mountain, the Wilderness flattens out and becomes a victory road leading to Katahdin. The trail is still strewn with roots, rocks, and streams, but views of the big mountain help hikers step lightly over any obstacles. The Hundred Mile Wilderness ends at Abol Bridge. From the bridge, you are ten miles from Katahdin Stream Campground, and fifteen miles from the end of the trail.
You would think that on the last stop of the trail I would have been ready to celebrate. But after a brief stop at the post office in Monson and a bite to eat, the only thing I wanted to celebrate was my bed at the nearby hostel. At the beginning, I had been hiking on the trail to get to towns. Towns had been the reward, but now, at the end of the trail, towns felt more like interruptions.
The next morning, the three of us headed back to the trail and entered the Hundred Mile Wilderness leading to Katahdin. At the start of the Wilderness, there’s a sign warning hikers that they should be prepared with food for at least ten days when entering the section. The boys and I carried four days’ worth of provisions. We were ready, no matter the conditions, to climb Katahdin five days later. I had no doubt that we would face challenges every day on our way to the mountain, but I also knew that, somehow, we would find ways to overcome them.
One would imagine that our team morale would be at an all-time high as we approached our ultimate goal, but this was not the case.
Nightwalker was in a foul mood because his camera had broken, and he would not be able to capture our finale. He decided to take out his frustration by giving Mooch and me the silent treatment and hiking especially fast. I couldn’t fault him for being annoyed with the two of us, since Mooch and I had stopped carrying our cameras long ago with the intention of getting doubles from Nightwalker.
Mooch was irritated because part of his food source (and his trail name) came from mooching off other hikers—including Nightwalker and myself. And by this point, due to our own hunger and waning compassion, we were no longer inclined to share. When we stopped to have lunch together, I took out a bag of dried apricots that I had picked up in Monson. Mooch thought that I had bought them to share, but that was not the case. When I gave him just one, he became indignant. Nightwalker, still bitter about his broken camera, snapped at Mooch for always wanting handouts. That hurt Mooch, so he stopped talking too.
I was feeling antisocial as well, not because