Trail Letter 13: 6/2 and 6/3

28.5 skeeter-infested miles today. The battle began as I entered an 8 mile stretch in lower elevations. The skeeter scouts might possibly be the worst, as they buzz into your ear saying, “You better watch out — this is our land, buddy.” Being the courageous warrior that I am, though, I pressed on uneasily…. and then they attacked. At first I wasn’t worried, because my fatal blows were staving them off… until they called in reinforcements. They ruthlessly swarmed my face, but it was only a misdirection ploy, for as I swatted them away, a dozen landed on my legs, while another dozen began to feat on my arms. Unfortunately for me, my armor isn’t thick enough to prevent their razor-sharp tubes from entering and making pipelines to my veins… so I just put my head down and bulldozed through the swarms. OK, I’d love to finish the story, but I am seriously getting eaten alive by the little vampire insects.

Shin splints showed up again today — didn’t slow me too much but they’ve got me worried. Aaaaargh! These skeeters are driving me mad!!!

6/3

27.6 happy-ending miles today. Thankfully at some point the mosquitoes quit attacking me last night, so I did get some sleep. But I woke up early and knocked out 18 easy miles before lunch. I recently learned that yesterday’s hiking is renowned for its mosquito population — the swamps there are breeding grounds.

I looked up and saw a black mass, presumably a stump, in the middle of the Trail. Upon a millisecond’s more inspection, I saw there two black masses, not one, and they instantly scurried up the nearest tree. I’ve never seen an animal so large move with such speed — almost as quick as a squirrel — and agility. A couple seconds later Mama bear comes out to see what the fuss is about, and she sees me standing there. After giving her my best “You don’t wanna rumble with me” look, she scooted off. I waited a few seconds, and the “cubs” (they were about as large as mama) climbed back down and ran off. Very exhilarating! Also saw (I think) another raccoon today, but whatever it was, it was all black.

Today’s miles landed me in Dalton, MA, where a Trail Angel named Tom lives right by the Trail (in a neighborhood). He fed me dinner, an ice cream sundae, let me shower & clean clothes, is letting me sleep inside, let me use the phone, and is gonna shuttle me around tomorrow if I need it. All for free. I can’t wait until I can do what he does… A huge thanks to kindness and generosity.