The rest begins

Day 53

hiked today: 23.9 +1
hiked total: 1172.5
to katahdin: 1005.8

we woke up early today and got out on the trail by 7am. We wanted to get a good start so that we could get picked up by andy's parents at a decent hour. We packed up and sleepily said good bye to wags and made our way north. The first half of the day was a little sleepy, but we eventually perked up. For about 45 minutes there were four or five fighter jets circling us which took our minds off our aching feet and sore bodies. After making it halfway, we took a short break just to let our feet rest, but not long enough that we would sacrifice precious rest at Andy's. With that break and some food in us, we got our second winds (or first if you consider us sleep walking the first half) and continued on. We made decent time, and the terrain was fairly easy. Rocky at some points, and we had the longest uphill we have had in a while which is 2 miles and 1000 feet.

We crossed a road which said we were 2.2 miles from I-81 (where we were meeting his parents) and then realized that road we crossed wasn't actually in the book. We got frustrated and just walked on the road for the last mile. We crossed a little bridge that was pretty cool looking, it was from an old steel works company and was made for the Appalachian Trail. After we crossed that, we saw that where we were meeting Andy's parents was on the other side of the river. We saw a bridge not too far away and walked up to that only to find it was fenced off and closed with no way to get around the barrier. We had to walk the half-mile back to the bridge, and then another half mile up the right side of the river.

Andy's parents needed an address for the GPS to meet up with us, so we went up to this guy and asked him what his address was. He was very nice and hospitable, but very creepy. He was doing some farming in his back yard with is two younger, and equally awkward, boys. He told us we could sit out front on one of his picnic tables and we did so. A few minutes later he came out with some juice for us and chatted until Andy's parents came.

I was finally able to meet the Laubs after hearing so much and feeling like I know them already. They greeted us with big hellos and hugs and then we were off to get some food. Apparently, we stink. They made us open the windows, and I suppose Andy and I are just used to it at this point. We washed up in the diner bathroom a little and then ate some food. Afterwards, Andy and I passed out in the car for about 45mins-hour. We got back to his house, I met his brother and his dog and took a needed shower. It's nice knowing we have a few days just to relax and fix our feet.

After we took showers and got cleaned up, we went and took a drive around Andy's area and got some Philly cheese-steaks near by. Now we will sleep, relax, and enjoy the comforts of home. Although it is a little weird right now, I hope the weekend doesn't go by too quickly!

Not sure if I will post for the next few days, so see you on tuesday!