9/04/01
I wasn't ready to roll out of bed when the 5:55 a.m. breakfast call sounded this morning. However, the same aroma as yesterday morning permeated the air and I sleepily made my way downstairs for a repeat performance of the AYCE "three of everything." Instead of pancakes we had French Toast. After breakfast I crawled back in bed for an hour, as did Yolo and Finn. Finally we got moving around 7:45 and I finished packing to go out to the trail. Then at 8 a.m. I walked down to the PO to mail the final box home to Mom and Dad Rabbit, with all those journals I worked so diligently at yesterday as well as some film to be developed and other non-essentials in the final home stretch of the hike. After returning from the PO I sat outside the front of the Shaw boarding house with the fellas. They weren't looking overly motivated to go back to the trail, so we milled around for a while. Then a hoard of Nobos started arriving in town that we hadn't seen for a while and some new ones came in that I had never met. Greenlight came in first. He brought news that several others would be coming in momentarily. I took the opportunity to call Mom Rabbit and Paula while the Fab 5 loitered around the pool room. Finally we all looked at each other and decided by group vote to stay another night at Shaws and take another zero mile day! Yippee! We all seemed elated that we could enjoy another day off to see more friends and relax before heading out on the final leg of the journey.
I popped an ale remaining in the fridge from last night, then called Barney Fife and Ace Ventura to see how their investigation of my shoes was going. I was told that Deputy Fife was off until Friday, so I asked for Deputy Ventura. He was in the office and answered the telephone. The conversation between us was short. Once he figured out who I was, he told me that my website was interesting and that he was going to e-mail me yesterday, but didn't get around to it. Then I asked if I had been cleared from the investigation as a suspect and he confirmed that I was a free man, no longer a suspect! Free at last, free at last! I danced a little jig after I got off the phone, then went across the street to share the news. Thanks to the trail registers, Babbalouie and others shared the story of our Stratton nightmare and I have become somewhat of a trail legend in the last few days. People I don't even know have heard of our plight, so when I announced that I had spoken with the sheriff's dept., I got quite a positive response from my fellow thru-hikers upon sharing the good news. The afternoon activities included lots of games of pool (we paid Mr. Shaw $20 and got all the pool we could play the rest of the day). Mr. Shaw hung around and watched us play. After a particularly difficult shot that I executed, Mr. Shaw asked to see me in private. I was wondering, "What next?". Then he told me that he knew I could play the game and he wanted me to use his personal pool stick. I followed him across the street to the main boarding house where he presented me with his pool stick, then followed me back to the action.
Several games later, in the afternoon, I noticed Mr. Shaw's son, Keith Jr., was driving two horseshoe stakes in the ground. I soon took a break from the pool to join Mr. Shaw, Priceless, and a section hiker (Ricky Reid) in some doubles competition. Mr. Shaw and I were partners and won two of three games and a dollar each was ours after beating our foes. Next Bad Moon taught me a lesson or two before a squall line with lightning and heavy rain promptly ended our outdoor activities. From there I rejoined the gang in the pool room until dinner time. Priceless and I split another pizza, then the evening pool competition began. I had enough by 8 p.m., so I went inside the guest house and joined the older crowd in a couple games of Yahtzee. Little Steps, Little John and Leading and Trailing from Knoxville were kind enough to let me join in the fun and we played until 10 p.m. With a full day of fun behind me, it was time to settle down a little, so I joined Phantom, Finn, Green Light, and Mary Poppins in the TV room until I finally retired for the night on the floor of a downstairs bedroom (since I didn't pay for a room, I didn't mess up a bed). Today was a memorable, fitting end to the trail town stops and may have been the best zero mile day of the entire adventure. Our plan is to definitely leave town tomorrow right after breakfast to start the final leg of the journey to Katahdin. Today's stats: low 50, high 75. Cloudy to PM thunderstorms.
