Day 146: Care Packages and Moose Poop

Hiked 0.0 miles, staying at the Pine Ellis Lodge.

The bubble that had developed has now dispersed completely.  Humen, Hammer, Tallulah, Gravy and Novi got off trail for a couple days with Gravy's relatives.  Slip, Snow, Beyonce and Nova are on a push to Rangely.  Jacko, Invisible Man, Army Ant and Rolling-R last I heard were planning to yellow-blaze ahead 100 miles to skip southern Maine.  I bid Snow, etc... farewell over breakfast.  I probably won't see them again since they are pushing hard to finish.  Me, I'm really slowing down and trying to enjoy these last few hundred miles.

Everyone relaxed on the hostel porch today

Stripe hanging on the hostel porch

Those attack moose are scary

Because the town is so small, resupply options are very limited.  There is a supermarket in Rangely so I only need a couple days of food, but it was a challenge figuring out the next few days of food at the convenience store.  In fact, Rangely is the only town with a supermarket that is near the trail for the entire state of Maine.

This is the entire "downtown" of Andover Maine

The Pine Ellis Lodge

My friend Kevin sent me a care package to the hostel!  He told me about it a week ago and all this time I've been dreaming about the awesome food that he might have sent me.  When the guy handed it to me though it was rather heavy and I jokingly said, "what the heck did he send me a bowling ball?".  Well when I opened the box, sure enough instead of baked goods or candy there was a bowling ball in a yellow floral bag.  Thanks Kevin... 

Seriously?  A bowling ball?

It's like he ordered this bag 50 years ago

David, who helps his mother in-law run the hostel manufactures jewelry as a small side business and offered to give us a tour of his shop.  The twist is that his jewelry is somewhat of a niche market.  He makes earrings, keychains and necklaces with moose poop pendants.  He collects the poop himself, an easy task in Maine, then laquers it so that it is waterproof.  Of course I had to get even with Kevin, so as a token of appreciation for the bowling ball I sent him and Amanda each a moose poop necklace.  I expect you both to wear it frequently.

Diamond encrusted moose turd necklace

David knows his sh*t

He offers three different kinds, up top you have the blueberry poop, on the left you have the aquatic plant poop and on the right is your normal run of the mill moose poop

Crazy Legs and Shadow Wolf both rolled in to the hostel today, along with Stripe and I we are representing the northbounders at the hostel tonight.  There are also a few section hikers and no southbounders.  The main surge of southbounders seems to have passed and at most I am only seeing one or two per day now.