The Box

It arrived marked "Priority Mail", addressed to "Ward Russell".  That could be Ward or it could be me.  Either way, we knew it was from our hiker, and we knew the box contained his "stuff".  Beth opened the box anticipating a note and a few other items from Ward. She was met by the foulest stench imaginable to mankind.  Worse than boy socks.  Worse than a condemned fraternity house facing foreclosure.  Worse than . . . well, you get the message.

The box contained the following items:
Waterproof camera shock case
Gold Bond powder
Band aids and moleskin
A very cheap Snap Clip
3 plastic grocery bags (is he finally recycling?)
A light down vest (the one purchased about a week into the trek)
Parachute cord
A bottle of Mrs. Dash's Seasoning (has he become a lazy, cheap version of Bobby Flay?)
A sleeping pad (the one purchased about a month ago)
2 sleeping bag stuff sacks (mostly filled with stuff above)
Boot insoles (hi-tech, custom-fit shock absorbers)
The Spot

The message was clear, especially when we saw the orange Spot.  He's tired.  He has his eye on the finish.  He doesn't want anything extraneous, even if it might save his life.  No need for band aids, moleskin, or even Gold Bond.  He's almost through.  Ditching the Spot was the exclamation mark.  He no longer needs this stuff, and he's going to finish with the lightest possible load, even if that means family and friends can no longer track his whereabouts.  He seems to like going rogue for a few days, meaning no one can reach him.  He will find us if he needs us.

But he did call home tonight while we were having dinner, following George's graduation convocation.  Of course, George was quite tired after last night's prom.  He had a good time, but was most relieved to have found his tuxedo pants, wallet, and car keys around 3:00 in the afternoon, the day after the prom.  George stood up when they were recognizing people for grand accomplishments, even though he wasn't really part of the group being recognized.  Lots of laughs from his friends.  That's what George wanted - laughs, and to stretch his legs during a very long ceremony (aren't they all long!).  We love George.  He lights up everything around our house - sometimes to excess.  George graduates Friday morning and it looks like he's heading to East Africa where he may have the opportunity to hike up Kilimanjaro.  All this happened suddenly.  George was planning to take a Gap year in the Sonoran Desert through NOLS, but the program he signed up for was suddenly cancelled due to low participation.  NOLS offered a discount that enables him to go to Africa and then somewhere else in the Spring before he enrolls at Elon University in fall 2012.  Things always work out for George.  He will do well in life.

Back to Ward . . . He was tired and wet.  Today's rains were the worst he's hiked in.  The group finally gave up and found a hostel in Andover, ME (yes, he's in Maine - Section 11 - the final section).  One of his first comments was "now I understand why so many people quit in the early parts of Maine".  He doesn't plan to quit.

We talked for a long time.  His pack and pack cover constantly filled with water today.  At one point he had at least a gallon of water in the cover (I think a gallon of water weighs 8 lbs - too lazy to hit "The Google" at this hour).  He must have had time on his hands, because he gave me a list of every shelter he has stayed in since May 23rd.  I have been able to document each night's stayover with the exception of a few in Massachusetts.  He says he can get those to me soon.  I was really pleased he remembered to give the locations.

We mostly talked about logistics and the possibility of our visiting him at the finish and maybe hiking the last miles with him.  In Ward fashion, he said he was indifferent, but then mentioned that we would need to get an early start if we wanted to reach the top with him.  He is already planning 18 miles on the last day, with the last 5 going up Mt. Katahdin.  We don't know exactly what day he'll arrive, so everything is up in the air with us.  He seems to think he's less than two weeks away.  That is hard for me to believe.  He is planning some big days as he moves northward, including a personal goal of a 40-mile day.  We'll see.  He tends to accomplish a goal once is set, so I would not be surprised if he pulls it off.

I think he liked hearing news from home.  He set the stage for sitting around the house for a couple of weeks, just to recover.  That will probably last three days before he heads out to see friends.  He's also looking forward to having friends visit him at home.  Before we finished our call he mentioned that he saw his first moose today.  It wasn't during the hike, but was instead during the time he was waiting along the side of a road for a ride (hitchhiking).  The moose simply walked across the road.  As he was telling the story, our not-so-Great Dane, Sarge darted past me.  Ward chucked when I described our own moose (Sarge) galloping around the house.  Stories from home can be good, especially during difficult times.