Day 12, AYCE Breakfast

July 25

114.5 down, 2071.4 to go

Ahhhh, remember when we said it was the little things? It really is. Taking off wet boots, taking a shower after 11 days of not having one and clean clothes! The difference between being overwhelmed and rejuvenated is just a stay away at Shaw's...I sound like a commercial.

We enjoyed relaxing in our room last night and waking up early to the small of bacon. We had our first AYCE breakfast, all you can eat...I had five blueberry pancakes, two pieces of bacon, a sausage patty, two eggs and some hash brown. NotYet had even more.

When we left the trailhead yesterday we were blessed with a car waiting for us! Our new friend Flaco (Spanish for thin), who we met the rainy night before at the lean to, was a few minutes ahead of us all day and called for the ride. They waited a few minutes for us, how nice! Flaco is SoBo as well, having done two precious NoBo thru hikes in 2010 and 2011. Flaco is taking a zero day. We'd love to take our first one, but want to get back on the trail to avoid spending excessive money in towns. We've heard one of the biggest ways to save money on the trail is to not linger in towns too long. We did pack enough food to take a zero day before hitting the next town. It'd be nice to stop by a great swimming hole. Forecast predicts a lot of rain this weekend so we will see...

NotYet is chatting outside with Flaco and Floss (promoting dental hygiene on the trail or named for his awesome Mohawk?) before we hit the trail again. We met Floss at breakfast this morning. He is SoBo as well, a Spanish teacher and marathoner, taking the year off. He did Katahdin last Tuesday so he's got a quicker pace than us. Like us, it sounds like he's been wanting to do more mileage, comparing it to running and being able to do more in less time... However, running and hiking really don't compare! We want to get going before the rain hits hard tonight.

Thanks to our family an friends for the support! Love is an incredible form of motivation.

Dog across from Shaw's, the twin of Lucy, our family dog back in Washington. He even rolls around in the dirt on his back! The only difference is this dog doesn't seem to be heftily overweight...

Flaco, Floss and NotYet enjoying some sitting and conversation outside.

Informative fridge at Shaw's, including a map of Monson, hiker code and my favorite sticker so far on black flies, ha.