Rain delay at Crawford Notch...

Well, Mount Washington is just going to have to wait a day. I awoke to
steady rain this morning with a forecast of possible thunderstorms.
This is a mountain that calls for clear skies. Of course after we made
the decision to wait until tomorrow, as usual...right on cue, the sun
popped out. Uhuh. That's okay, I needed the afternoon to dry
everything out from setting my tent up in a depression in a mossy bog.
That's right. There was a nice brown puddle of water in/under/around
well, not much, just everything I own. That's okay too, because the
sun that popped out unexpectedly dried everything nicely. Again.

Today, makes exactly five months I have been on the trail. My
calculations put me on Katahdin almost exactly six months from my
start date. With 345.1 miles...approximately... left, I can sense the
end drawing closer. With so many pages from my guide book gone, the
reality of finishing this amazing adventure looms large.

I am going to sleep now. I have to rest up for a FIVE THOUSAND foot
elevation gain climb in the morning. Why do all the big mountains have
such low river valleys in between them??? A hiker from Maine, in his
thick Maine accent, told me back in the beginning, "If you don't like
the gaps you're gonna hate the notches!" Well let me tell you. NOW I
know what he was talkin' about (in a thick Georgia accent). I'll be
okay, I am eating a Whoopie pie for breakfast!