July 27 Mile 1552

Had a crazy night! Guess cause I was so tired. Went to sleep immediately, but then had a really goofy dream. Someone was telling me," your taxes are going up, your taxes are going up! You have to do something about it!" Anyway, evidently I starting yelling in my sleep and Cisco had to come over and tell me to stop. Weird!

Last time out I had major blisters on the first several weeks out and they were miserable. I figured this time with broken in boots, I would be ok-wrong. In the driving rain the other day my left foot was soaked and later I saw the beginnings of a blister.

Now this morning it turned into a full fledged monster, size of a quarter on the outside of my left foot above my heal. Ouch! So off we go with my new blister pinching me at every step. Luckily for me the Caretaker at the Upper Goose Pond Cabin was a nurse, so he helped me treat the blister so hiking would not be an excruciating experience!

Decided to do a shorter day after yesterday, only about nine miles.

Today I got to finish my lengthy American Presidential History lesson with Cisco. As I mentioned earlier, when we hike, the trail is sometimes conducive to talk.

We talked along time on Tuesday about the issues facing his generation as they try to find jobs and their place in the world. It was a very sobering discussion.

One of the things I like to talk about as we hike is history, particularly American history. For some reason history dates, facts, and places seem to stick in my head. While I can't remember half the stuff I am supposed to get at the grocery store, I know who the 17th President was.

So, I have this  useless talent of being able to name each US President in order and their years of service, plus at least one fact about them. So for 4 days I have given the lesson, we finally finished today with a look to the 2012 election. Whew! The only thing I was stuck on was a fact on Chester A Arthur... Yes, he was a President.

Got to the October Shelter pretty early and a good thing cause it was busy after we arrived. Met some new thru hikers . Met a southbounder who lives in  GA. Her name was Aqua, because she almost drowned trying to ford a Maine river. 

                                              Cisco in a trail of ferns.

Ate a dinner of turkey stuffing and salmon and to bed at sunset.