8/7 Make That Two Short Days

11.2 hiked today, 1955.8 miles N, 218.2 miles left
Piazza Rock Lean-to

Today I got started at about 7 AM. The thought was the long day would allow me to make up any lost ground from yesterday though as you can see that didn't really happen. I managed to get up and pack and be out in 45 minutes including breakfast, bathroom, and getting water. I am pretty happy with that.
The trail was easy though very very mucky from yesterday. It rolled up and down but rarely very far. The morning went really well. The weather was good and I made good time. My only complaint is that yesterday's rain has left the trail mucky.
At Little Swift River Pond I ran into a summer camp group of maybe 15 kids and two consolers. The campers crowded around when they realized I was a thru-hiker and peppered me with questions. Some even had dreams of doing the AT some day themselves. What I have been noticing is that there are a large numbers of such groups out here, I am told 8 from this camp alone, and that they are almost exclusively Canadians. I ate a snack while I talked and took care of getting water from the spring there before I moved on.
I took a snack break on the shore of beautifully serene South Pond. Along the trail I spotted fresh moose tracks everywhere but saw no moose. Around 11 I made it to the road crossing where I got a hitch with the very first car that passed. I got dropped off the grocery store which is actually pretty far from the main strip and took care of my food and cash before a hitch on into downtown Rangley. At the grocer I noticed that almost everyone there, including the staff, was Canadian. The check-out clerk didn't speak English. Perhaps I am farther north than I realized!?
The hitch out what just as easy as the first and even friendlier as I got picked up by a very nice man Bill Eddy.
Bill helped me around town and treated me to lunch. He used to be the captain of a submarine and I wish I had talked to him more about. After he retired he hiked the AT in 91 as "Spring Chicken". We talked and he treated me to lunch. Then he helped me around town before getting me back to the trail where I had left off. He also gave me his contact information in case I should need help out of a jam. That was very nice of him.
I started hiking up the trail and 1/4 mile later stopped to take care of business. I had gotten cash out at the grocery and didn't want to call attention to myself when I stashed in my pack so I tucked in my pocket. Now I went to pull that cash out and put it in a safe spot except when I did I found $120 of it missing. I had dropped it somewhere in town! I couldn't leave that much behind so I turned around and hitched another ride back into town. There I retraced my steps but no-one had seen it. Finally when I ran out of places to check I realized that it may have fallen out of my pocket while in Bill's car. I gave him a call and sure enough that where it was. He came back around and gave me another lift to the trail where I thanked him profusely. Thank you Bill!
Since I had lost two hours dealing with that crisis I had ruined my chance to make it over the next mountain to the shelter so I wasn't rushed and we talked for a while in his car. It was a great pleasure to meet and spend time with such a nice person but I still had 2 more miles till I got to the shelter.
The 2 miles were easy and I got there with plenty of daylight so I spent my time relaxing, reading, and looking at the impressive Piazza Rock nearby. Piazza rock is a massive cantilevered rock balanced on top of several large boulders. I climbed on top of it and was treated to a wild blueberry bush growing up there.
For only the second time this trip it looks like I will have a shelter site to myself.