Getting back our Vim and Vigor!

8-10-09 day 69

start: Trident Col Tentsite, NH

end: Full Goose Shelter, ME

daily mileage: 14.4

total mileage: 889.2

We felt better waking up, but were still feeling off and really not into hiking. My throat was still pretty sore, and my nose was now super stuffy. I hadn't really talked much about it, but I had been thinking about quitting up north at Katahdin and doing the south half of the trail next spring (which I also have off). I just hadn't been enjoying myself the last few days, and wanted to be done.

We moved pretty slowly over the rough terrain, and we hit Gentian Pond Shelter for lunch. Food (even Ramen) felt good. Finally we hit the state line and entered into Maine, and right about there, we both snapped out of our little funks. In retrospect, I'm not sure what caused them- maybe it was the slow miles we were making all through the Whites, or maybe it was the fabled "Virginia Blues" shifted up (an effect where many hikers start to feel burnt out after 800 miles or so). But either way, getting into Maine gave us both back our vim and vigor, and we set off feeling good once more. We had some good climbs over treeline with some fantastic views. It's pretty muddy, but it's still Maine and we're excited again!