(Daily Mi: 5.7) A piece of planned laziness today. Crusader and I are actually almost a day up on our schedule and had talked about staying over in Caratunk. However, given the heat, the woods sound like a better, not to mention cheaper option, so we hike on the first shelter to take a semi-zero day.

There is a large pond (Pleasant Pond) nearby to cool off in and the mysterious Cookie Lady of Pleasant Pond had mysteriously left delicious homebaked cookies in a tin at the shelter.

I took a long swim at the pond about .25 miles off. When I got back to shelter, I found that a section hiker (Tortoise) on the final leg of her AT hike has come in for the night with her daughter.

I do a double take and realize that Tortoise was working at the EMS in Manchester, VT and sold me my chlorine dioxide back in early July (allowing me to send my filter home) and then appeared again at a meeting of the Green Mountain Club at the Inn of the Long Trail the night I stopped in with Woodman, Choo Choo and Stout.

Laughs as she confirms the sightings. Tells me she is finishing up the trail after 20 years of sectioning.