1200 Miles: Whoopie! Pies or Otherwise.

2016 Flip Flop: SNP to ME/SNP to GA

After discovering that a single serving of pepperoni is considered to be ONLY eight slices and having loaded up my first of three tortillas with the equivalent of about four servings, I really should stop reading labels.

Fun Fact:  A Single Whoopie Pie Serves Two

Turns out a Whoopie Pie, that beloved Maine dessert consisting of two layers of moist chocolate cake with a filling of cream frosting sandwiched between—and about the diameter of a softball—and packaged up as one 6 oz. unit.—actually consists of two portions. You know, just like how a 12 oz. can of soda says it contains two servings—as if a can of soda is ever shared. Each Whoopie Pie “serving” is 390 calories. So, yeah, I downed 780 calories—and that was BEFORE my Edamame Green Noodle Bowl dinner was ready that night.

Making Whoopie?

Miss Daisy (Justine) and ATK (TK) were married on August 4, 2016, at Shaw’s Hostel in Monson, in the presence of hikers. Justine’s father, who is a minister in the town, officiated. The bride wore a beige rayon tea-length dress and the maid of honor wore her clean hiker clothes.

Justine is the person who suggested I hike the AT after paddling the Northern Forest Canoe Trail in 2011. She and TK live in Maine, and besides staying in touch over the years, we had been planning to hike together once I reached Maine. But boy did I let out a whoop when I turned on my phone at the Route 17 parking lot prior to the 100-Mile Wilderness. A text message read “Tis time for me to ask…will you be my maid of honor at 9:00 a.m., in Monson, tomorrow? We have been waiting for you.”

The couple met more than 19 years ago. One of their early dates was a 90-day road trip. They’ve been traveling through life together ever since. In 2004, Miss Daisy and ATK thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. Getting married in the presence of the trail family community made perfect sense and I was beyond thrilled to have been included.

After the service, they accompanied me to Wilson Stream—and I accompanied them on their honeymoon. A Whoopie Pie was the wedding cake. Good thing it contained two servings.

Whoopie!

Maine has been nothing short of amaze-balls and has been the location of my most memorable campsites. Since Gorham, New Hampshire, I’ve been hiking with an adventurous northbound hiker, “Spirit of 76.” Word about the best stealth spots was trickling through the trail grapevine and we took note. We cowboy-camped (no tent) under clear skies among blueberry bushes atop the blustery 3010-foot Little Bigelow and even more exposed 2629-foot Moxie Bald summits—during the height of the Perseids meteor showers. We camped beside mirrored lakes and cascading streams. We’ve seen more moose, heard lots of loons and have had tons of fun.

In a word—whoopie!