“My Journey Is My Destination...” continued
Day 5
Today I hike for my mom. She is always cheerful and happy, a very hard worker. She has given me the
ability to love, no matter what. I slept a little later today. I hobbled out in
the middle of the night like an old man to the bathroom. I played my harmonica
for a while this morning. Uneventful hike today to Cooper Brook lean-to.
No sign of the group I was with. I have my food drop today. I mailed a package
of food ahead to be left for me at Jo Mary Road. I got to it. It was way too
much food. I must have been hungry when I packed it. I left some extra food at
the shelter for the London boys.
There is a swimming hole in front of the shelter, so I took a bath. It felt great! I've sprayed so much Deet on me that I feel dizzy when I add a new coat. I finally
broke out the bug net today. The "eye bomber" bugs were getting to me. I set up my tent in the shelter to avoid the bugs. My cold is no better. It's now a ruthless cough. The woods are starting to feel like home.
Day 6
Today I hike for my wife, Becky. She has taught me that if it is not worth
fighting for, it is not worth doing. Today was a fight with the first day of
climbing. It was great to get out of the muggy, buggy bottom land. Started with
a climb up to 2000 ft., then steep ups and downs after that. I was sweating
like crazy and my heel developed a hot spot. I put a blister patch on it. I
hiked to Logan Brook lean-to 11.5 miles in and felt I could go a little
further. It was another 11 ft climb in 1.4 mi up to White Cap Mt. altitude
3,650ft.
The pines reminded me of the top of Unaka Mt. and Roan Mt. The trail maintainers
used huge rocks to build crude steps up the mountain. I wouldn’t want that job. I sweat just as much on the descent as I do on the climb. I
thought it would just be straight down to the campsite, but no, it
ís more climbing. I had to take an immediate food break. I was running on empty.
I was alone all day. I still have my cold. It has pushed into my ear. Luckily, I brought some antibiotics. I pulled off my blister patch. All the skin
came with it on my left heel.
I've never had a problem with blisters, but I didn't use the boots on my 70-mile training trip. My spirits are great even though my
feet are bad.
Day 7 12.1 Miles
Today started out with low energy. I slept well last night. It rained as I started and put my rain jacket on. That lasted about 5 min. Iíll be sending it home. It just felt good to get rained on as I climbed. Saw a group of North bounders fly by me today. Their trail names were "Goodfellas," "Guthook," and "Fruitfly." I just had time to get in a "Hey." Covered my blister today in Moleskin, and Duct tape. I crossed my first
river today, felt good on the feet,
washed away my blister patch though. I caught up to "Grizzly," "Pipes," and "Stayin," all from NC. They started the
day before me. Meeting them lifted my spirits tremendously. My bottom lip was
no longer on the ground. I met a ridge runner today. He hikes the local trail
telling people of updates and do general checks. He told me the water was
'stagnant' at the next shelter. When I got to it, I was completely out of water. I had to
drink it. It was cold. I treated it. It was good. I should not have gotten that
low on water. I was sweating immensely and was in a bad spot with no water.
Pipes got his name because he plays bag pipes and brought a travel set with him.
I ended the night listening to him play.
It made me feel so good to be out here. The end of the day was nothing like the
beginning.
Iím torn. I want to stay with these guys, but I want to make the miles when I can
get them.
Day 8 16.4 Miles
Today I hike for Joey Washburn. He has hiked almost half of the AT. Just short of the PA state line to GA. Last night I slept terribly. It was too
hot to be in a sleeping bag and too buggy to be out of it. The day was long.
Climbing here is nothing like climbing in TN, straight up over boulders, roots,
rocks, very treacherous and dangerous. Then back down the same terrain. It has
been very humid over the past few days, so humid the rocks have condensation on
them. It's just as humid as coastal South Carolina or Georgia. It was 88-90
degrees. I stayed wet all day. I had lunch at 7.3 mi. then more climbing five
mountains in all.
I continued on to Long Pond Stream where I got to swim in a water fall. It felt so good! I should have stayed the night but continued on another 5 mi. to Wilson Valley.
There was another steep climb and more sweating.
I got here after about 12 hours of hiking. Too Long! Iím alone here again. Tomorrow it's on to Monson, Maine!
Day 9 10.4 Miles
Today I hike for my Grandma, Joan Crowe. She has been gone for awhile now, but, she, among many things, has instilled a
strong work ethic in me.
Iím on to Monson, ME, my first trail town. Uneventful walk today, except for wanting to be in town so bad. It rained on me
today. I got wet and loved it.
I got to the road. It was 3.5 miles to town. The Quigley's picked me up first thing. A super nice 70 something couple. They even turned around to pick me up. They took me straight to Shaw's, where I got a room and a hot bath. I went straight to the convenience store and got me one of those Hershey 600
calorie milkshake drinks, then turned right around to head to the Spring Creek
Barbecue where I got me a big
"sammich". I heard "Old Crowe Medicine Show" playing on the stereo there. I didn't think I would hear that music here.
I sat around swapping stories. Then I went to call Becky from a pay phone. She couldn't believe I had made it already. I didn't realize how happy I was about being on this journey until I got to express it
to her.
Iíve been alone most of the time and hiking this trip in my own head not conveying
how I feel to others. So I can say, "I feel Great!"
Day 10 Zero Day
