September 16 - Stafford Notch Campsite (Day 181 – milepoint 1982.3)

Happy 26th Birthday to Chewy! The Wookie is 26 today. We’ll be throwing a party soon.

Here’s a brief profiling of the cast of characters I’ve been hiking with and will probably continue to be around:

Chewie: 26, Madison, IN. A ’94 Ball State grad. Works with the mentally disabled and is involved with the Special Olympics. Very intelligent, with a subtle and sarcastic sense of humor. Chewy‘s plan after the Trail is “to become the fattest man in the world.”

Spice: 25, Boston. A bicycle courier in Boston. Doesn’t say much, which, as Paka explains, “makes you think he’s up to something sneaky…If he’s not doing something sneaky, he’s thinking about doing something sneaky.” Plans to courier in San Francisco after the Trail.

Spice Boy - 24, from (?) and Water Girl - 29, Lexington, VA: Hiking partners from day one. Very close, and as far as I can tell, platonic friends who have been working together for various political campaigns and non-profit political organizations. Both with very strong views and opinions. Spice Boy seems like a pleasant fellow. His girlfriend has joined him for several sections of the trail. Though I haven’t spent much time with Spice Boy, I have spent a little time with Water Girl and would love to spend more time with her delicious blue eyes, except that something in me knows I would lose focus on my hike… Water Girl plans to move to Lake Tahoe, CA after the Trail.

Baltimore Jack: Age unknown. Origin unknown. Also thru-hiked in ’95. Excellent cook. Very intelligent. Daily breakfast: two cigarettes, two shots of bourbon. He shared something interesting with me several states back, something his father told him long ago: “Son, God gave you two ears and only one mouth… Use them accordingly.”

Easy Walker: 23, Boise, Idaho. Spent the past three years as an Army Ranger living in the Southeast U.S. Avid rock climber. Fast hiker. Plans to go back to school in Montana and keep playing as much as possible.

Redwood: 21, Northern Michigan. Strongest hiker on the Trail, in my opinion, with a quietness I’d call “wisdom” if he ever said anything that revealed what he was thinking, so “shyness” is a more accurate description for now. One of our three “red-beards” (along with Landshark and Chewie), Redwood started eight days after me, passed me before the Smokies, took the entire months of May and June off, and caught up again in the Whites in NH. He’s now “trying to keep it under 20-a-day.” Of course we’re happy to help.

Huff & Puff: Father and son from Oklahoma City. Huff in his mid-late 40′s, recently retired from the Air Force. We often forget he’s the Dad. Puff is 21, lived in Japan and tended bar for a while before returning to join his father on the AT. He has that passion for travel inside of him. Would be interesting to know where he goes next.

Cosmo: 24, Atlanta, GA. Spent the last year touring Europeans around the U.S. in a large van. What great stories he has. Also has the passion for travel. His plan for getting home after the Trail is to try and hitch a ride on a sailboat from the Maine coast down
to Georgia…

LandShark: 24, New Hampshire. UNH graduate and former college pole vaulter. Earned his Trail money moving furniture. Very strong hiker (did a 40-mile day into Damascus, VA). A genuine person with some great stories.

Paka Bear: 25, Greensboro, NC. UNC graduate and very proud Tar Heel. Spent the past two years as a counselor at an intensive kids-at-risk outdoor rehab camp. Now between semesters in Paramedic school. Very much a ring-leader. Likes to be the center of
attention and plays the part well.

Achilles: 24, Rye, NY. A ’94 Dartmouth graduate. Spent the last two years as an investment banker in NYC and will probably return to the Big Apple following his hike. Excellent athlete. The only competitive squash player I know. I’m trying to convince Achilles to hike the PCT with me in a few years. Achilles is dying to have a woman tell him that he really fills his shirt, but that won’t happen anytime soon, unfortunately, not after six months out here, and he’s not really the “bench-pressing” type.

Aquaholic

September 15 - Stratton, Maine (Day 180)

Off the feet for a day. B-movie marathon.

Aquaholic

September 14 - Stratton, Maine (Day 179 – milepoint 1971.8)

Football. Music. Women. Death. Family. Food. Bodily functions… Lots to discuss in a day.

Aquaholic

September 13 - Sugarloaf Mountain (Day 178 – milepoint 1961.3)

Today (just like most every day) has been filled with a lot of random thoughts, stimulating conversation, and the beautiful diversity of the Trail.

I was reading through my journal a little bit this evening and noticed how my entries appear to be redundant at times: “Hiked x-miles today, saw cool stuff, cool folks, dogs are barking, food, ice cream, etc.”

It would be really cool to get all of the little details and daily stories into this thing, but alas, most of my entries are made at the end of the day, before bed, when my body desperately lobbies my mind for sleep.

Each person and experience is worth mentioning and I wish I had the time to give them all the attention they deserve to give people a better understanding of what’s going on out here. But as entertaining as it all may be, my words won’t allow you to breathe it, see it, hear it, smell it, or taste it. The best, the only way to understand, is to DO it.

Then you’ll understand how the pain in your feet at the end of every day feels like “barking dogs.”

You’ll understand the power…usefulness…simplicity…freedom…the timeless value of Eat-Drink-Walk-Laugh-Breathe--”Lighten-the-Load”–Sleep…Repeat…

You’ll understand community…happiness in the present moment…Trail Angels…your personal thresholds for pain and ecstasy…a direct connection to God that you’ll never experience in a church…the Real real world…rhythm…

Aquaholic

September 12 - Poplar Ridge Lean-to (Day 177 – milepoint 1950.2)

I’m grateful to have been able to spend the past week with Dave Risner, The Safety Inspector. Life moves on and great friendships just get better.

After running a few errands in the morning, Dave dropped Paka and I at the trailhead and headed back to Chicago. We climbed over Saddleback Mountain today, which floated us above the clouds. Still challenging terrain in Maine. I’ve literally fallen on my rear-end more in Maine than the 13 other states combined.

Here at the Poplar Ridge Lean-to with Paka Bear, Achilles, Landshark, Baltimore Jack, and Redwood.

Aquaholic

September 11 - Rangeley, Maine (Day 176 – milepoint 1939.4)

The Safety Inspector’s final day was a very pleasant nine miles.

We rolled into Rangeley and celebrated for the rest of the day. They (Them) say that Rangeley, Maine is exactly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. I would add that you can drink a good beer there, too.

Aquaholic

September 10 - Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to (Day 175 – milepoint 1930.0)

The buzz in the shelter last night was about the easy 17 miles to Route 4 and Rangeley, Maine.

Yes, full of optimism was the buzz last night.

Waking to a cold, wet morning, everyone remained in their sleeping bags much longer than normal, and the buzz buzzed to a slightly different tune this morning:

Cosmo: “Did someone mention a shelter at 8 miles?”

Easy Walker: “Yes, but there’s a road to a Bed and Breakfast at 4 miles.”

Achilles (waking up only to roll over): “There’s no way I’m doing 17.”

Safety Inspector: “I’m just starting to notice the smell. Is that me?”

Cosmo: “It’ll pass.”

Easy Walker: “Hey guys, I have some Rum…”

We went 8 miles. Compliments to Maine.

Aquaholic

September 9 - Bemis Mountain Lean-to (Day 174 – milepoint 1921.7)

We wished Redwood a happy 22nd birthday this morning and got to hiking around 9 a.m.

Not an easy day for The Safety Inspector. 13 tough miles and his dogs are really barking. I don’t know if I would have done so well on my third day. In fact, I didn’t. I’ve snuck a few extra things out of his pack and into mine to help lighten his load for the next couple of days.

We saw three Moose today. A Bull, Cow, and Calf standing together right in the middle of the Trail. Wow, those are large animals.

My new boots feel great. No hot spots or anything. I think you get to the point where your feet become so tough that the breaking-in process is no longer a problem. Now my feet are beating the boots up instead of the boots beating my feet up.

We made it to the shelter just before dark…and just before the rain. Also here are Easy Walker, Achilles, Cosmo, Trailvis (heading South after flip-flopping), and two southbounders who have been asleep since we arrived. Paka, Chickenman, Bear, and Redwood are tenting up behind the shelter. Will try to make the next couple of days a little more pleasant for The Safety Inspector. It’s great to have him here.

Aquaholic

September 8 - Hall Mountain Lean-to (Day 173 – milepoint 1908.8)

Not much motivation to write tonight. The Safety Inspector is doing well – everyone feeling safe and secure. Here at the Hall Mountain Lean-to with Cosmo and Redwood.

Aquaholic

September 7 - Andover, ME (Day 172 – milepoint 1902.9)

We slack-packed ten miles today, a good start for Dave, who has become “the Safety Inspector.” He’s doing quite well despite the difficult terrain.

It is always interesting to me to watch my friends from different times and places meet, mingle, and gel. Not surprisingly, The Safety Inspector is gelling quite well with this crew.

Aquaholic