My dear friend John is still on the hike!
He's put up two more posts to his blog recently.
Here are some samplings:
April 12th, 2008
"That’s right! I made it through all of Georgia and crossed my first state line. Woo hoo! I honored this moment on the trail with a Snickers, or what I like to call “Manna from Heaven.” Franklin is also 107.6 miles into the trail which means I crossed my first major mileage milestone."
"After no sleep due to bad weather, I hiked 20 miles to try to catch up. I don’t know how, but for some reason I ended up a day behind a big group of hikers and a day ahead of another group and was frustrated being in the “gap.” That night I caught up with thru-hikers, Y2K, C-Bass, Mary Poppins and many more who have all been together since April 1st but who had passed me much earlier. Late arrivals that night included two conservative Jews who lit candles and said a prayer for Shabbat and even though it was late and their worship was happening not one foot from my tent, it was oddly calming and I slept better that night than any other."
April 28th, 2008
"I entered the Smokies with trepidation, assuming the worst about the notoriously difficult park. My fears were topped only by my frustration with park regulations. Thru hikers have only 7 days to clear the park, must stay in the shelters, and have on them at all times a permit for back country hiking which details their intended trip. Failing to meet any of these requirements can result in a hefty fine. For hikers who have spent a month free from any rules or restrictions, these regulations seem ridiculous. My first night I was reprimanded by a ridge runner for peeing on the wrong side of the mountain, truly an egregious offense."
"On a more serious note, I have been suffering knee pains that last couple weeks and despite wrapping them with ACE bandages every morning, the demand of the trail has taken its toll. I am hoping it is simply fatigue that will pass, rather than any permanent joint damage, but at this point I am continuing to cut my pace and mileage. That being said my new friend Rainbow, whom I met at the Hostel, is hiking on a fractured heel. She limps up the mountains with a full boot, which immobilizes everything below her knee. I just hope I can catch her."
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