Date: 2002-09-10
From: Maine

To: GA
Miles today: 13.0

September 10, 2002Tuesday day 356 in the morning on the ridge just down from the mountain. Having oatmeal frosted cherry pop tart and tea for breakfast. To My mother and Barbara Jo to you I say I have conquered my fear of the dark. The tops of my ears are sore. They are sunburned. I knew I should not have thrown away that Mary Kay stuff from Shelly, I thought what¢s the use of carrying that around. Hopefully they will heal up. Had dug a chadhole for the first time, usually stay where there is a privy. Wasn¢t too bad, it¢s getting hot already, and someone said it highly unusual for this part of the trail being this hot. My radio batteries went dead at half time of the Patriots and Stealers game. They said it was almost 100 degrees. Record temps. Just met Dirty Harry north bounder from Indianapolis, Indiana.   This morning when I came down from the mountain and I heard some rustling in the bushes and I heard someone say, HEY PA. And I looked over and there was that Kevin. He had been leap frogging with me the last couple of days, and he just sleeps underneath the stars. He goes like crazy, but he said there were some raccoons and some other animals hanging around last night and the night before he said there was a skunk that come up right up next to him and raised his tail but didn¢t spray, and there was a north bounder camped right next him right there in the bushes. Just came to a fire warden¢s look out, looks like it was built in 1939. Just met Jester, he is from Colorado. He wants to know what I am recorder, I tell them I am recording all the north and south bounders I meet. !jester didn¢t like the idea that I was recording him for some reason. I don¢t know he was a little bit cranky this morning. He got over it. At first he wasn¢t going to tell me where he was from but he is from Steamboat Springs, CO. I told him the story about being out there on a motorcycle and caught up on Rabbits Ear Pass in Steamboat Springs and ran out of gas at 3 in the morning and some people said I could coast from the pass right into Steamboat. So that is what I did. I had a 1/10 of a gallon when I made it to the station there. Met Sir Rock from Miami and Circuit Rider from Woblonk Island, Michigan.   Just met 66 year old doing a day hike and he is trying to get into shape because him and another guy are going to go over to Nepal and do some trekking. Just made the Summit on Smarts Mountain and didn¢t even know I did that. That is how small the mountains are compared to what they had been. It is amazing how little the mountains seem after going through those big ones. Met north Bounder !superdave from Virginia. He asked me how many days I had been on the trail and he said OH BOY, I have 35 days to get to Katahdin. They close the mountain on Katahdin on October 15. They close her down and if they are not there they can not complete their hike. Met Thumper, section hiker from Indiana. Thumper said my name Pa Kettle would be easy to remember because Pa was one of his heroes¢s. Just thinking about Ma and Pa Kettle and some of those movies. I think I have watched them all but I would like to see if I could find them and watch them over again. I have only seen about 5 north bounders today. But it is getting late for thruhikers to be heading north other than the section hikers. Anyway I met a black Man on the trail, have only seen 2 on the trail, his name was !nopain. He was from Washington, DC. Just met !woody north bounder he is from Girdwood, Alaska. His Name is Doug Boardman so I need to remember that because I am going to go stay with him next year in Alaska. Woody got his name because he has red hair, so he is Woody Woodpecker. He worked for LE Aska?? Next year he is going to try to work for ski Patrol.   He worked on the tram for the last 3 years.   He lived just about half a mile up from that DeSoro Gas station and I told him when I go up to visit Theresa to do some work for them then I will come down and look him up. Just met Breath Walker from Chicago and he also wanted to know how many days I had come on the trail. He is anxious to finish also. I was going to stop at Moose Mountain Shelter and it was half a mile off the trail. And I did and I walked clear down there. They had no water, no privy, so I said to myself. The heck with it and it was 5 and went over Moose Mountain, down pass Harris Trail to 3-mile road. There is a brook down there and found a campsite. So did 20 miles today. It¢s the biggest mileage day I have had. I was in by 6 and got my supper and now it¢s time to go to bed. Day 35 and at 435 miles. Still Hot tonight and no wind, but supposed to be front moving in and then lows in the 30¢s and 40¢s. Going to Hanover tomorrow, YIPPEE, do my laundry.