Date: 2006-09-22
From: Zero at Home

To: Monson
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I¢ve been advised by someone a lot smarter than me that I should not be posting this entry. Having said that, I don¢t expect to hear from any of you¢¦calling me an idiot (like Richard Weed)¢¦okay? I know my limitations. On the other hand, if anything similar has happened to you and you would like to share it with me, please do¢¦you know¢¦like, I¢m not out here alone. One thing you should know about me by now is, I write what ever I feel like. (Oh¢¦and another thing Claudia, if after reading this you want me to erase the guest book entry in which you said I was ¢inspirational¢ I will be more than happy to do so¢¦perfect timing huh?)Dad, if you read this first, don¢t let Mom read it.Mom if Dad let¢s you read it, don¢t give a copy Billie. (¢¦And, I can understand if you want to tell everyone that I was really adopted.)Billie, if Mom gives you a copy¢¦try not to die laughing.I¢m up before five and on the road before six¢¦on my way to Monson where I will hike ¢The Hundred Mile Wilderness.¢ and complete my section hike of the AT. But, I have this coupon from Duncan Donuts that gets me a free large coffee when I buy a dozen donuts. America and I ¢run on Duncan¢; I like their coffee and love their donuts and its right off I90¢¦so I swing on by. (six chocolate, three sour cream, three glazed and a large black hazelnut coffee) I figure a few donuts ain¢t gonna hurt me and I should work some of it off this next week anyway. I can give the left overs to the hikers in the hostel when I arrive. An hour and a half, a hundred miles and three donuts later, I feel my pant¢s pocket and realize my plastic hiker wallet isn¢t there. I pull over and search the car¢¦nothing. I must have left it on the counter at Duncan Donuts.I turn around and drive back swearing all the way. (BTW, I like to swear¢¦especially when I¢m mad. It's a good thing I had a full tank of gas.It¢s too bad they don¢t condone swearing here on trailjournals¢¦only thing wrong with it.)   If President Bush had a nickel for every swear word I used on my way back, he could hire mercenaries to fight the war in Iraq, and have money left over for his upcoming wars in Iran and N. Korea.Anyway I get there just at nine. The inside counter and drive-up window are backed up ten deep. (Now there¢s a sign of the times for you¢¦nutricious and things can¢t be too bad when we¢re paying $6.59 for a dozen donuts.)The lady who waited on me isn¢t there so I just walk up to the counter and butt in. I ask if they happened to have seen my wallet. A clerk says, ¢Yeah, let me go get it¢¦it¢s back in the office.¢ I thought she said a customer found it on the floor. I thank her and give her ten dollars.On my way to the car I look in it¢¦there¢s the twenty and a one but the two hundred dollar bills are missing. I stick my head back in the door and tell her the two hundreds are missing. She says it was turned in by someone who found it in the parking lot. I guess whoever found it decided to give himself a nice reward.Now tell me if I¢m wrong, but isn¢t that a bit too much? I mean, I have to cancel the credit card anyway since the finder could have written down the info and used it to go on an internet shopping spree.The driver¢s license cost twenty bucks and is not that hard to replace. (I know because I asked if I could get a new one after everyone who I showed mine to laughed at my picture.)And, even the picture of scantily clad Starlyte that I found in the Clarks Ferry Shelter can be replaced. As I recall there were several in every shelter between Duncannon and Port Clinton with an 800 phone number on the back with words, to the effect ¢Let me cook you up some trail magic¢ (I kept it in case I needed a ride.)So, I decide to delay my departure tomorrow morning. I go home and take poochie for a walk and then go out to the farm where I work on grading the drive with a blade for the three point hitch Dad just gave me. (Dad, it works beautiful)The real reason I¢m writing is in case anyone reading this happens to know someone who is finishing at the same time and might need a ride to anywhere between Cleveland and Katahdin¢¦for say $200.Nah, I¢m just kidding...it's free if you can keep me awake. I should be finishing in the October 2 to 5 period. Just check the registers or ask at Abol Bridge.