Date: 2004-07-20
From: Monument Road MD

To: Carlisle PA
Miles today: 58.0

Adam (Gather) called in from Carlisle PA 7-20-2004 6:32 pm.Finally some good hiking, no big mountains. They are behind me for now. Elevation running 650 ft to 1300 ft about like the Uwharries where I live.I'm hiking with Wipe-Out, Paparazzi and Tex all great people to hike with. Met up with Gravy Train and Cat. Have been running into Hippy Long Stocking. She is a thru-hiker and a hard charger, does 30 mile days, think we'll let her go on ahead, I don't like to get up that early.Heard through the grapevine that 1600 thru-hikers had signed the register at Amicalola Falls in Georgia. Of the 1600, 600 have made it to Harpers Ferry and a bunch of them dropped out at harpers Ferry. Normally 2500 to 3000 start this journey each year. I've heard that maybe 100 will make it to the end. Wish I knew for sure what the real numbers were.Met Heidi the Ridge Runner. She makes $8.00 an hour walking the trail, helping people, picking up trash and working with the boy scout groups. As a perk she gets to stay in the shelters free of charge. I think that would be a fun job in the summer.Dad informed me the Rowboat was behind me now. Hard to keep up with all these people. Wonder where the Doc and Dolphin are at? Dolphin was supposed to get off somewhere in PA. Doc was going to go all the way, think he's about a week in front of me, not sure.Met some people searching for two lost kids, asked us to be on the lookout for them. Hope they find them ok.Wipe-Out, Paparazzi, Tex and I went to an AYCE (all you can eat buffet) at a truck stop here. I know they must hate to see us hikers coming as we do get our money's worth. We all pigged out, it was great.Back down the trail chafing was a big problem in all the wet weather. Inside of my thighs would tend to get raw. I found the best thing for it was Body Glide skin lubricant. Chafing put a lot of hikers off the trail.Back to the Super 8 motel to call home. All ok there, Freckles is holding her own doing good. No word from the Slimer since the 18th at monument rd in MD.I've put Maryland behind me, another state down.If the Slimer does catch up with me, and he will at the rate he's going, he's going to have to change his hiking habits if he wants to hike with me. I do not like to get up early and do not like to hike after dark unless I have to. Slimer is pushing too hard. My goal is to put in 20 mile days until I hit the whites. It will be slow hard hiking through the white mountains, snow, ice and what not. Also I won't have the luxury of bridges across the creeks and rivers, will have to wade them. I learned my lesson about pushing hard on Blood Mountain GA.Dad and I were discussing distance and time tables last night. Carlisle PA to Mt. Katahdin Maine is 1059 miles. They close Baxter State Park Oct 15th, so that gives me 85 days.1059 devided by 85 = 12.4 miles per day I will have to avg, this is with no more zero days and includes getting off the trail to re-supply and then back on again.I have been on the trail 88 days now (this includes zero days, but not the time off at home) and have hiked 1,115 miles, that's an avg of12.6 miles per day including zero days. So I think I have time to do it without doing the flip flop. From here on it's serious hiking.I will head out north in the morning putting one foot in front of the other with my wicked grin ....