Date: 2004-07-08
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Ok, I hope you really didn't believe that last entry about me getting off the trail for good! There is noway I can quit now. Then again I will be hard pressed to finish before I need to go back to work. So it will be interesting to see just how far I can get in the next month and a half. I did a new "schedule" yesterday just to see if it is possible to even finish by the end of August. It is completely possible but I really need to skip towns and just hike. I am hoping this won't be a problem. Hopefully I can get into a routine of getting up at day break and hike till evening, slowly, taking lots of breaks. This should allow me to put in some good miles without really beating myself up.I have spent the last week and a half at home resting the feet. They were really sore after PA. WolfCookie and I met my parents in the Water Gap. They came to pick us up and take us home for good. On the ride home from the Water Gap I just kept thinking that the trail will get easier in NJ, NY, CT, and MA. The rocks can't be as bad as PA. I just can't quit when the trail is going to get easier...maybe I should just take a few days off and think it over...So here I am, still at home but I will be leaving for the Water Gap on Sunday and start hiking again on Monday. I am going to hike for at least the next three weeks and see how far I get. It I can put in some good miles and not be in to much pain I will keep pushing all the way to Katahdin. Hopefully when I get to New Hampshire I will be able to meet up with some friends (Dave, Joel...Fugere...) and hike with some familiar faces...maybe get some sherpa action going :-)Wolfcookie is off for good. Her feet hurt just as bad walking into the Water Gap as they did when she got off in Troutville, Va. She will be spending the next month looking at houses. We are looking to buy our first home this year so hopefully when I get done with the trail she will have a list of possible homes for me to look at.I should mention the picture above...we hiked our last two days with Willow and MC. Its been a long time since we saw them. It was really nice to spend our last few days on the trail with them. They got a room at the Ramada in the Water Gap because Willow's parents were coming to visit the next day. My parents showed up just as Willow, MC, Wolfcookie and I were getting lunch. We were actually in the restaurant sitting at a table and my mom spotted us from the road. They were about an hour early getting to town so we didn't expect to see them just yet. It was a good surprise and we all had a good meal together. Then we went to the local pizza place to buy some beer to take back to the room. We decided to get a group picture in the hotel and it just happen to look like a line up so I photoshopped some height lines in and there you have it.I can't promise I will be any better at journal entries when I get back on the trail but I will try to keep you all better informed. I know there are a few people out there that check the site once in a while and I would hate for you to all be disappointed when you don't see anything new for several weeks. I will try to do a better job.One good thing about being off the trail this week is that I have been able to follow the Tour de France...go Lance...kind of makes me feal like getting out for a ride ;-)I will have to see if I can sign up for an email update at OLN for daily Tour updates.All right, just to summarize...I will be back on the trail Monday 7/12/04 hiking at least 20 miles a day ( I hope ) and trying to do some regular updates.Please feel free to send me emails of encouragement, inspriration, or lottery tickets