Date: 2014-08-06
From: thistle hill shelter

To: the lookout
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

8/6Yester day was interesting, as you may remember from the last post we had 7 sobos in the same shelter, unless you¢re a goldfish in which case you¢ve already forgotten and blub blub blub blub¢¦..blubAnyways to rephrase that story in a different sense, we had 5 sobos and 2 question marks. Why do I say question marks you ask? Because something just wasn¢t right. These two characters we met at the trail magic and they said they thru hiked last year until the govt shutdown and everything got derailed. Soooo now they jumped on in hanover and they were gonna be thru hiking to Georgia, then walking to florida, then hitchhiking to new Orleans then you know¢¦¢¦ going where the wind blows. Cool, Great, AweSome?I believe it if you look and act the part. Anyone out here looks the part, gross, visable smell lines prominently sneaking up their proximity, except for those dirty M.R.¢s they don¢t look the part at all. Anyways1.        They didn¢t know what the awol book was and they were far too fascinated about its contents when presented with said book2.        2. Their packs were unrealisticly heavy for someone who had thru hiked before (he had three pairs of shorts, cotton out the butt and they packed way too many luxury items)3.        They burnt all their trash. Im no super scout but common¢¦.. that¢s douchy4.        She didn¢t know how to set up the stove5.        They claimed their esbit tablets were better then they were¢¦¢¦.Aaaaaaaaaaanyways foul play aheadI don¢t care if you didn¢t thru hike last year. I don¢t care if your breaking parole (my suspicion)I don¢t care what you¢ve done. What I do care about is a persons moral worth. We don¢t have shit out here cept for the 30 pounds of crap that we decided was important enough to lug up and down every stupid mountain. So the thing a person has to show another who they really are is what they say whiteher or not they tell the truth or lie. If they thru hiked last year and im dragging these thru hikers through the crapper im sorry. But I don¢t think that¢s the case*they were entertaining, he built a fire, she was funny. The kid even said ¢they didn¢t seem fishy to me¢ ¢they seemed like alright people¢ I just cant feel that way about someone no matter how charming (they were alright at best) if I think they lied to me It makes me wonder, why are they lying, what are they doing. Anyways that¢s the otherside of the seven SOBO story. I try to keep it real and I doubt they will ever read this so im straight.Today was a lot of hills. It contrasts the previous states in that you work just as even as you get a break. It reminds me of the sprints that we did in Frisbee. You work your way up and you get the same amount of break that you worked, no more no less. You never ever enjoy it just light up, slight down slowly burning your muscles into oblivion, the body has little time to recover.Now im in a private cabin (OHHHHHH AHHHHHH SPECIAL) that a guy opens up for hikers to stay the night. I am literally writing on the roof because when else am I gonna get to watch the sunset in Vermont on a roof. I would take a picture but you know, yada yada yada lifeproof.Lastly because I feel like one last think heres my plus minus up to now. I said this when I was in the hundred miles but its just a system I made up to keep track of your speed RELATIVE to other hikers. Just as your miles per day represents a trueish speed (inclusion of zeros makes it skewed). Another reason the plus minus Is better. Anyways Plus/Minus is a running system that fluctuates almost every day. Anyone who started after you is a minus, anyone who started infront of you is a plus. If someone from behind you passes you, you get a minus, if you pass someone who started before you, you get a plus. Being a plus isn¢t bad, being a minus isn¢t bad. Its just a way to keep track of who fast your going REALATIVE TO OTHER HIKERS. Lastly if you pass someone and they drop off the trail the plus/minus still counts, just as if they passed you and dropped out the count wouldn¢t changePlus: (people who started before me)1. Mike2. redbeard3. jim4. Corrine5. splash6. K27. wolfburger8. boone9. brew10. Papapuchi11. rickitickitacki12. lonestrider13. gavin14. p real         Minus: (people who started after me who passed me)1.        Zest2.        Groundfloor3.        Paul4.        Spinoza