Date: 2004-05-21
From: The Hensley House

To: The Hensley House
Miles today: 0.0

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Carol Hensley apparently agrees.   I woke up, headed upstairs, and sat down with the family to a breakfast of egg casarole, sausages, coffee cakes, and a fruit cup. Everything was delicious. What a treat.   Today, I would be resting all day. Arwen & Heather, Dave & Miranda, Joy & Bloody Cactus, and Mr. & Mrs. Hensley would all be heading to Shenandoah National Park for a day of hiking. Once they left, I went back to bed.   My nap was long and VERY restful. I actually felt alot better when I woke up. Not as weak as the previous few days and, though it wasn't perfect, it was the best my stomach had felt yet. At least for the moment.   The day pretty much consisted of rest, bathroom trips (mostly false alarms), and phone calls. I didn't have much interest in turning on the television and preferred to use the time contacting loved ones. I called home and spoke with my mother and my brother. I called my friend Vanessa and my friend Suzanne. And shortly before everyone came home and we grateful hikers prepared dinner for our gracious hosts, I decided to use the computer hoping to chat with some buddies.   Before heading out on the trail, I had sought out resources online to help with my planning and, to be honest, I really just wanted to feel more comfortable about what I was getting myself into. Sometime in 2003, I discovered TrailForums.com and later began checking out TrailJournals.com. It was fun to follow the progress of aspiring 2,000 milers, cheering them on both silently and by signing their guestbooks. Wanting to go the extra mile, I even sent a postcard out to a couple of hikers who had their maildrops listed, encouraging them to 'Keep it up! You can do it! Don't let the Virginia Blues get you down!'   Even more exciting was when hikers planning their 2004 thru-hike started posting their journals. Here I was catching a glimpse of the actual people I would be meeting on my thru-hike! I was partly inspired to start my own trail journal after enjoying entries from a hiker named Grace who, after I sent her a message to say hello, introduced me to a few other hikers that would be on the trail the same year as us. From then until the start of my hike, I was in regular contact online with Grace, Ross (aka Cheers), Burn, Joy (aka Xena), and Brother Nature. Today, trapped sick and alone at a friend's house in Virginia, I was lucky enough to find Grace and Ross online.    But to find Burn there too was just damn surprising.   Immediately I went through the possible places he could be on the trail. What hostel could be be at? Or is he in a town resupplying with a quick stop at the public library for internet access?   Burn! Where the hell are ya??   "Florida."   Florida?   "How's it feel to be the only one of our internet chat group left on the trail?"   This took a minute to sink in. Before you get on the trail, you have faith that your whole support group will make it. You can TELL just how excited everyone is and you KNOW that's going to carry them all the way to Maine. Statistics mean NOTHING at this point. And when I stood at the stone arch marking the beginning of the Approach Trail directly behind the small visitor's center at Amicalola Falls State Park just 83 days ago, I didn't stand there alone. I stood there with Burn. And he fixed my Leki pole. And he kissed his wife goodbye. And we were off. If there was anyone that would make it to Maine other than myself, it was Burn.   At least, that's what you convince yourself of at the beginning. You always fantasize that, not only will you see the person you started the trail with again, you will both be standing on top of Big K at the end of this long, tiresome walk.   But this would not be the case. Burn's funds ran dry. His intention was to return home for just a little while with hopes of returning somewhere on the trail with more money. I would later find out that he did indeed return to the trail but realized after about 4 days out there that he was "trying to force this AT thing." That wasn't the type of hike Burn wanted. I don't blame him one bit.   So here I am. The last of six hikers who all came together online with a common goal. To motivate and inspire each other. To support and bring comfort to one another. To realize our dream of hiking a trail over 2,000 miles long from Georgia well into Maine.   I felt a bit of pressure. I felt a sense of responsibility.    And, unsurprisingly, I felt more gas pains.