Date: 2002-08-03
From: Mt. Katahdin

To: GA
Miles today: 3.0

Saturday August 3, 2002Just heading out at 7 am, camped at Cooper Brook Stream. Beautiful Waterfall. Went swimming, water was cold and there were a lot of people there. Had a hard time finding a place to pitch my tent. Had to sleep on a couple of roots, could feel them all night. Rained through the night. Thunderstorm, but now this morning a beautiful day. Had supper with the outward bound group, had rice and chili, took them forever to get it done and I could hardly eat it all and they invited me over for oatmeal this morning. I overslept and AJ wanted me to get him up because he wanted to get up at that time too, well my alarm didn¢t go off and didn¢t wake up till 5:30 so of course I didn¢t get him up. I started packing up and decided to just go on and didn¢t take any oatmeal. I will eat later on down the trail. I did heat up some tea but those matches I bought from Walmart, waterproof ones. Don¢t work. My striker, I couldn¢t get my alcohol going. Going to have to get a lighter. Should have brought one along. Don¢t know why I didn¢t. Wasn¢t thinking ahead on that one. But I am going to try to make 12 miles today. This little girl Allison has the biggest blisters on her feet that I have ever seen. I don¢t know how she does it. IF I were here I would have called the medicals to come and helicopter me out. I am telling you it covers the whole ball of her foot. I have a picture of it, so you will have to see it.   Just met a north bounder that did it in 4 months and 20 days. So there is hope. He said down south where it is flatter he could get 25 miles in a day.   SO I think there is hope for me as long as my blisters don¢t get any worse. His name was tinman. He looked like the tinman. Ha. Ha. Stopped at eastbranch shelter. There were 6 northbound hikers there. What a bunch of characters.   Talk to a guy named Pork Chop something.   And he had lived in Iowa for 8 years for Leonard Bowel, was also very active in the Democratic Party. He was going to be campaign manager for Patty Judge but moved to Michigan, is legislative advocate for mental retardation and autistic people in Michigan. And the rest of the guys were just young guys. What a bunch of characters. Skywalker, can¢t remember all their names and they gave me some advice and said get rid of all that weigh in your pack. Just took my shoes off and boy I got blisters on both heels. Don¢t know what I am going to do about this. They are getting worse. Just rubbed raw.   There is something wrong. Don¢t know if it¢s my shoes, wrong socks or what. But I have to get it fixed and going to have to tough it out till I get to Monson. I was going to buy some of that second skin but they didn¢t¢ have it at that Friggin Walmart. And I didn¢t go any place else to look. I was perturbed. Got to the shelter at Logan Brook Lean too about 5. Went down to wash my clothes, put my feet in cold water.   Got a terrible back pain and must have pulled muscle in my left side and can not get comfortable.   Talk to some people today and they said that after about 400 miles you could make 20 miles day. I don¢t¢ know, I would like to make it 17 miles but Might have to take it easy. I am looking for things right now to throw away from my pack to make it lighter.   Hopefully things will straighten out but I am just beat. Pa Kettle