Date: 2006-05-29
From: US 7

To: sorry mom (part one)
Miles today: 0.0

8:00 amthe day has started off so well. i feel stronger than ever. clearly i am getting into hiking shape...losing weight, increasing stamina and leg strength. when i woke up, one of the ladies from the Corn Crib was out checking on the horses. she told me that she had just made a pot of coffee, and that i should stop in and get a cup before i hit the trail.Oh yeah, no tepid/cold instant coffee today!I hit the trail by 7:00, easily the earliest so far, and i am flying down the trail. not exactly by choice, though. i am running from mosquitos! i have never seen such insane swarms. I have eaten a few already. the faster i move, the better off i am...though they still manage to suck a little blood here and there.12:00 pmI am moving so fast, and making such good time. I think that i am going to shoot for Upper Goose Pond Cabin. it is supposed to be the creme de la creme of AT shelters..."offers bunks, fireplace, covered porch, swimming, and tent platforms. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day. The resident volunteers bring water by canoe from a mountain spring across the pond, and prepare a pancake breakfast daily. When the caretaker is not in residence, or when the cabin is closed for the season, hikers may camp on the front porch. There is no fee for staying at this site. Donations are appreciated."Today is Memorial Day...I'm getting the first flipping pancake breakfast of the season!Of course, I'll have to do 27 miles today to make it there, which is 10 more than i've done on any given so far. but everything seems to be aligned for me.yesterday i did 17 miles, stopping for a 2 hour dinner break, and still made it to camp by 7:00.We'll see what happens. There is a campsite at the 17 mile point. So i'll make the decision then.3:00 pmstopped at Benedict Pond, which is a state park, for water. have i failed to mention, to this point, that is over 90 degrees out here today? so i camelled up as much as i could. the park was filled with families having their holiday bbqs, and most of them looked at me quite strangely as i lumbered by, the way you might look at a man riding an ostrich.I sat down to eat a bag of tuna, and one lady did actually converse with me...and her husband ended up giving me some "trail magic" as i was about to head back to the trail, in the form of 2 Bud Lights. I drank 1, and threw the other one in the garbage once i was out of his sight. I probably should've just given it back to him, but i didn't want to dishearten him. He seemed so excited to be sharing his crappy beer with me.The mosquitoes have gotten so bad, that I put my fleece on shortly after i left the park. It sucks to have to do it in this insane heat, but I think i'm going to need a blood transfusion if i don't cover up some skin.I am making awesome time. I am definitely going to make it to Upper Goose Pond. Pancake breakfast, here I come!8:00 pmi'm an idiot. there is no way that i am going to make it to Upper Goose Pond by sunset. i must've miscalculated mileage or something. Oh well, i'm past the point of no return. I guess i'll just have to put on my headlamp and do some night hiking. How bad can it be?10:00 pmnight hiking is absolutely absurd! Especially as this last mile has been all uphill (did i say uphill? i mean upmountain). I am constantly looking down to see where i'm stepping, and then i have to look up to catch the white blazes that mark the trail. The whole thing is making me very dizzy. Add to this the fact that i've already hiked 26 miles on a 90 degree day, and the fact my body has grown accustomed to being asleep by this hour...this is all a bad combination.my body doesn't want to walk anymore. but when i stop i truly, truly feel as if i'm going to pass out. I fear for what i am doing to myself. if i suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke and lose consciousness, no one will find my body until morning.but there also seems to be nowhere to pitch a tent out here.10:30 pmI just tried to eat some food. I need some energy. I shoved some licorice in my mouth, and it all turned to paste. I felt my throat close up...i felt as if i was suffocating. i quickly grabbed my water bottle, and eventually got all of the licorice down.I finally got through the climb. made it to some level terrain. I can't be much more than half a mile away, but I realize that I'm having a difficult time picking up white blazes. Then...I notice the distinct sound of leaves crunching under my feet...this is the sound of the "road less traveled"...The realizations hit me:a.) my headlamp is dying (and I don't have backup batteries)...b.) i have wandered off of the trail (and I don't know where or when)...