Date: 2004-08-15
From: Dalton MA

To: Dalton MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Gather (Adam)called 8-16-2004 from Dalton MA Village Inn @ 2 pmWild hike from Salisbury CT to Dalton. Rain, Rain, Rain and more rain. Sure will be glad when these storms blow on through. Met up with several south bounders. Met some ridge runners, Irish, Steve-O, and Cosmo. Met a guy named Harry from NY. Run into the Mad Scientist. Yoda and his dog Luci, Red Bee and his dog LP, Doc Narley.Have put 1,554 miles behind me, 619 miles to go before the big "K". Very beautiful through here, wish it were dry so I could enjoy it.Made it to the South Wilcox shelter, bunch of Outward Bound girls there, someone told them I had a birthday coming up sat, so I got a birthday song and several cheers!! How does everyone know my birthday is coming up??Got into Hemlock Shelter "Friday the 13th", pouring rain, cold, late at night. A hiker comes in with a little light on his head. He asks if there's any room left. I told him the loft was full, bunks are full, that he might find room on the floor. He asks how far it is to the next shelter. I said about 12 miles. Then I said you're not really thinking about trying to make 12 more miles tonight are you ? He turns and the light hits my face. He says, Adam is that you ? My God the other hiker is (Jorma) Slimer!!!! The old man has finally caught up with me!! After 1,554 miles and so many weeks I'm standing here talking to my brother!!We could not believe that we didn't catch each others voice!! We stare at each other!! We sat down and talked a while. So who said "Friday The 13th Was an Un-Lucky Day" !! and also on the eve of my birthday.We get up the next morning, a lot of the hikers are cheering and clapping as most of them had heard of us up and down the trail. We head out into the pouring rain together, this time putting two feet in front of the other heading north with two big grins....... Well finally the long chase is over, Jorma has caught me, and on my birthday at that! We hike all day, have our sights set on Goose Pond Cabin. This is a shelter with 4 walls and a caretaker. They cook breakfast there. "PANCAKES"!! we get in there late wet as two rats. Turn in and go to sleep.Next morning I wake early, Ole Slimer just won't get up, old age I guess. Me and the other hikers pretty much clean house on the breakfast table, nothing but a few crumbs left!!! Slimer looks kinda perturbed. I look at him and say, "When you snooze, you lose". Slimer packs up and hits the trail, leave's me behind....Slimer just does not have any sense of humor at all.Got into Dalton, walking into town I see Slimer setting on someones porch. We go to a diner and have breakfast. While there Paparazzi comes in, we have breakfast together. After breakfast we split up to re-supply and what not.I check into the Village Inn. Later on Rob Bird from the Bird Cage call's me, says he wants me to come over, he will pick me up, I say ok. Rob bird picks me up, I walk in, there sets a cake on the table with 21 candles burning. The whole crowd erupted into a Happy Birthday song. I was quit suprisedI must say. We all had a good ole time. This will be one birthday Slimer and myself will never forget as long as we live!!! And Mr. Rob Bird, what a fellow, he took pictures, said he would e-mail them to dad at LHALE@RTMC.NET.All the hikers had signed my birthday card, they were, "Big Doug" "Grey Goose" "Kid Smiley" "Impulse" "BackDraft" "PaceMaker" "Turtle" "Skeet Skeet" "Hemingway" "Hiking Bear" and a few more.Slimer explains to Mr. Rob Bird he wants to spend the night with me at the Village Inn, he understood.So Slimer and I make our way back to the Village Inn, call home and turn in, been a long day.Ole Slimer is being awful nice to me, gotta keep my eye on him..... In the morning we will leave here heading north, putting two feet in front of the other with two big wicked grin's