Date: 2014-07-04
From: Near Kent, CT

To: Near Kent, CT
Miles today: 0.0

July 04Today has been another great day. For breakfast we all, Bacon Dog, Go Far and Spruce as well as Elizabeth and I, headed up the street to the local deli. A regular recognized us from yesterday and sat down and chatted. The cashier also remembered us and made us feel like regulars. Check out time was 10am. I think we are the only ones in the motel. The owner was there talking with us as well. It was probably close to 10:30 by the time we drove away to drop the boys off at the trail. The rains tried to hold off, but they did come back and it has been raining all afternoon. Elizabeth and I drove 30 minutes south to Danbury so she could see the house she lived in for the first 3 years of her life. Less than a mile away was a Chipotle restaurant, so of course had to hit it up for lunch. While there I saw an LL Bean store. I need a single basket for a trekking pole as I lost one 2 days ago. I didn't see any so I asked a clerk and he found a loose one in a random place and gave it to me for free. We got talking and I told him I was thru hiking. He has done several sections and a current employee is 150 miles ahead of me. Great fun and I got my basket. We then drove up to Kent where we will be staying the next two nights.I will discuss more gear later, been getting lots of positive feedback, but today thought I would share some reflections from the first 2/3 of the trail. First of all, the experience has been all I wanted/expected. My journals have been almost 100% positive but I can assure you the trail brings manys challenges. My way of dealing with these challenges is to have a very short memory. If every night I rehash them in my journal it would reinforce them. I have chosen to just let them go. It may sound artificial, but it truly works for me. In the evening I don't even think of the mosquitoes and choose to ignore them in my writings. I honestly don't even think about them. The tough days always have a positive experience and my brain is embracing them. It is quite a lesson to live by. As I said earlier, it is just happening naturally.Lately I seem to be hanging around the 25 to 35 year olds. They have a great outlook on things and physically keep me moving at a strong pace. I love all the backgrounds and beliefs. Go Far told me the other day he knows more about me than some of his best friends. They also ask me lots of great questions and appreciate my experiences, both travel and financial/business. The trail is a great equalizer. Everyone has to walk the same miles to be a thru hiker. I also want the full experience so I have really loved tenting in random spots instead of heading to every town. Tomorrow I plan to hike about 10 miles. It is my last full day with Elizabeth until she meets me up in Maine. It has been a great visit. I need to stay focused on the hike though as there is still 730 miles of trail before I get to the big brown sign on the summit of Katahdin. Some hikers have trouble transitioning back to the real world after hiking. I do not forsee that problem with me. I try and live a pretty simple life and do not have to worry about what is next as far as job and where I will be living. My older son will be visiting the east so on July 15 he will come find me wherever I am. Just after that my mom will be having a cookout near Rutland, VT. Hopefully she will get to meet several of my trail friends. It is amazing how quickly the miles have been going by lately. I have hiked thru NH and southern Maine, so I know what is coming. Hopefully I stay healthy and continue to be able to walk the miles to get done about August 18. I have not talked much about my charities in this journal. Civitan Foundation and Ronald McDonald House are my two primary charities. Please go to my website below to find out more if you haven't already done so. I have never thought about getting off trail but whenever I start a pitty party because of bugs, rain, tough terrain..... I just think about the kids we are helping and realize that my worst day on the trail is temporary and still better than most of the kids best days. It is humbling to think about their situation. When I get done the trail I hope to share my story and photos at a few local Phoenix spots to encourage people to contribute. My main focus has been to set myself up to reach Katahdin. I have been good about walking my own walk and not over extending myself. This journal has been a bigger commitment than I thought it would be. The photography for my website has not come naturally as I hoped it would. Each day I say to myself to take more pictures and I still miss some great photos. It has been amazing to me how each day seems to fly by. You would think the days would drag on, but around every corner the trail seems to offer up a new surprise or challenge. Lately I have been hiking with others instead of alone, so there is always new things to learn or places to explore.This entry sure has been a bunch of random thoughts. I look forward to sharing the next 730 miles with you. It is almost 10, so time for some rest. Hope you all had an enjoyable fourth.