Date: 2014-06-27
From: Hertline Campsite

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 18.5

Today I had my first bare sighting! I was on my way into Port Clinton, just a couple tenths from town, when I saw what I first thought was a woman in a tan-colored outfit. I did a double take, craned my neck a bit to get an unobstructed view through the trees, and soon realized I was in fact looking at a completely naked woman accompanied by a completely clothed man. Let me clarify. I was looking at a thirty-something, drop-dead attractive, well-endowed, don't-you-know-it's-not-June-21st-on-the-AT, completely naked woman accompanied by a completely clothed man. I stopped dead in my tracks at about 20 yards, as though I were confronting a bear, not knowing what to do, and looking at the two of them for guidance. The woman didn't seem particularly shy about her nudity but after a few seconds turned her back to me and slipped on a T-shirt while the man gestured for me to pass. I'm not sure what was going on, but I took it as a good omen for things to come in Port Clinton. An hour later I had collected my new Brooks trail runners from the post office, checked into the Port Clinton Hotel, removed four days of scum from my skin in the shower, started laundry in the hotel basement, and was sitting in the hotel bar in front of a burger and an order of fries so large I couldn't finish them all.And, after two days of not having seen a single AT section- or thru-hiker, it was in that bar over the next several hours that I saw about a dozen of them. Just on their way out the door to get back on the trail were Ace, from Pittsfield, MA, who is section-hiking from Harpers Ferry, WV to Mt Greylock in Western Mass, and Dreamer, from Miami, who is sectioning from Damascus, VA to the Delaware Water Gap, where the AT passes into New Jersey. Later, I would meet two thru-hiking celebrities, who have 10 thru-hikes of the AT, PCT, and CDT between them. Jester has done the triple crown, having hiked each of the major trails once, in 2000, 2008, and 2012, respectively. Lint who started the AT this year on May 11th, has done the triple crown twice and is over half way to a third. He travels ultra light, with a 12-pound base weight, and averages over 30 miles per day. To put it in perspective, I've exceeded 30 miles just once. Lint has tattoos over most of his body and adds to the collection with each successful thru-hike. I also met Chuckles, a school teacher from Alaska who is sectioning from Waynesboro, VA to Mt Graylock and drives dogsleds in her home state in the winter, and Politician, a recent University of Massachusetts grad who is doing Lint-like miles, having left Springer on May 3rd.It was perfect timing to meet Lint and Politician today, because I've been thinking about how to streamline my own hike. I've decided to stop having oatmeal in the morning, as eating hot food in the summer is unappealing and cooking adds 20 minutes to the morning routine during prime hiking time. I also won't be buying cheese or salami for a while, because neither lasts more than a day or two in the summer heat. Lint and Politician have their own techniques for going light. Lint doesn't cook at all, carries only enough water to make it to the next stream, and doesn't filter it when he gets there, and Politician has no tent, relying on shelters all the way to Kadahdin.Almost lost in the shuffle today: I passed the 1200-mile mark this morning and am now within 1000 miles of Katahdin.