Date: 2005-02-17
From: Miss Janet's

To: Miss Janet's - Day Four
Miles today: 0.0

Today is Thursday, 2/17 - my 4th day in Erwin (I only mention this to help me keep track of the days I am spending in town here).Yesterday, a number of past hikers either emailed, called or came by to wish Miss Janet a Happy Birthday. Those stopping by included Crumbsnatcher; Wild Child; Lone Wolf; and others. Some of us crowded into the shuttle van and headed towards Johnson City with Miss Janet and two of her daughters. Her choice of where to have a birthday dinner found us at a Chinese restaurant with the obligatory AYCE buffet. I snapped several photos and will be posting them on TJ soon.After dinner, another stop at a local package store to pick up the makings for some later drinks to help celebrate the diva's birthday. A good time was had by all while watching a movie last night.This morning I puttered around Erwin a bit - found the YMCA and found out that for $2 you can not only take a shower but also partake of their steam room and sauna. Their hours are something like 6am until 8pm. They are on Love Street, about a 10 minute walk from Miss Janet's. If you go, bring a towell and soap from Miss Janet's.Of course, by the time most of you get to Erwin, her shower/tub bathroom will have been renovated. Miss Janet has throughly enjoyed picking out new floor tiles; paint swatches; etc. for the bathroom. Hope everyone will complement her if you like the end result.I'm currently at the local library checking email and TJ. Wanted to first mention that the library here has an entire basement room of books for sale if you want something to read. The paperbacks are 50 cents (or less) and hardbacks are a couple of dollars. I found several to read and will donate them to Miss Janet's book collection for other hikers to read down the road.In checking my emails - what can I say? I must have over 50 emails from folks with comments/suggestions about whether I should continue hiking north or head back to Springer for a March re-start. Other options were presented, also. Like hiking slowly either south or north until I encounter the faster starters.I want to thank everyone for their comments. All have been very positive and quite a bit helpful. It is amazing how "two heads are better than one." If tried to respond to a number of folks who emailed directly to me; and have also left some Guest Register entries of my own in response to others.If I go from strictly a "what makes me happy" standpoint, then I am inclined to remain in Erwin until March 4th and then return to Springer and a re-start. While in Erwin I'd do a bit of local hiking to try and keep my old body in shape and also just enjoy puttering around the town; reading; etc.From my perspective, it is important to me to be faithful to what I (and I alone) consider to be a true thru-hike: a continuous hike the entire length of the trail - with as few stops or deviations as possible. That is why the idea of re-starting does not bother me. It keeps my hike "pure" to my standards.Should I indeed stay in Erwin until March 4th (and that is not definite, yet) I'll also spend time refining my TJ entries. This also would give me a great opportunity to respond to any emails anyone has regarding questions about the trail this year; town conditions; prices; etc. So please send them to me if you have any.A number of folks have asked about how difficult it was to keep TJ updated without using a transcriber or PocketMail-type device. It has not been very difficult, just a bit time-consuming in the towns. I pretty much have relied upon the gracious folks at the various public libraries - and they have been as nice as could be. A number of hostels (perhaps most, now) have an internet connection - but not necessarily a high-speed connection. And in fairness to other hikers trying to use the hostel computer, it is perhaps best to use the library (all of whom had a minimum of five, high-speed computers) for any extended sessions.My method is to carry a small paper diary into which I daily capture the gist of what I want to put into my TJ on-line journal. I write down just enough to flag my memory when I later get to a library. That has worked well. For the digital camera pics, I store them on a SD memory card. I also carry a small SD memory card adaptor with a USB port on the end. When I get to a library, I then plug the adaptor into the computer's USB port and upload the pics.Some libraries may not want you uploading anything into their computers - and I can appreciate their concern. I will tactfully explain (or try to) what I want to do - and usually they agree. If not, there is always the next library I will visit down the road. I always try to make an entry into my paper diary of each photograph taken; the date; and what the heck it is a photo of. That helps recall later.I guess that is about it for now. There is a nearby coffee shop, not far from the library. I'm gonna slide on over there and sample the java.Again, mucho thanks to everyone for their comments. I'll keep everyone updated as things evolve.