Date: 2006-05-14
From: Zeroing at Home

To: Still Zeroing at Home
Miles today: 0.0

Actually I should be walking by now¢¦I¢ve told everyone I¢m gone (like our ¢lifelong friends¢ back visiting from Wyoming and a former co-worker whose going away party at Delphi I missed) I would be back on the AT by now but I¢ve got some personal issues to resolve. It shouldn¢t be long.The reason for this entry is I have some actual trail related items I want to get in my journal¢¦for ¢memory purposes¢ if you will. I mean¢¦that is why I¢m doing a journal¢¦right?...so when I¢m in a wheel chair and laying around the Veteran¢s Home some day, the volunteer candy striper can read it to me¢¦right? And, I can say, ¢Did I really write that sh!t?¢Item #1I got an unexpected call on my cell phone yesterday from one of the guys I met this last time out. You guessed it, ¢Guns & Jesus.¢ I had left him a message in the last register to give me a call. I had assumed by now, he either had missed it or was having such a good time that he didn¢t want to risk screwing it up by calling me. I told him I wanted to send him some special ¢trail magic.¢ I¢m not sure he trusts me though¢¦as he seems reluctant to tell me the towns where he will be receiving mail drops the next couple of weeks.Guns is ¢cool.¢ I left him the following personal message in one of the registers after Waynesboro where I last saw him; ¢BR 549¢ That¢s all I wrote (and I screwed it up cause it should have read ¢BR 529.¢) He still figured it out!¢¦got a flash when he was doing his water. I¢m not going to tell you what it means¢¦I¢ll let you guess, but if you¢re ¢cool¢, it should be fairly easy¢¦especially if you¢ve been paying attention.He¢s back in Jersey screwing off for a few days with his family. I didn¢t want to say anything cause I like him and don¢t want to hurt his feelings, but he can no longer considered a ¢Thru-hiker¢ You CANNOTgo back home when you are supposed to be ¢living¢ on the Trail.¢¦it¢s like cheating on your taxes It¢s okay to stay in motels, resorts, etc¢¦you just can¢t go home¢¦it¢s like quitting.Charlie and I had a conversation concerning this very issue on my GENUINE thru-hike back in ¢03. I said something about taking a week off and going back to see Julia and the dog.   He just shook his head and politely said, ¢I don¢t know if you really want to do that.¢ Charlie didn¢t talk much so when he did speak, I always listened intently. I figured it out and ended up making Julia come to visit me with the dog on the Trail in Harpers Ferry.Item #2While home I got a chance to read the journal of another fine young hiker here on trailjournals.com. It¢s Moleman, and if you will recall, he was in the group with Fat Camp, Pebbles and Jolly Green Giant that I met and took to dinner Easter Sunday. I took the liberty of reading his journal entries around that period of time.Moleman makes me sick! He likes every single person he ever meets and he refuses to say anything bad about anyone (just like my Dad). I don¢t begrudge him being so happy and having a good time but he has this, ¢I¢m Okay You¢re Okay¢ attitude. He had met Petee¢s (aka Petey) owner on the Trail just before my confrontation. He actually fell for the ¢hard of hearing¢ bit and felt sorry for him just because he recently had a double by-pass. (BTW, ¢doubles¢ are nothing these days¢¦one of my work associates had a QUINTRUPPLE by-pass and he¢s like new.) Moleman is so na ve¢¦maybe cause he¢s the youngest of like a dozen kids. I still like him even if he¢s too good a person to be true. Now Guns¢¦that guy knows where the bear sh!ts.Item #3I received a nice email from one of my ¢03 fellow ¢thru-hikers¢¢¦The Goldberry, GBX, Clair, etc. (I never know what to call her.) She¢s been out hiking all around the world and wanted to know if I was coming to Trail Days. I thought that was nice of her but it¢s the least she can do since she did cheat and beat me to Maine.Item #4One of the ¢03 thru-hiker¢s I got to know via Trailjournals is a guy called, ¢AWOL.¢ I¢m reading his book, ¢AWOL On The Appalachian Trail¢ which just came out. He even signed my copy, ¢To Skeemer the Career Hiker! Thanks for the supportive emails and advice, AWOL¢ He, not unlike Moleman in that he also makes me sick! The guy is too good to be true¢¦a great family guy¢¦intelligent¢¦tries to be sensitive to other¢s feelings¢¦you know the type. The book is outstanding!...and so well written. I¢m not finished yet but he asked me for my opinion and I¢m not sure I want to give it. I¢m only half way and the guy really goes for your ¢sympathy.¢ I mean, everyday he¢s suffering from shin splints and blisters and infection and bad shoes and bad feet and rain and guilt (from leaving his family) and it just goes on and on¢¦ He obviously triumphs over adversity through perseverance and character. And, here I am, twice as old as he and did not experience any of that¢¦it¢s like I didn¢t really ¢earn¢ my ¢thru-hiker¢ title and he did.I don¢t care¢¦I like him anyway and the book is great reading. Order yours at www.AwolontheTrail.com   He¢ll also be signing copies at Trail Days. Item #5When I was home honoring Mom last week she handed me a note from her friend, Billie. (You might recall I dedicated this journal to her, in part, last month when I decided to continue writing.)Billie had some very kind words for me, (This was before the Petee incident) although we have never met. I know why¢¦Mom won¢t say anything bad about me and she thinks I¢m an okay guy. Well Billie, it really makes me feel good to know that I can somehow brighten the day of a person struggling with such difficult health problems. It makes writing it all worthwhile. (I¢m wondering if Dad hasn¢t been editing my journals thoroughly before you get them¢¦are sure it¢s me whose journals you¢re reading¢¦I¢ll bet he¢s been pasting together the entries from Moleman and AWOL¢¦I know Liteshow¢s can¢t be one with that kind of praise.)