Date: 2005-04-12
From: Haven's Budget Inn

To: Franklyn Motel
Miles today: 0.0

Decided to zero out for the day today. I am currently drinking my first Guinness of the trail (out of the can, but tasty nonetheless). My heel/ankle swelling went down a bit, but not completely healed. It was a hard decision to make to stay another day actually. I am really excited to start cranking miles, but I am forcing myself to play it slow and smart to start here in the early regions. I set out not to rush myself, so I am going to stick to that plan. I am finding the hotels to be great for a fleeting period. It is definitely most excellent to take a hot shower (probably the one modern convenience I miss the most), and to do laundry. I also enjoy laying on a mattress, but I become very tired of the room and the TV. I feel like I should be hiking. I am starting to settle into the hiking lifestyle. I enjoy the outdoors now at an even greater level. It has a new familiarity kinda appeal to it. I need to see a good sunset at night or there is something wrong. The weather has been great so far. I have seen every extreme so far out there. From blizzards to high heat. It is slightly raining now outside and I am glad I don't have to set up a tent to night I must admit. I hope this to be one of my final major healing processes. Then I plan to take it slow and always give my body the chance to heal and recover as I go. I am having my old boots shipped down to me incase these shoes don't turn around on me. I feel that without socks they work great. The only complaint I have with them is my heel, which started from wearing thick socks. If they have enough time to heal, then perhaps I will be ok with them. I am currently using trail shoes with liners, and they are extremely breathable. I can feel breezes pass through my shoes and actually cool my feet. I have no blisters yet (knock on wood), and my knees are back to normal condition. Its almost time to grab the trail by the horns. That is all for now.-----------------------------I've decided to add a little more now that I am feeling a little froggy. Two Guinness down and working on a new castle. I have a funny story though. I asked for a Guinness (I am currently at a nice coffee house called the Rathskeller) and gave the owner a ten and received my changed. I threw a buck on the bar top for a tip. Later I go back and ask for another and he says, "It costs me more than a dollar to buy than Guinness."I say, "What do you mean?"He says "I can't make money from a dollar for the Guinness because it costs me more than that to buy one."I say "I understand that, but I am still confused. That dollar was your tip."He says "Yeah, but I still buy the Guinness for more than a dollar."Apparently, he doesn't charge for the beer. I found out that he gave me back exact change for the ten. The laws in this part do not allow for the selling of alcohol or at least beer. So my "tip" was to cover the cost of the beer. Unbeknownst to me, I threw only a dollar down like a jackass. I only glanced at the change I received to make sure it seemed like enough. It did seem a little heavy, but I didn't count it dollar for dollar. I of course corrected my next "tip" and everything was fine. It was a funny experience, and its too bad he is not allowed to serve/sell alcohol here. It is quite a money maker. I am used to going to places in the metro area and being asked for up to $7 for a can of Guinness. I don't pay those prices and I think it is an outrage that they can get away with that, but people pay. That¢s all there is too it. Simple supply and demand. I think that is a flaw of capitalism, but that is a whole other story. All of this might not be trail related, but I must document my experiences for myself and also because this trip is not entirely about the trail. I have met many people with interesting stories to tell already. I could never quite place what it is about the social aspect of the trail, but I am coming close to it. I think everyone is accepted no matter what you look like, how you hike, etc. Everyone is in the same situation with like-minded goals. The trials and tribulations of the trail pull everyone into an equal pool. We all share the trail and experiences equally. The shelters are shared and so is the land. There is no fee for the hiking the AT and everyone is respectful of the land and people around them. I can almost get a glimpse of what it must be like for indigenous, hunter/gatherer peoples and how they live or lived. With the advance in technologies, particularly in the communication sector, being in touch with people over vast differences is possible. Yet, I think most people only have a limited number of people they truly hold dear to them. Their family and close friends. On the trail, people look to escape these technologies. Often cell phones are frowned upon out here. I don't personally frown upon someone carrying a cell phone. I only think to myself "Gosh, that looks heavy." But for the section hikers a cell phone could be handy (I myself have carried one on hikes before). Laptops seem out-right ridiculous to carry out here, but people have told me that they have encountered someone with one on the trail. The interesting/funny part is that the person with the laptop is then later asking if anyone has extra fuel to spare.I think that laptop example just goes to show the true priorities/necessities in life. Trail life is very simplified. Difficult yes, but simple. I wake up and I just worry about food, water, and shelter. There is little stress out here to these three components of life. Ofcourse, the trail makes it fairly simple (barring really bad conditions/weather). I push myself and test myself as others do; however, I don¢t stress over what I am doing, or the pain I endure.I am not doing a good job of tying all of this together (perhaps it¢s the beer), but I think deep-down everyone can understand what I am getting at. People are naturally drawn to the trail and the outdoors in general. I am tired of ranting and will conclude here (even if it is inconclusive and doesn't tie well). I don't feel like editing what I type although I could. Till next time...