Date: 2009-06-11
To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 0.0

A special note about my friends along the trail I could not have possibly succeeded in this long journey from Georgia to Maine without the continued support of many friends along the way. Each has made a difference in my life - too many to mention by name - but you know who you are. But here are a few that have made a difference to my safety, personal enjoyment and have overall lifted my morale along this incredible journey. As I was nearing the end of the trail on a day that I needed to head into town to pick up a mail drop of much-needed supplies, this young man passed me on his way off the trail. I asked him how much further to the parking lot and he asked me if I wanted a ride into town. His name was ¢JAY¢ and he was a local medical student residing in the town. He not only cheerfully transported my son and I, and waited to make sure that we had a place to stay for the night, but he also came in particularly handy for some medical advice. The blisters on my feet were in pretty bad shape and I was en route to an urgent care clinic to have it looked at. Since he was a medical student, he told me he¢d save me the time and money of a clinic visit by instructing me on what supplies and self-treatment I needed. He then shuttled us back to the hotel afterwards. By this time it was getting late and he asked if we would like to join him for dinner. Of course without a vehicle, we gladly accepted. He took us to this wondrous Italian dinner. Afterwards he took us to yet another place to re-supply fuel for the stove, and again shuttled us back to the hotel. If all of this wasn¢t enough, in addition he also agreed to mail a package that saved a day off the trail as it was a Sunday and would have otherwise had to wait an additional day for the post office to resume business on Monday morning. For a hiker, his generosity was a true act of kindness and we will be grateful. Another time was a rainy day towards evening and I was hurrying to a shelter to camp for the night. One of my trail friends was up ahead and I was progressing along through the rain at a slow pace. I came across a back woods dirt road and an SUV pulled up along the trail. All of the thoughts of the cold, and rain and overall exhaustion overtook me and I asked this stranger if there was a hostel or anyplace nearby where I could stay. He said he was a ridge runner and his name was Jonathan. He was empathetic as an accomplished hiker. He told me he needed to inspect he trail, but despite my dripping wet appearance he offered for me to wait for him and sit in his warm car. When he returned in the dusk on this rainy day, he backed the car up into a ditch ¢ not a good scene. I got out to help, attempting to put on chains on the tires in the mud, but nothing worked... not even our cell phones. By this point we were both wet and cold ¢ chilled to the bone. He told me to stay warm in the car while he walked back to the nearest highway to flag down some assistance. Finally 3 men in a pick up stopped to pull us out. By this point¢¦ I am thinking that I wished I hadn¢t asked him for that ride to the shuttle¢¦. But he was patient, and I treated him to supper in town, and he took me to the hostel, and he went on his way. Truly he was a friend ¢which I will always remember.So despite the adventure, he persevered with me to bring me to a warm place to stay and have a nice hearty dinner together. Many days later, in Pennsylvania border. After a long day of hiking ending with violent thunderstorms, coming to a shelter that had a bad stretch of luck with some people and a dog were bitten by a rattlesnake....I decided to keep on walking. I came to a beautiful local park with a pavilion. There was a man nearby that I asked where the listed concession stand and water supply was, and he asked if I needed to resupply. He offered to take me to his home which was nearby in a nice safe neighborhood. As we chatted, we strolled to resupply and brought me t his home, he offered for me to stay on his front porch that night, I had never slept on a strangers porch before, but feeling safe and not wanted to brave he elements, I decided to stay. Seeing my broken tent pole, he quickly crafted a remedy out of PVC piping., As I was sitting in my tent that night on his porch¢¦.his wife was surprised to see a new yellow kayak on her porch, pleased that her husband must have surprised her with this new present¢¦ she was taken aback when she heard a woman¢s voice coming from a yellow tent instead of what she had thought was a kayak. She was as friendly and helpful as her husband and invited me in to have dinner, use their showers, etc. Later that morning I enjoyed a delightful breakfast with them and he joined me strolling back to the trail the next morning. I will always remember this lovely couple for making their home open to me as a home ¢ so many miles away from my home. I have mentioned friends, and trail angels and ridge runner, but now will mention a thru hiker. There have been so many many thru hikers that have been so helpful. One man and I struck up our friendship as we came across the shelter we were going to stay that night... which did not appear to be a welcome sight ¢ quite run down. Not well kept. I said out load ¢ I don¢t know if this is where I want to spend the night¢¦. Together we met up with a men who recommended a field for us to stay, but it was several miles down the road, which by this time was darkness and we were exhausted, this was the longest day to date over 20 miles. From this day on, we were regularly together ¢ even though I would start earlier and stop later to counteract his faster pace, many nights we ended up tenting together, and helping each other through getting in & out of towns, and many welcomed conversations on the trail and in the shelters, we helped each other out on numerous occasions and have come to rely on each other, which has been invaluable. This was Crank¢¦ but could have easily been OG or hellbender or Leon or general or nine iron or Nascar or so ¢so many thru hikers which unselfishly give of themselves each and every day.