Date: 2004-03-22
To: The Dogs Are Barking
Miles today: 0.0

Hup-two-three-ouch!Have to shave more weight from the pack! Roadwalking with pack sometimesmakes my right foot protest, somewhere across the top of the arch. The orthopodsees nothing on X-Ray, and the Superfeet inserts help a lot. But at this rate I may have to expect chronic pain especially as the day wears on. I survived it over the100-mile wilderness last year thanks mainly to the poles. Once again,¢no pain, no rain: no Maine!¢ Dreams of Zero-G. My first serious weigh-in was yesterday. Full pack including three days¢ food but no water or fuel, came in at 34 pounds. More than these old bones care to lug. Solet¢s replace the CD Clip Flashlight tent with the GoLite Lair Tarp and 1mil polyground cloth. I¢ll stay with the Trangia Stove for now, but the Esbit, with fuel, maysave a bit of weight. And the clothing pile has to shrink.It¢s too easy to get loaded down with technology. If I add up the weight of thePocketmail, my FM/Weather radio, and digital camera, PLUS all the manuals to jogmy shaky memory, that¢s a lot of hardware, almost 1.5 lbs. Might just toss thePocketmail and stick with my pre-computer habit of scribbling notes. The camerastays, likewise the radio.Same goes for guides. I¢ll take thin sections of the ALDHA and Wingfoot (haven¢tbought into that controversy yet and don¢t care to) and leave maps home. Whilerugged and weatherproof, the maps are bulky and almost 3 oz. each. Last trip, Ispent far too much time folding and unfolding, rummaging in pockets for them, etc.Since this is a linear trip, I¢ll leave home without them. If I find myself spongingpeeks off other hikers¢ maps, then I¢ll send for mine.        The AT trail guides are heavy too, but worse yet are set up for hiking North toSouth! Too much mental gymnastics needed to scan pages upwards not down, tocalculate mileage, etc. They stay home. I¢d rather remain lightly burdened andignorant than carry a killer library on my back. Though I¢ll miss taking a good birdand flower guide. The spring migration will be under way.Farewells: I¢m going to some sendoff dinners now. It means a lot to get encouragement fromfriends, colleagues and patients over such a chancy undertaking. About one in sixstarters actually finish. They might wonder what¢s driving me. Or, more likely,wonder how anyone can possibly clear out six months from their schedule to pursuesome dream or another (it¢s tough!). Perhaps they all wish they could devote thatmuch time to some activity they particularly love, not necessarily hiking (do it!).Every few days I hear of other hikers who plan to start April 4. It may be a mobscene. Probably several dozen will kick off from Amicolala by early afternoon. I¢vecorresponded with some already. The class of 04-04-04 is shaping up!More omens: In tonight¢s evening sky hung Mercury, Venus, a thin crescent moon,Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Everything seems lined up just right (maybe a horoscopewiz would see it differently: disaster looming?).Springtime still ahead: Our chamber performance of Copland¢s ¢Appalachian Spring¢ Suite last week at Colby College went fine. What joy. Outside here in Maine now it¢s near zero, withsnow still scattered about and the ground frozen hard. I can¢t wait to walk intospring, with the mountainsides covered with flowers and the birds going crazy.Maybe I¢ll get to walk through a tunnel of rhododendron blossoms. Soon, soon...Help, someone stop me before I journal again!