Date: 2004-03-22
From: Georgia

To: Maine
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day Two: I needn't look at my new purchased-for-the-trail watch to knowthat I am the absolute last man standing here at Hawk Shelter. Eventhe girl Jessica is gone, she who confided to me "It took me two hoursto get ready this morning. I don't know what I'm doing." She'd hardlymade a peep this morning while everyone packed around the table butspoke briefly, almost soundlessly to me when the others were gone. Last man standing. That's me. A merit badge for DayTwo: last tostrike his tent. Thank you, Mr. Pedophile Scoutmaster. I am proud toaccept this honor on behalf of the me that doesn't give a rat's ass howfast he moves down the trail, just so long as he keeps moving andenjoys it the whole frikken way. The storm last night was brilliant! An orgasm of light and crashingsound. "Concussion Bombs For Jesus!" Amen and we thank Oh Sacred &Indefatigable Tent for keeping us snug and dry as a pit barbecue hogin summer. There is this mentality, nay, and this instinctual desire to keep up withthe pack. This I imagine is going to be my daily sacrifice, both totaking it slow and safe and to keeping this story written down,everyday. All right, so whilst we sit here and last night's gang getsever further on ahead, let's talk a bit more about gear.For the sake of easing access to food during the day's hike, I spentthe $15 on a small fanny pack, just large enough to hold a day's worthof granola, dried fruit (including honey dates from date palm treesjust down the hill from my home base Idyllwild).. speaking of which,just as a matter of unique interest, I also carried here fromCalifornia and am still sipping from two quarts of spring water pulledright out of a hole in the ground just a stone's throw from the PacificCrest Trail, the AT's west coast cousin. Thus, aside from the factthat Idyllwild sits right on the PCT, in me here today there exists akind of a marriage of the two trails in water, as it were. So there's the fanny pack round my waist fulla stacks in easy reach asI hike. An excellent item, one I can't imagine doing without is myCamelback, a 70 oz. water bladder with a line of blue transparenttubing running from the pack to the area of your mouth. You simplyturn your head to the side, bite the nipple and you're drinking. Ibought the thing years ago as a gift for K but kept for myself when itturned out she wanted a bigger one (ha, there's an opening for a dickjoke). Fanny pack of snacks plus water bladder equals hands-freehiking. This makes a big difference when you got a hefty load on your back and you don't want to have to offload and reload every time youwanna nosh. My pack is no mythical, hitech thing. It's simply a pack, a blackJansport bag with no internal frame or space age shit on it. It was agift from friend Emelia years ago, I think from when we did some hikingtogether in northern Cal's Trinity Alps. I must have been pack less andshe had two. Emelia will no doubt pop to mind often on this journey. A dear friend, a beautiful lady with a matching spirit, she gave mylatter college year¢s depth, Zen wisdom and the perspective of an olderfriend. Much or all of the simple yoga stretches I'll be doing everyday this trip I learned from Emelia. My "kitchenette" consists of my $40 Mountain Survival Research "PocketRocket" stove, a tiny 3 oz. miracle that screws onto a diminutivebutane canister, and a titanium cook pot, also feather light and also$40 (ouch). Oh, and I splurged weight-wise on the addition of a smallstainless coffee mug. For utensils I have one heavy-duty plastic spoonand my Swiss Army Knife. That's it. And that's it for this writing session. Close behind the storm lastnight was a cold front that currently has me sitting here freezing myass off, even in the sun. Time to get hiking and warm up from within.-RSMFor the full story of Rick's journey, visit Jigglebox.com