Date: 2006-08-04
To: Updates from Lefty
Miles today: 0.0

Hey Everyone, I just hit my home state of Connecticut! It's pretty darn exciting. I still can't believe that I walked here from Georgia! I am at the Kent Public Library waiting for my dad to come pick me up. Kent, CT is the two-thirds mark on the AT, about 1500 miles! Whooohooo! I was just reading all of mom's journal entries and laughing hysterically. Mom, you are so good at describing how miserable and insane our hiking experience is. I totally agree! It really is that crazy. The last 10 days have been filled with lots of everything for me. I have had some very sad moments, some very difficult moments, lots of pain, lots of laughs, some fears, and lots of great moments. On my first solo day I hiked 26 miles from Wind Gap and made it to Mohican Outdoor Center, about 10 miles North of Deleware Water Gap. This was quite a remarkable day for me. The morning began with me tearing up at the trail head when a man asked if I was hiking alone. The poor guy had no idea what was wrong with me when I started crying right in front of him. All he could say was that I should compose myself because the rocks ahead required my full attention and DRY eyes. At mile 15, I had to go into DWG to buy new shoes because the forcast called for 5 days of rain and one of my boots had a big hole in the toe.I had tried to duct tape the shoe, but it only took 10 minutes on the wicked PA rocks to tear all the tape off. Within 55 minutes Of walking into the town: I had chatted with a few hikers, walked to the outfitter, got a shuttle to another town 15 minutes away to buy new shoes, bought the first pair I tried on (unheard of for me), and was shuttled back to the trail. All within an hour! This is pretty amazing to me. The day also had a perfect ending because I found Ramps at the outdoor center. I'd hoped that if I caught up with him I might be able to hike with him for at least a few days. As it turned out I hiked with Ramps for the last 9 days. He is now taking a few days off in CT. I will most likely be hiking solo until I meet back up with mom next weekend.Some of the hightlights of the last 10 days have included:--some long 20+ mile days--taking a shower with a hose from the Unionville Fire Department--sleeping on a shelf in a closet at a bar in Unionville--having quite a few perfectly timed ice cream breaks--benefitting from some amazing trail magic which included a ride to buy The Color Purple--enjoying lots of "real food" at least for one meal every other day--doing a bit of night hiking (both with Ramps, and a couple of times alone)--seeing my first mother and baby Porcupine and copperhead, and the biggest rattler I have ever seen--Dealing with record breaking temperatures--Starting my 4am wake up time to try to beat the heat--Getting 8 new blisters, suffering terribly & having a couple of pity parties--Being very close to tears more times than I want to admit--Realizing that I can hike through incredible pain and discomfort --Realizing that moments free of pain and discomfort are a great gift --Saying bye to Ramps who I have had so much fun hiking with. It is truely amazing that someone I have just met 2 weeks ago already feels like a very old friend. I hope that you catch up with us Ramps. It would be awesome to hike with you again!--Getting to see my dad, brother Travis and nephew Alex after way too much time has passed