Date: 2008-06-08
From: Damascus

To: Time off the trail
Miles today: 0.0

Hi friends and family (& FreeWil fans)! I know many have wondered about my progress or whether I was even still hiking. I'm pleased to say I am still at it and after a week off the trail have renewed my enthusiasm and desire to continue on towards Katahdin. I apologoze for being so poor in updating my journal. I was enthusiatic about recording my thoughts daily, which I have done on paper, but found that the internet opportunities were few and short for keeping that up online. I also found that as I stepped up the miles I didn't have the energy when I was in town to do much more than rest, eat and enjoy the community of hikers gathered there. Going forward I plan to backfill the journal with my broader notes on what has occurred to date and to keep up to date with section reports and progress towards Katahdin. I did just get all my pictures to-date posted so that's a bit of progress. I'm completing a week off today and heading back where I left off in Bland, Virginia. If you're counting (and I am) that is 579.2 trail miles of 2176.2 total. Ouch! is all I can say. I've now been out for 2 months and the hike is now changing character. I would say that the first 2 months have been "the community" "the big party" etc. Not that this next period of 2 months won't be fun, but there are less hikers now, it's getting hot and people are dropping off the trail left and right for various physical or pyschological reasons. There is something called "The Virginia Blues" and it's because Virginia is almost one quarter of the trail miles and seems to go on forever, but also that hikers have left the trail and are spread out a great deal, thus reducing the interactions with others. It's transitioning to a more solitary activity, which is mostly okay with me as that's most of the backpacking I've done previously. I will admit that the heat adjustment has been tough. Adding to this is that I increased my daily mileage to around 15-17 miles. My week off started as a way to go with my wife Connie, who has been a wonderful supporter of this journey of mine in every sense, to find housing for her August move to Mass. to begin her doctoral program at Clark University. Yes, Clark U in Mass. was the ultimate choice so we're heading to Massachusetts instead of AZ. Connie & I both are excited to stay on the East coast and be nearer family and friedns, as well as Boston and NY in Worcester (pronounced "Woosta") MA. She ended up at Clark when at the last minute of her decision period they came in with an offer that matched U. of Arizona and snatched her away for the desert heat to cold New-England winters. Clark was always Connie's "dream school" for her program due to their reputation and faculty in the Geography department. Recently I offered to accompany Connie on a road trip for 3 days off the trail to find housing. I felt the rest would be good and wanted to support her move as I've been such an unhelpful husband the past 2 months. However, on the day she picked me up I started feeling a bit queasy. I didn't feel too bad during the time we were up there house-hunting, but lost my appetite (a very strange thing to happen) and felt very bloated. Finally on the last morning I looked on the internet at WebMD, put in my symptoms and viola - I self-diagnosed Giardia (an intestinal parasite from drinking fouled water). Everything fit (including a lax policy of treating my drinking water) so I called my physician who agreed and called in a prescription as we were driving me back to the trail. After picking up the prescription in Roanoke, VA and talking to the pharmacist I decided it was best not the hit the trail again that day while not feeling good and being as bloated as Sally Struthers children, so we diverted home to Durham instead. Long story finally shortened - I took 3 more days off the trail at home to recuperate, felt much better after 2 days and am heading back to the trail tomorrow feeling recovered and refreshed from eating well and seeing friends and family. Thanks for following my journey and for all the encouragement you have given. I'll need it even more in the months ahead (roughly 3.5 to go). Also, I have another blog that I can email photos and text right into that I have posted a couple of things on. It also has a map of the data points I send each night from my SPOT satellite messenger device that shows Connie and my brother-in-law my loaction. You can zoom in on the data points and see a close in view of the location on google earth. I'm hoping to eventually have more "trail stories" on it. It's located at:http://freewil08.blogspot.com/ Take care, FreeWil