Date: 2010-07-30
From: Springer Mountain, Georgia

To: Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 303.0
Weather: light rain

                           Randy and Doyle's                        "WALK FOR THE KIDS"   Getting tougher to find time for computer updates. Will try to fill in the lost time the best I can. New York.........Conneticut...........Massachusetts..History. I am now home. Have a 3 day family re-union in Maine. Will be back on the trail Tuesday. I left off at Danby, VT, about 73 miles in with about 80 miles left to finish VT.    I had my brother-in-law, Joe with me for a while. It was fun to have him out here. He started off telling me he could possibly do 10 days. He made it 3 but he is not here to defend himself so we will let it go at that. We stayed at a shelter that we later found out we were not allowed to without permission and almost burned it down. Some might find it comical that it was right next to the volunteer fire dept. I don't think the Fire Chief would be one of them.   So I have had the family well represented on the trail with Joe, Jason and Rachel in Shenandoah and my darling wife joining me for 3 wonderful days in Harpers Ferry, WV. We were stuck at a hotel that was too far from town to walk, and the hotel had a shuttle. They would not take you to town...or to the train........or to the airport......only to the track, which had a slot casino that was almost as big as Foxwoods. Needless to say we spent 2 nights at the track and had a ball. One of the best buffets on the trail.   Tuesday I will have my good friend Bob Banks join me for 3 days. I think he's been talking to Joe, he wasn't offering 10 days. Something about a retirement party, I will have to verify that. After Bobby finishes up it will be time to get serious and finish this journey up. I hope to be at Katahdin by the second week of Sept. which puts me close to my original projection.   After VA the mountains got smaller and in MA they started to rise again. VT has a 4,000 footer and they just get bigger from there. We have our hiking legs in good shape and now we are getting our respirtory system back in big mountain shape and are well prepared for what is in front of us.    Getting a good amount of rain in VT. Which adds a lot of mud to the trail {thank you very much} Just add that to the list of complaints you have seen throughout my journals. Now back to the good stuff. Have passed a young couple, Little Dipper and Startrek 3 days in a row. They would walk south to a car drive further north and then walk south again to another car. On the 3rd day they are traveling with a pizza that they are sharing with everyone going northbound. Amazing how that kind of thoughtfulness makes you forget about the &%#%$@#$ mud.   I passed a couple in MA who were in their 70's. She was retired and he was still working. They took every vacation and did a portion of the AT. They had finished everything south of MA. When I got down to a road to have a break they came down. The husband told me he was going to show me some real trail magic. He was going to make 2 bicycles appear. Sure enough, they had 2 bikes hidden in the bushes. In the morning they would drive the roads and figure out how far they could hike that day, then they would stash their bikes and drive back to their starting spot, hike to the bikes and then ride their bikes back to the car. I love the spirit involved with a couple like that.    My son is talking about a trip to Kilamanjaro when I get back. I hope my wife doesn't have a weapon when she reads this. Well as always, if you are enjoying the journey, please remember the kids and donate to the JIMMY FUND.               Danielle Grossman               Jimmy Fund Walk               10 Brookline Pl. West               6th Floor               Brookline, MA 02445               617-632-5029               danielle_grossman@dfci.harvard.edu                           Thank You            The Wizard without Uncle Doyle