Date: 2004-05-14
From: Trail Days!

To: Trail Days!
Miles today: 0.0

Just let me fall asleep.   Just let me fall asleep.   This one thought replayed in my head on continuous loop as I lay awake in my tent last night. Like I said, I was down. I could hear the drum circle going on around the bonfire and everyone out there sounded like they were having a good time. And, for some reason, I only had one thought on my mind.   Just let me fall asleep.   I hate using earplugs, as they usually hurt my ears, but trying to sleep in a tent surrounded in an there seemed to be no alternative tonight. I put them in and was lucky to soon be asleeep.   When I woke up, it was a different story. I wasn't sure exactly what put me in such a funk last night, but at least it was behind me. Now, I was glad to be here. I loved being here with all people I had met along the trail.    I brought my trekking poles to the Leki booth and the company fixed and cleaned them for me. $64 worth of cleaning and repairs all for free. And you thought it was just a cool name.   I came across the "Trailjournals.com" booth and, obviously, had to check it out. On the table they had a binder with pictures of all the hikers that had journals posted. I turned to mine and showed someone what my picture looked like.   "The monkey?"   Yeah. Brilliant, huh?   A man standing nearby heard us talking and came up to look over my shoulder.    "That's you? You're Leki-Less?"   Yeah, I said.   "I'm Skeemer."   Skeemer. Ah yes. I recongnized the name at once. He had signed my guest book a couple of weeks ago:      'Leki-less, You are without a doubt the best read on trailjournals! Incredible! You could be on the Lincoln Highway and still be worth following...the fact that you are on the Trail is a bonus. BTW, met Seiko at Rainbow Springs...shuttled me down to Springer for my section in March. We bitched about the weather last year but I'll take the rain over the snow and cold. I will definitely be following your trek when I'm near a computer...well worth the wait. It would be an honor to buy you a beer at Trail Days. Take Care & Hike On!'                                       --Skeemer GA>ME'03 GA>??'04   Buy me a beer, huh? I'm gonna have to find this guy.   But he found me. And no, I didn't bring up anything about the beer. What do you think I am anyway?   To be honest, I didn't want to seek out Skeemer for the free beer. I was flattered by his compliments and wanted to thank him in person. But, if he really DID want to by me a beer, I suppose I would have no problem with that.   As I sat by the Trailjournals.com booth with Skeemer, Jan Liteshoe, and others I had just met, I saw a girl with a familiar face walk by. She didn't know me, though I had hiked beside her on her thru-hike last year.    Well, ok no. I didn't hike beside her at all. But at times it almost felt like I was there. I had followed her trail journal last year and e-mailed her some questions when she was done, which she kindly replied to.    It was actually a bit surreal to just see Dimples walk by. A year ago, she was a bit of a celebrity to me. A hero, even. As were the other people I read about online. I mean, these were people who were LIVING what was still just an aspiration to me. These people were DOING it. And now, here I am. The next generation. Perhaps feeling exactly as they felt this time last year.   A little later, I ordered some Deep Fried Oreos from one of the vendors. Best idea ever. I sat down to eat them at a picnic table already occupied by Dimples, Java, Dharma, PEZ, and Sugar Daddy. Java thru-hiked last year, along with Dimples; Dharma I had only met once; PEZ I hadn't seen since Kincora Hostel in Tennessese; and Sugar Daddy I met for the first time yesterday. Along the entire trail, I had hiked with none of these people. And yet, as I sat down at the picnic table, it felt completely natural. I felt welcome.   I think, for the most part, the trail just breeds good people.   That night a bunch of us headed to The Mill to listen to Virginia Ground, the bluegrass band that we heard our FIRST time through Damascus, VA. Heather & Arwen, Doug, Honeypie, Hoss, Wounded Knee.   It was there that I learned about "The Game."    Wanna know more?    Sorry.   The first rule of "The Game" is: You do not talk about "The Game."   The second rule of "The Game" is: You DO NOT TALK about "The Game!"   Well, you know how it is.