Date: 2007-06-14
To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

here's today's idea for how to become a quintillionaire. If you could extract the enzyme gypsy moths use to break down oak trees, you could use it to break down wood for the carbs required to make "treethanol", a much more sane version of ethanol than our maize version. You would solve most of the middle east's problems, our energy crisis, global warming when you plant something like nebraska's national forest, the destruction of the rain forest for sugarcane, the price of tortillas in mexico would go down (look it up) AND you'd get rid of the gypsy moth scourge by squishing them all.So, um, which part is the enzyme, the green goo or the brown goo?*****I made it into port clinton about noon and decided to stay in town after all. I took a wrong turn this morning, having forgotton which side the shelter was on lwhen I'd gotten there in the rain last night. I made it about half a mile. Idiot.I checked into the microtel and walked over to the cracker barrel. I ordered an entree and dessert, and in perhaps the most damning indictment I can imagine of the portion problem in casual eateries, I found myself unable to finish my apple dumpling without assured physical pain. Basically half a pie covered in apple goo and ice cream. The man-cows around me didn't seem to have trouble with it.I feel like a bum for doing a short day today. I have a complex... I don't feel good unless I am pushing my boundaries. It's silly, but honest.Meeting a kid who spent all trip what I'll spend today blows my mind a little. I gave him a day's worth of snickers bars and oreos, and tried to buy him lunch. I have mucho respect.Jocelyn says we all have advantages and disadvantages, and when I think about it I agree... now that things have fallen into place, "phase 2" will start as soon as I'm done out here, and phase 2 will be awesome. Super awesome. Still top secret though. But it means I gotta want to be here every day. I've talked about it before, but as I get further along I see it more and more, and often from the guys who have things working against them on the trail - most folks have a lot less to come home to after this. I'm lucky in some ways, I've earned it in others, but the things that make it easier while I'm here make it harder to stay here, and that's my disadvantage.It touches on one of my new themes lately, the way it seems like human nature to differentiate and compete pointlessly. All the thru hikers out here have now beaten the odds and hiked 1200 miles. We ought to all be brothers, with full respect for the "hike your own hike" mentality - your system must be working if you're here. But you hear it all the time, person X is going too fast, person Y is slow, person Z is an alcoholic. But seriously, this epic endeavor we've undertaken ought to be a great unifier, and with a lot of guys it is, but it is less universal than I'd hope.People in suburban areas talk faster and seem less... Kind? Trusting? than people in rural areas. I haven't perceived a difference in North vs. South. I worry about America. No chance of me becoming anything but an urbanite though, I gotta be able to choose between northern indian, korean, or greek fusion for dinner.I wonder if I am going to hike near ed brown, the crazy tax evader hater. I wonder if mercedes really is improving quality like josh says. Their ad agency is still turning out treacly garbage. I wonder wtf is happening between hamas and fatah killing each other. Talking about brotherhood. I'm not expressing a position when I say if anything ought to be a galvanizing force...I'll get fresh podcasts this weekend and i'll know the answers to these and other questions soon.Gotta do 26 miles tomorrow to make blue mountain, where JC is meeting me.