Date: 2005-08-01
From: Pawling, NY

To: Kent, CT
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings from New England!! Yes, I have finally crossed out of the mid-Atlantic states, into Connecticut... and what a welcome it has been! Currently, I'm being spoiled rotten by Walking Stomach, a great friend that I met on the trail last year -- shower, laundry, getting dinner cooked for me, lounging around in a cotton(!) T-shirt, two cats to pet and pamper. What a tough life I lead, no? Everything is going marvelously. My feet have (I hope) finally adjusted to their new sandals; haven't had any new sores in the past several days, and I've put the socks back in my pack. Wahoo! (W/ the crazy humidity we've experienced the past two weeks, my socks end up soaked w/ sweat by the end of the day, which sort of defeats the purpose of wearing sandals in the first place. But, w/ the blisters, I _had_ to wear socks. An evil Catch-22.) The weather actually broke mid-week, when a _huge_ thunderstorm descended upon us. Since then, temps have been in the mid-80s and, excluding yesterday, the humidity has been virtually non-existent. Perfect hiking weather. And the trail is awesome. It's great to be back in the mountains again, away from those interminable ridgewalks. Yes, the latter were great for pounding out quick miles, but the views were severely limited. New York, while it's been a challenge reaquiring my climbing legs, has inarguably fabulous vistas. And CT promises more of the same, if yesterday was any indication. (Plus, I have a sort of inside scoop from Walking Stomach, b/c, you know, she lives here and all - and has ridgerunning experience in this neck o' the woods.) And then there are the northern New England states. I spent several hours last night perusing WS's photos (or, at least, _some_ of them). I started chronologically, down in Georgia, working my way north, seeing familiar faces of friends from last year. But then, she broke out the summit photos, and it was spine-tingling. I wrote in my journal a few days ago (And yes, I _will_ get around to putting daily journal entries on trailjournals. _Some_day. I promise.), about how I feel like Katahdin is becoming more and more a reality, rather than this oft-mentioned but distant, sort of mythical place, a place that you talk about, but never actually get to. But lately, it seems like I've crossed into the shadow of Katahdin, I can feel its presence, its magnetic draw. I know it's still a heck of a long way away, but it seems so much more attainable now. And seeing those summit pictures just made it all the more real. Well, I intended to write a longer update (including details of my foray into New York City), but that will have to wait. My time is up on the computer here. If I get a chance, I'll send off another [post] later today or tomorrow. I'm zeroing today (how can I possibly turn down an opportunity to laze about w/ friends. In a real house. W/ cats), and, even better, I'm getting a new pack overnighted to me. My Osprey (which I love dearly) is showing signs of the abuse I deliver to it daily -- one of the stays broke, and the shoulder strap is about ready to come loose. The outfitter here in Kent was terrific, calling up Osprey and getting me a replacement. Lovin' New England already! Anyway, gotta run. Thanks for all the e-mails. As always, I love hearing from you all.