Date: 2005-06-30
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Miles today: 0.0

It's that time again!!!  I've finished up my chores in Ohio where I have been for the whole month of June and I'm slowly going to make my way up to Katahdin in Maine to start another sobo thru hike. I spent yesterday getting packed to leave. I got my backpack out and put my summer gear in it. It always gets exciting whenever I pack up for another adventure. Even though I've known that I would more than likely go for another walk this year, the reality came to life when I repacked my backpack. I woke up about 4:30am and had a cup of coffee while I loaded up the truck. I had to close up my parents summer home that's going to sit empty for now, so I went around and unplugged everything, turned off the gas and the water and closed the storm windows. I have several friends that I'm planning on seeing on the way to up to Maine. Today's drive would be the longest. I'm stopping to see Bonnie Coveney and her greybearded husband Dewdrop. Some of the '04 nobos might know him as LWOP, but I always thought that "Dewdrop" fit him much better. I left at 6:30 and headed northeast to a small town called Florida, NY where Bonnie and Dewdrop are staying in a campground for a couple weeks. It ended up being 620 miles, but I made it by dinnertime!!  :-)) It was great seeing Bonnie again and I have to say that it was even good seeing Dewdrop. They have sold their home and have now become trailer trash. They bought a beautiful 5th wheel and a big truck to pull it with and are planning on living in it and traveling full time now. It was by far the nicest 5th wheel I've ever seen...it even has a fireplace and 5 slideouts!! We talked and talked and talked while the grumbling in my stomach got louder and louder and louder. Finally when I was beginning to think I might have to go to bed hungry, Dewdrop mentioned that he went out earlier today and bought me some fried chicken!!  Have I ever told anyone how much I like Dewdrop?? Nope, I didn't think so, but today he was a good guy...he bought me fried chicken!!  :-))) Bonnie heated up the chicken and also served mashed potatos and green beans. Dewdrop showed me a slide show of his thru hike that he had put together on a cd. He did a fantastic job with it. Darn, I hate saying good things like that about Dewdrop so I'll just say that it was getting late and I was tired so I went to bed. Ok, now that it's quiet here, I can write a little about this walk I'm starting in a few days. I was going to start a sobo hike about a month ago, but ended up in Ohio and did a few repairs on my parents home. I tried to stay in shape by running everyday and I even got into 5 races while I was there even though I was much slower than when I used to run all the time. I still had a good time, ran 2 1/2 to 5 miles everyday and should be in decent enough shape to get back out on the trail without getting too tired in the beginning. I'm hoping to be in Georgia in early December so I can attend a wedding in San Diego, then finish the last 500 miles I have left of the Florida Trail (which I started earlier this year.) I would like to finish that trail in December and the first part of January. Those are good months to walk in Florida. For those of you that don't know me, this won't be my first time to walk the Appalachian Trail....it will be my fourth thru hike. I know, I know...don't worry too much about me I really just enjoy walking and I happen to love the A.T. It seems like a different trail in some ways each time I walk it. I've done a nobo thru hike, a sobo thru hike and a flip-flop thru hike. I realized that for me, walking south is my favorite way to hike the A.T. My least favorite (although it was still fun) was the flip-flop hike. In 2002, just before I walked into the Smoky Mountains, I saw a small truck parked on the side of the road that I later found out was "Many Sleeps" truck. It had a small sign in the front window that pretty much sums up how I feel about being in the woods and walking each day. The sign read; "If you're lucky enough to be backpacking, you're lucky enough." I hope to be "lucky enough" to make it to Springer Mountain in Georgia.