Date: 2005-02-18
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Miles today: 0.0

If there¢s not a sheet over your face and a tag on your toe, then it¢s a damn good day.Wow ¢¦ It just dawned on me that I have 3 weeks to go before I leave town! Three weeks, that ain¢t squat! I am ready, so ready that if the call came today I would be out the door in a second. You would think that, since I have already been there (to a degree) the wonder of the start would not be as strong. Wrong! I feel like the proverbial kid in a candy shop!   There are a lot and I mean a lot of people starting out when Scholar and I do. We have formed a group that has become M Company, which stands for March/Mid March starters. So far there are 30 people on the list. We even have our own website thanks to Traction.http://www.geocities.com/atmidmarch05I am looking forward to meeting these people. Seems to be quite a diverse group but out on the trail diversity disappears real quick! You become bound together to accomplish one goal. Reach Katahdin in Maine.The other day I was over at my sister¢s and we started talking. Conversation went something like this:Carol: Did you see today¢s paper yet?Me: No, not yet, why?Carol: Article in here about the hurricane season.Me: And.Carol: Seems the weather service says we may be in the same pattern as last year.Me: Great!Carol: When do you plan to be done with your hike?Me: (laughing) About time the hurricanes start to hit!Carol: (Laughing) Looks like you¢ll have work when you get back!I have been helping my brother-in-law work on their house since Jeanne hit last October. We ended up turning it into a mini remodel and if what they say is true we will do it again. There are still a lot of homes in my area with ¢blue roofs¢. This refers to the blue tarps that were distributed by FEMA. As a matter of fact I heard they were going to make the blue tarp the new Florida state flag. If the weather service report is true it might very well be.Since there may be readers new to the lingo of the trail I am going to give a few definitions of terms that will pop up in the journal.NOBO ¢ North BounderSOBO -- SouthbounderSlackpack ¢ Hiking part of the trail without your pack. Usually someone takes your pack to a point up the trail for you to pick up later.White Blaze -- The official trail is marked with white painted marks on rocks, trees, fence posts, etc.Blue Blaze -- Blue blazes are side trails that go around and sometimes shorten the official trail and most reconnect with the main trail.Yellow Blaze -- means skipping entire portions of the trail by getting a ride in a vehicle.Trail Magic ¢ Trail magic refers to treats left on the trail for hikers. A hiker may run into a cooler with cans of soda, or someone cooking a lunch at a shelter for passing hikers. Believe me, Trail Magic is a VERY welcome thing!Trail Angels -- Trail angels are the people that provide the trail magic or do something else that goes above and beyond.Webwalker ¢ refers to the first person out of a shelter/camp area in the morning. He/she clears the trail of the spider webs that formed overnight. Last year I did this quite a lot! It got to the point where, on some mornings I would walk along and swing my hiking pole up and down in front of me because I was tired of wiping the cobwebs off me!Nero ¢ A nero is when you get to a town after just a few miles of hiking. You relax, do your town chores, and head out the next day.Zero ¢ A zero is when you absolutely do no hiking on the trail that day. Not to say you don¢t walk, just that you are not on the trail.AYCE ¢ ¢All You Can Eat¢. AYCE places are a big hit with thru hikers. Especially when the appetite kicks in!Cowboy TV ¢ Skeemer was the first one I heard this term from. It refers to a fire. Sitting around watching the fire. Nothing says it better and it is so true. Staring at the flames, light conversation or nothing being said, nothing better than that!   I think that is most of them. Any others that come up I will explain as I go. Tick Tock, tick tock .. Is it time to go yet?