Date: 2004-07-14
To: Another Sobering Assessment
Miles today: 0.0

I asked a guest at this hostel in Maryland if he would drive me back to nearby Harper's Ferry in West Virginia, and he agreed. I could have walked over the border into the town, but wanted to give my feet as much rest as possible.My first stop was at an outfitting store. There I purchased some new hiking socks and a gel that is supposed to reduce chaffing.Other hikers showed up at the store including Wipeout, Smack, and Lambie. They had spent the night in a motel after trying to find the hostel in the dark. Sardine entered the store. Freebird also arrived; he is a hiker I had not seen in a few weeks.My visit to the Appalachian Trail Conference was a sobering one. I asked a staffer to ascertain my odds of reaching Mount Katahdin by October 15th, the closure date of Baxter State Park. She told me the odds were long for several reasons. The days would be getting shorter. In New England, particularly in the White Mountains and southern Maine, the terrain becomes difficult and reduces a hiker's output of mileage. She, like the hostel owner, suggested that I do a flip¢take a bus or fly to Maine, climb Mount Katahdin, and then hike south on the Appalachian Trail until I reach the point where I last walked northbound. She said that the ATC officially recognizes thru hikes that include a flip.I asked her if a continuous thru hike was still possible. She said it was, but I would have to hike twenty plus miles per day before entering New England, and reduce the number of days I rest. I thanked her for the candor of her remarks. In Harper's Ferry, I ate lunch at a pizzeria with hikers Sardine, Wipeout, Smack, Lambie, and Spider. Their moods were relaxed and carefree, a common outlook on a rest day. But after my visit to the ATC headquarters, my mood was a worried one. I did not want to sound like a worrywart, but told the hikers about my concerns regarding my, or possibly our, abilities to reach Mount Katahdin before the state park in Maine closes.Sardine told me that I was being overly concerned. Wipeout said that she had crunched some numbers that indicated that by hiking seventeen miles per day, and rarely stopping for rest days, a continuous thru hike was possible. She added that the White Mountains were not as hard to hike as people claimed. She had previously hiked that stretch of the trail.I took a measure of encouragement in their outlooks but remain concerned about my ability to complete this hike without having to flip.Back at the hostel, I played a card game with Sardine, Wipeout, and Smack. I have decided to hike, or attempt to hike, over twenty miles per day, or close to that amount. It will mean getting up early and hiking late into the day. There will be fewer rest days.My journal entries will have to be shortened. They will have to encompass several days rather than single days. I cannot hike all day, make camp, do chores, and then write long accounts with detail.The thought of hiking twenty plus mile days per day, over and over, in the summer heat, is a daunting one. The notion of taking fewer days off also worries me. I am 47 years old. I don't have the strength or stamina of the younger hikers that I am friendly with. I am worried about the ordeal that lies ahead.