Date: 2010-04-17
From: Erwin, Tn / uncle johnies hostel

To: Uncle Johnmys Erwin
Miles today: 0.0

Day 41tZero days. What a joy to not have anywhere to be, but also a feeling of guilt that I am not gaining any miles. That may explain my ridiculous decision to slackpack 20.2 miles tomorrow. Slackpacking is taking a shuttle to a point up the trail and hiking back to the hostel with only the food and water you need for a dayhike. We depart at 7am and will be hiking by 8. It will probably take my slow butt 11 to 12 hours to get back here. I've lost my mind. In other news, tonight I am sleeping on the couch inside the hostel free of charge in trade for giving up the two person cabin I had so they could rent it to two other guys for a higher price for three nights. Good deal for me, but I had to stop watching Braveheart on the VCR in the cabin.   The sacrifices I make for my fellow thruhikers. Hostel bunkhouses are noisy/busy places. Lucky for me that I am not an early sleeper. Its 11pm and people iinsde are in various stages of activity. Some are in their bunk trying desperately to sleep. Others are going through their packs reorganizing after a town resupply. Others are right outside the door on the porch partying and using their 'outside' voices. Life on the trail.I am actually looking forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow even if I am walking right back to this hostel. Then after that I will be passing through an area with lots of resupply opportunities so I should only have to carry a day or two of food at a time until I get to Damascus, VA. A lighter pack is sounding pretty good. I hope it translates to more miles per day. I am still having trouble with the 14 mile days so I try to space those days out until I feel stronger. I am not really all THAT old, but this trail makes me feel every misspent year.A train is going by right now no more than a few hundred feet away. They must have twenty trains a day come through this town. Very loud and very long trains. Yesterday the shuttle van was stopped for 20 minutes waiting for the train to pass. Trains have lost the Romanticism they used to hold for me.BTW, I would like to thank everyone who has signed my guestbook with words of encouragement. They really help.   And when I summit Katahdin I'll be checking with Victory Junction for that nice donation from 'a fan' in NYC . Also thanks trillium for the explanation on what happened to Hercules and his wife. My heart goes out to them . Mary, you should loan Al your copy of Alter Rock as well. Its way better than any shelter rock. A quick update on my gastrointestinal situation. The Sam's Gap 2300 colorize meal catastrophe has finally cleared up. I was starting to worry if I had enough mountain money (a.k.a. toilet paper) to reach this town. Then last night I started torturing myself with thoughts of Giardia. Butt the situation has firmed up and I have put those concerns behind me. Just thought you'd like to know.In scarier news my wife sent me a pcture of the dress my 14 YO daughter bought for her 8th grade formal dance. I'm not really sure it qualifies as a dress though. This is more like an overlong, low cut shirt a few sizes to small. For my sanity, could someone in Wilmington please take that child a moo moo smock to wear over it so she doesnt catch a cold.Goodnight and sweet dreams to everyone out there not living the Firm Stool Dream.