Date: 2002-08-22
From: Georgia

To: Georgia
Miles today: 14.0

Thursday August 22, 20027:40 am got a ride with a guy that is a construction worker. He builds forms for basements and his a carpenter. He had some stuff to unload first and then said he would then take me up to the trail.   He is from Stratton, there so I rode with him and helped him unload some stuff, he is building a new house, and he is quite a guy. Married has 4 kids. Has son 18, and he had worked with him and didn¢t want to work with him anymore.   So his daughter is now working with him. Had an old pickup, we had to stop to put a quart of oil in it.   Here we are now and he dropped me off at the trailhead. SO I am headed to North Crocker Mountain.   Its 5.2 miles don¢t know how far I am going to make it today. It¢s pretty rough country here, so we will see. Had a good night, but only slept about 3-4 hours. It¢s hard to sleep off the trail.   Just was going to out to the trail and here came this little guy, he looked like a little leprechaun. His name was Clorox. He was camped out by the road to get a ride into Stratton. He was worried about getting a ride and just now somebody stopped to give him a ride. So he didn¢t have to wait that long. He is from Indiana and he is a character, and he was telling me, don¢t worry about those White Mountains and don¢t worry about this and that.   He was just full of pith and vinegar. He only has about 8 days left and then he will be done with the trail. Just stopped off at North crocker mountain, elevation 4160 feet. It is about 11:30 and I have come about 5 miles already, so am making good time today. Seem to be having a pretty good day. The blisters seem to being doing pretty good. Knock on wood. The system must be working. I hope so, Oh Lord I hope so. If that would just be okay, I could enjoy this hike.   I really could. My pack is really heavy, I have it full of food, but it¢s a good pack, I really like this. What a difference between this one and that Camp trails one I started with. Cool this morning looks like it could rain.      Running into a lot of interesting characters today. Met Beverly Dillworth, she has hiked the trail twice and Uncle Guss was hiking with her.   Had teeth missing in front. She kind of looked like Ma Kettle.      When my feet aren¢t hurting I am Happy.   I called Mary this morning to have her send some sneakers out to me in Rangely. Hopefully I will get them with a 2-day airmail. She was telling me about Bill Jass. What a shame, Bill was good man, I don¢t think he had an enemy in the world. He just loved everybody and got along with everybody.   He was good friend.    I am going to have some lunch here at the top of the mountain. Going to have Pop-Tart.   Had a candy bar earlier for a break. I am eating a little bit early but I have another mountain to climb here.   When I get that done then I will have another break.   Just met a gentleman, headed north, his name was CornCob, and I said, how¢d you get that name. He said before he left for the trail, his grandson wrapped up a corn cob and gave it to him. He said well you know what that means? Well yah, I remember when we were living on the farm, and we would find the softest corncob for toilet paper. He looked like he was in his 50¢s, He was from Minneapolis.      Got into the shelter, Spalding mountain shelter, got here about 5:30, bunch of people in the shelter. You know it¢s amazing how some northbounders can be such pricks.   I came about 14 miles today. My stove is supposed to burn alcohol and got white gas for it and I didn¢t think it would make any difference but made a food out of myself in front of all those people. That thing just flared up and burned just out of control, so I got to use alcohol from now on.