Date: 2008-05-02
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Rt 22, NY... Mac and Cheese's house
Miles today: 300.0

Ok. So... I don't have the exact mileage and my description of where I am is written strange. We will hit Kent, CT tomorrow, which will be sweet. We haven't technically made it out of NY yet, but we are staying the night in CT at Mac and Cheese's house. A lot has happened from Duncannon til now...and I never feel like I do any of my trip justice when trying to fill you all in on the daily, weekly, monthly adventures of my life right now. It is almost overwhelming to think about trying to summarize the past few weeks into a 'short' journal entry. It has been a lot harder for me to feel like I can be as reflective as I anticipated I would/could/should be for this experience... As much as people instantly associate the trail with having all the time in the world to be carefree, I frequently find myself feeling as though I never have enough time...rush, rush, rush. In fact, I receive grief from my fellow thru-hikers about always feeling rushed. (Just a little tangent...)Interesting memories for the past few weeks.... no specific order...1.The weather has been up and down; dry and wet... (currently it is wet and chilly)2.I have stayed at two church hostels- one in Delaware Water Gap, PA and the other in Vernon, NJ- taking a zero in DWG3.Since Harper's Ferry up to now, we are averging more than 20 miles a day (and that is including our zero)- so we are hiking like crazy!4.I welcomed mile markers 1300 and 1400 in the same week, this past week.5.I have laughed and cried a good bit....6.I experienced my first Steam room visit in Vernon at the spa (THANK YOU, DESPERADO!)7.I have met Mac (and I will hopefully meet Cheese soon)...and have had an incredible meal with a lot of laughter. The people I have met on this trail are something else..and I send out my deepest gratitude for the hospitality. 8.I fell and bent my Leki pole this week..hahaI am not doing too well with all of this remembering stuff. I have certainly had a slew of various things on my mind- not all pleasant and lighthearted. I am being challenged in new ways, but I am hopeful the Lord will continue to grow and encourage me through His creative ways. My current challenge is learning to truly trust in His absolute perfect provision for me- physically, emotionally, mentally- especially for the rest of this trail. Please keep me in your prayers. There is a lot of time left on the trail, but also this time will fly by and be over before I know it. I don't want to wish ANY minute of this trail away- so please pray that my mind and heart will be guarded against any of this.Torchie, my orginal hiking partner, is off of the trail for now. She is scheduled to return in the fall to finish her hike. It will be interesting to see how this affects me psychologically, even though we hadn't hiked together in a month. Hiking with Skittles and Vagus has been fun...that too will change soon, which will be interesting on my end. Skittles will depart in Vermont and Vagus is simply unpredictable. It has been fun meeting some folks out in the woods, but it is interesting only having a small group of thru-hikers around. I often say "Hike Strong and Have Fun" and I am learning the meaning of that "cheesy" phrase for myself. Defining 'fun' in regards to the trail is not easy. I am having fun...and I am hoping to take it all in- every day! As I walked through NY this week, I found myself amazed at the beauty of those woods. NJ and NY were beautiful states. Lots of rocks and slippery places in both states- I have had my share of falls and scares...but I have enjoyed these states much more than I every anticipated... I am curious what CT has in store for me.Ok- bedtime..and I need to let Vagus use the computer. I just wanted to drop a few lines while I had the chance. I apologize to those of you who want more trail information...Here is what I can offer right now off of the top of my head with a tired mind. The PA rocks were not as bad as I thought they would be. I actually liked PA. NJ and NY are pretty wet, swampy in some places. I did not see any bears in NJ. NY has some strange philosophy in regards to the trail and its path- often times I had to stop and look for some white blaze in the distance. You can order pizze at the RPH shelter. The section hikers and day hikers are coming out- many are very kind.Anyway...please keep the guestbook comments coming. I really enjoy reading them when Iget a chance. This time is still shocking me.. I am thru-hiking. Crazy!! Goodnight.