Date: 2006-06-18
From: Crampton Gap Shelter, MD

To: Past Pogo Memorial Campsite, MD
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: haze

When I think back on the day, I think of oppressive heat. I intended to get in another couple miles (haven¢t had a 20 in a while!) but I stopped so many times today because I was too hot and didn¢t want to continue on in the dark. It would make more sense to hike at night when its cooler, but I don¢t feel safe. Then there's always the morning, but I haven¢t had much success with that either! I was out by 8:30 this morning, so I got in a few miles before things started heating up, but as usual I was last out of camp.Lindsay got off the trail today. I called her boyfriend because I knew he was visiting and they were already driving north. I'm sure she'll send in her own update, but it's still foot problems. We had said early on that if we got off the trail in the first month we'd camp out in my backyard for a few months to avoid embarrassment. At this point, however, she has something to be proud of, and no one can fault her for not continuing to put herself through constant pain that could possibly do permanent damage. This is our vacation and it¢s just not worth it. So congrats to Lindsay for completing 900+ miles. I¢m sure it was a tough decision, but she should not feel defeated. Really, at this point it would probably be more fun to finish it in sections over several years! She¢ll be missed on the trail.Finally, it's Father¢s Day! I must say that while my mom deserves utmost credit for sending out mail drops and doing other trail errands, my father gets credit for putting such silly ideas into my head in the first place! Even before I worked for the AMC (that¢s a big discussion for another day- such controversy!) I had heard about the AT from my dad. He certainly did more camping with my brothers, but he still managed to foster a love for the outdoors in me. I think little girls take an automatic interest in their father's ideals, and at some point in high school I started asking for camping gear for my birthdays and Christmas. It¢s been a downhill spiral ever since (as I got more outdoorsy jobs my pay scale got lower and lower...you all know what I¢m earning right now!) and I have Dad to thank for it!There were so many fathers hiking with kids today, and all of them wanted to chat. That was part of my problem with time. One man felt it necessary to point out the holes in my boots, as if I hadn¢t noticed already! No worries, Merrell is sending a new pair, if only these can survive another 190 miles. Another man was full of gear questions, then asked what my mom thinks of this trip. Sorry, Dad, you¢re left out. Maybe he assumed dads are okay with this sort of thing? At any rate, I will ask my mom just that question and get back to you all.Norma Jeanne, what do you think of this trip??Good night,Chardonnay**************An Update From Cabernet (Lindsay)*************I'm getting off the trail, at least temporarily. My boyfriend came down to visit me for the weekend in Front Royal. After hiking 3 miles Friday and taking a zero on Saturday, my feet hurt worse than they did all week. Since they're not getting better with a couple days off, something must be pretty wrong with them, so I decided to take the ride back home while I had it. I'm bummed that I'm only 50 miles or so from finishing Virginia, and 54 from Harpers Ferry, but I would have been stupid to get back on the trail and risk doing further damage to my feet. Nonetheless, I enjoy the trail and this was a really tough decision for me. But I think I made the right one. I'm going to give my feet a week or two and see if they heal up. If they're perfect in about 2 weeks, I'll get back on the trail further north; if they're not better in that time, I'm calling it quits. Back to the real world. I need to get a job if I'm not hiking, if only to keep me busy (and make some money). Lindsay