Miles: 0
For the second time in a week, I fell asleep before filling out the journal entry. This staying up late thing is not good!
We filled the day with the usual myriad of errands - picking up postcards, mail, buying food, sorting through the maildrops, etc. We took it slower, though, because we knew this was a 2 zero-day stop... we're such slackers! At the local outfitter, we met an employee there who finished up his section hike of the AT last year. Afterwards, he picked up and moved from Alabama to Gorham, NH. I feel the same urge to trade in the big city and professional job to work with a small outfitter in a town at the foot of beautiful mountains. I'm still drawn to the idea of running a B&B / hiker hostel, so we just have to start searching for cool little communities. It'll just have to be in the southeast, though, to stay near that crazy group of people I call family.
Speaking of, I was thrilled to catch up with everybody yesterday. It's so odd that I probably talk to Mom and Dad about as often as before hiking, but it feels so much longer between conversations. I suppose the knowledge that people are just around the corner satisfies the need to talk. I also found out that I can't accurately convey what it's like to do long-distance hiking. As Kevin says, it's a unique lifestyle, but that doesn't give a clear picture. I call it voluntary, self-inflicted torture, but we're having an extraordinary experience. We've become numb to the views, so I can't say that that's why I hike. There's really no clear reason to me that we're still out here, other than the fact that there are mountains out there that I haven't climbed yet. It's an undescribable itch, but all hikers have it. I think that's what keeps us out here. It's not the sense of accomplishment.... it's more because this is just what we do.
The day ended with a date at Mr. Pizza. Ahhh.... the romance. It was good to talk with Kevin, though. We together for 24 hours a day, but it's funny that we don't hold lots of conversation while hiking. I accredit it to our skills at mind-reading, but I need to test that theory. I'm thinking of a nice, big cup of Moose Track icecream. Mmmm... I'll let you know if he brings it :)
- Slacker Bobo