I'm Surprised She Didn't Have Me Arrested!

   Hiking through Massachusetts in 1980 was an interesting experience. The mountains and countryside were beautiful. I passed through several small towns along the way. One day I was passing through a small town when a car pulled over beside me. The man rolled down his window and started up a conversation. He mentioned that the women of his church had a lunch group open to the community and wondered if I would be interested in attending? Just the mention of food to a thru-hiker is like a red flag to a bull. Of course I was interested.
   The man had to run some errands and would be at the church soon. He pointed me in the right direction and I walked less than a mile to an old red brick church. Sure enough, the women had some sandwiches and other lunch items put together. The seemed to be happy that I was there. I waited in line with the other people and got to the serving window. The lady asked me if I wanted a sandwich. "Sure," I said. "How about two?" she said. "Even better," I replied.
   I sat down and ate a good meal. The man who invited me did show up. He said he was a part time actor on some Soap Opera on TV. After lunch, the people began to leave. One of the women came up to me and asked if I would like some of the leftover sandwiches to take with me on the trail. I happily accepted her kind offer. Before long I was walking down the road, headed toward the place where the trail would go back into the woods. I was encouraged by the hospitality that I had received along the way. It reminded me of so many other times that Christian people had helped me on my journey. I knew that God was good and He was looking out for me.
   As I was walking I heard another car approach. It stopped and a woman stepped out. She had a young child with her. She asked me if I was the hiker who had just eaten at the church. I smiled, and said that I was. Suddenly the entire mood changed. Her face became angry, she put her hands on her hips and said, "you didn't pay for what you ate!"
   I was quite shocked on several different levels. First, no one ever mentioned paying for lunch. I didn't see anyone else pay either (although I suppose they must have). And even if there was a nominal charge, I was shocked that the guy who invited me didn't pay it (or at least let me know about it). And wasn't there a place in the Bible about Christians practicing hospitality, especially to strangers?  (see 1Peter 4:8-9) And why did she think it so important to track me down?
   My explanations fell on deaf ears. I had apparently come to a fundraising lunch and had walked out without paying. To make matters worse, I even took extra sandwiches with me (which most likely would have been thrown in the trash if I had not taken them). I dug through my pack and pulled out the ziplock bag that served as my wallet. I was completely out of cash but I had a traveler's check with me. I offered to write it to her, but she refused. Instead, she demanded that I hand over the leftover sandwiches. As I gave them to her, she scowled again, loaded her child into her car and sped away.
   I was left behind in the dust. I'm surprised she didn't have me arrested! If I had not already been a Christian then that would have been the last time I would ever walk into a church in my life. Fortunately, I realized that the selfish actions of a few do not reflect the true nature of God and His love. I had made a mistake without realizing it, but I did not deserve the hateful response from that lady. I hope her dog enjoyed the leftover sandwiches.

   2011 Update:  This morning I weighed in at 171.6 pounds. I spent some time sweating while fixing the cooling system on my old 1973 Mazda yesterday. This morning I am in a hotel (on the way to Kentucky to celebrate my wife's grandmother's 100th birthday). I got up early and went for a jog. So, even though I am out of my normal routine, I'm trying to exercise and I will try to eat right too!

In Porcupine Country!

   I had a scheduled mail pickup on July 26, 1980 in Cheshire, Mass. I was still running behind schedule because of my hurt foot (which was now much better). I remember rolling into the town early afternoon on Saturday and missing my pickup by just a few hours. Post offices always closed at noon on Saturday back in 1980. I was stuck in town until early Monday morning. The delay was irritating to me. I wanted to get some miles under my belt. I wanted to make it to Maine!
   One thing I do remember from hiking the trail was a night experience. I honestly don't remember if I was in Massachusetts at the time or some other place, but I do remember other details. I spent the night at a shelter (I did that probably 70% of the time). This shelter had some sheet metal nailed to the front of the shelter floor. It also had a metal toilet seat in the outhouse. I thought that was very strange until another hiker told me that we were in porcupine country!
   We don't have porcupines in Georgia (we have possoms, and all kinds of other critters!) I asked the other hiker about the metal outhouse seat. It turns out that porcupines love to eat salt. And urine contains a lot of salt. The porcupines would chew up the outhouse seats, that's why they were made of metal. On the front of the shelter most hikers would come and sit down. The sweat from their bodies would soak into the wood and the porcupines would chew that too (the wood, not the hikers!)
   I had a good place to sleep in the shelter, but more and more hikers arrived. The shelter was packed full. One hiker had to sleep right on the edge of the shelter (at our feet). The evening was quiet and I fell asleep. I woke suddenly to a strange noise. The porcupines were attacking! Well.....not really "attacking", but they were trying to get into the food bags. The hiker sleeping at the end of the shelter took a big stick and whacked one of the porcupines. As it fled (taking the others with him). the hiker withdrew the stick and put it into the pool of light coming from a flashlight. There were several porcupine quills protruding from the stick! After this adventure we slept well and had an uneventful day. I will never forget that night in porcupine country!

   2011 update:  This morning I weighed in at 172.0 pounds. I went jogging again and added another small piece of the neighborhood to my route. I also worked on the car (lots of sweat!). Now I am eating a big salad for lunch. I've got to get back on track. The deadline for 165 pounds is September 4th!

An Amazing Display of Splendor!

   Back in 1980 I remember climbing a mountain in Massachusetts called "Mt. Everett". One of the reasons I remember the name is because it is so similar to "Everest" (but not anywhere near as difficult). It was actually a reasonable climb. On top of the mountain was a YMCA camp, but I didn't go to it (it was on a side trail). I was up on the mountain toward the end of the day. I realized that hiking down the mountain would take a while. Then I saw a nice spot of level ground right next to the trail. It was maybe five feet wide and covered in grass. It was also perfectly level, a great place to spend the night. If you have ever tried to sleep on ground that is slanted then you know what I mean!
   The weather was clear and I decided to camp right there beside the trail. I literally could reach out with my hand from where I slept and touch the trail. Dinner was good. I settled into my sleeping bag and watched the night sky. There were no trees high up on this mountain. The sky was perfectly clear. The moon and stars were amazing. I gradually drifted off to sleep.
   Early in the morning something stirred me. I was used to camping in shelters where it was dark, or at least under trees where there was lots of shade. But this time I was awakened by light. At first it was a soft glow, muted and subtle. As I sat up and looked across the valley I saw mist curling up at the tops of the trees below. The mountains in front of me were tall and solid. The part facing me, still in deep shadow. But behind those mountains was the Sun, slowly rising in the East.
   I waited patiently as the Sun continued to bring light to the darkness. Finally it happened. The first ray of light peeked over the edge of the mountain. Over the next few minutes that tiny ray of light blossomed into a magnificent display of light! The orange and yellow and purple hues were unbelievable! Oh! Of all the sunrises that I have seen in my life, none compare with the beauty and majesty of that glorious moment! I did take a picture but it does not come close to bringing it justice.
   Slowly the Sun continued to rise, bathing my campsite in pools of light. As I ate breakfast and packed up my gear I was thankful for the amazing display of splendor. It's one of the reasons that I hiked the trail to begin with! I would see many other sunrises in my life, but I would never forget the sunrise on Mt. Everett!

   2011 update: This is the longest break I have taken from this project. I was in a training class for 5 days and did not have the opportunity to blog. I ate a lot of different meals. Now that I have returned, it's time to get back on track. This morning I weighed in at 172.4 pounds. That's about 2 pounds more than when I left for the training class. It also reminds me that my weight will fluctuate and that circumstances will happen where I don't eat as well as I should for a few days. Tomorrow I start back running. I'm still going to make my goal!

What Happens When You Get High!

   Hiking through Connecticut was nice. The trail goes through the western part of the state (away from the suburbs and big cities). It was hot, but not nearly as hot as what I was used to in Georgia. I actually enjoyed hiking with the "Canadian Crawler". But, all good things must come to an end. One day the Canadian Crawler left earlier than I did. I caught up with him when he had his lunch break, but he got ahead of me again when I stopped for lunch.
   In the late afternoon I began climbing up a mountain. The trail snaked back and forth up the side of the mountain (the technical term is "switchbacks"). After a lot of effort and sweat I was rewarded with a nice view from the summit and a breeze. I enjoyed it for a little while and then decided to press on. I knew by the end of the day I would enter Massachusetts!
   I descended the other side of the mountain, following the switchbacks downhill (much easier than uphill!). When I reached the bottom, the trail was level for a while. That's where I saw the Canadian Crawler. He was very upset. His camera was missing! When he was on the top of the mountain he stopped and took some pictures. Then he smoked some "weed". Apparently he left his camera sitting on the top of the mountain. Did I happen to pick it up and bring it? No. Had I seen it?  No.
   The last time I saw the Canadian Crawler he had stashed his backpack near the trailside and was backtracking up the mountain to locate the missing camera. I have heard that smoking "weed" impairs your memory, this was a classic case of not remembering! I'm glad I never tried smoking it. The only "high" I wanted to get was in elevation on the top of mountains! I pressed on and crossed the Massachusetts state line. It was time to carve another notch on my hiking staff! Mt. Katahdin in Maine was getting closer every day!

   2011 update:  This morning I weighed in at 170.4 pounds. Jogging, trying to eat right, not starving myself, all of these things have added up. I go to a training seminar today which will last until Tuesday. I have no idea what kind of food they will feed us, but I will try to be sensible in what I eat! I only have 5.4 pounds left in order to reach my goal. It's getting closer every day!

How Can You Drink Out of That?!!!!!

   I had a scheduled food pickup on July 19, 1980 in Cornwall Bridge Connecticut. I was still running behind schedule because of my foot. I was able to walk very well now, but I would have to put on an extra effort at some point to get back on track.
   I continued to hike with the "Canadian Crawler". One of the things I noticed about him was his large water bottle. The inside of it had some ugly black scum. I asked him about it and he said it was permanent and wouldn't come out. I shuddered to think of drinking from that nasty water bottle.
   One day we crossed a road and hit the jackpot. Well...not literally...but we did find a small convenience store with ice cream, snacks, and cold drinks! After munching on some snacks we began to get ready to go. I remembered that my water bottle was a little low so I grabbed it and decided to fill it up. I asked the Canadian Crawler if I could fill his bottle for him. He pulled out the large, nasty bottle and handed it to me. I went up to the store clerk and asked where I could get some water. He directed me to a small area at the back of the store. There was a large sink along with some soap and wash rags. I used hot water to clean out my water bottle, wadding up a wash rag and shoving it inside the wide mouth of the bottle. After some soap was added and some vigorous shaking my bottle was clean as a whistle. I rinsed it thoroughly and filled it with cold water.
   Then came time for me to fill up the water bottle for the Canadian Crawler. I decided to wash it out the same way, with soap and a wash rag and hot water. As I began to vigorously shake the bottle, the wash rag started peeling off all of that black scum! Oh! It was gross! Ten minutes later that water bottle was completely clean. (I had to wash my hands three times after this nasty adventure). The Canadian Crawler was shocked that I was able to get it clean. All he had ever done was rinse it was water. I hate to think of him drinking water from that scummy bottle for all of those weeks on the trail! How could he drink out of that bottle?!!!!

   2011 update: I weighed in at 171.0 pounds this morning. More jogging today and trying to eat right. I had a bowl of fresh strawberries last night (yum!) Time for another salad tonight and a CLEAN glass of water!

Tarps at Night!

   Sleeping out in the open was a wonderful thing while hiking the trail in 1980. The "Canadian Crawler" and I put our sleeping bags side by side and soon fell fast asleep. I woke a few hours later and felt something. What was that?! There it was again....it felt moist....almost wet. Then I realized what was happening. It was beginning to rain! The "Canadian Crawler" couldn't do anything because he didn't have a tarp or a tent. But I swung into action. I jumped up and grabbed for my pack. I reached into my boot and found my flashlight (I would keep it there at night so it wouldn't get lost and I could find it quick.)
   Digging around in my pack I found my tarp, some rope, and the small aluminum stakes that went with it. I started stringing up a line from the tree at the head of my sleeping bag down to the ground a couple of feet below the end of my sleeping bag. I had to put the small flashlight in my mouth because I needed both hands. The small flashlight just fit in my mouth and I held it between clenched teeth. After the center rope was secured, I threw the tarp over it and began putting in the stakes and tying off the corners and sides. All the time the rain got harder and faster! Finally the tarp was up! I put a big trash bag over my pack so it wouldn't get soaked, then I squeezed under the tarp with the Canadian Crawler. He was VERY glad to have a hiking partner with a tarp!
   We slept fairly dry that night. The next night it was clear and beautiful. We camped in the open again and fell fast asleep. In the middle of the night I woke up and felt something. What was that?! There it was again....it felt moist....almost wet. Then I realized what was happening. It was beginning to rain! Here we go again!!

   2011 update: this morning I weighed in at 171.8 pounds! That is 15.0 pounds lost in 100 days! I have less than 7 pounds left in order to reach my goal and 46 more days. That means I need to lose just a fraction over one pound per week for the next almost 7 weeks to get down to 165. I went jogging again this morning. My wife baked some awesome homemade bread (with fresh ground wheat). I'm eating good and trimming the pounds!

I Meet "The Canadian Crawler"

   When I entered the State of Connecticut in 1980 I was glad to continue to make progress. I have said before that I mostly hiked alone, although I saw a lot of other hikers and often camped at shelters and other sites with other hikers. But during the day I got a slower start and I took a longer lunch. That means I made it to whatever camp site or shelter right at the end of the day. Others often got there early and hung out. Something happened different in Connecticut. I met another thru-hiker known as the "Canadian Crawler". I think his real name was Dave (but I'm really not sure). The Canadian Crawler was from (surprise, surprise) Canada! He moved slowly and that's how he got his nickname.
   The Canadian Crawler and I met somewhere in Connecticut and we began to hike together. I mean, we actually were in view of each other all day long. It was quite a different experience for me. I was used to solitude, but enjoyed the company. At night we camped out in the open a couple of nights (we were too far away from shelters). The Canadian Crawler did not have a tent. I didn't either, but I had a tarp that could be setup when necessary. But the Crawler didn't have a tarp either! I asked him what he did when it rained. It was very simple.....he got WET!
  The Canadian Crawler and I hiked together for several days. He was older than me with sandy blonde hair and a beard. Sometimes he would pull out some marajuana and have a smoke. He offered it to me, but I turned it down (that was not the first or last time that someone offered it to me, but I always said "no"). We had some interesting conversations and enjoyed hiking together for those few days. Maine was getting closer and closer for both of us!

   2011 update:  I weighed in at 172.0 pounds this morning. Eating salads and jogging helps a lot!