I've got other support out there as well. From Matthewski, who reports being in Damascus as I write this:

minnisota smith is still big news out here. people report his slow progress and comment on his heavy pack but im here to remind you hes one of my favorite folks out here. hes polite to a fault.hes well read and can disertate on most subjects. and he snores. he is a real hiker with a strong drive and hes put up with alot of crap from others.

Uh, I haven't had any complaints on my snoring in a month. Losing weight has helped with that, I think.;)

I've got other support out there as well. From Matthewski, who reports being in Damascus as I write this:

minnisota smith is still big news out here. people report his slow progress and comment on his heavy pack but im here to remind you hes one of my favorite folks out here. hes polite to a fault.hes well read and can disertate on most subjects. and he snores. he is a real hiker with a strong drive and hes put up with alot of crap from others.

Uh, I haven't had any complaints on my snoring in a month. Losing weight has helped with that, I think.;)

Good for you! Keep on keepin' on and spreadin' the love.:cool: austexs

9) Lots of hikers get sucked into trail towns/hostels, and get delayed for a week or more. This seems more likely for the party crowd, especially if under 30.

You started nearly two months ago and you're where? How many days on trail, in town?

I've zeroed once each at Hawk Mtn. shelter, Neels Gap, Fontana, Standing Bear Farm, 4 days in Hot Springs (while waiting for critical gear to be shipped in -- wouldn't have done over one otherwise), and so far one in Erwin. I've resupplied in Neels, the Blueberry Patch, the NOC, Fontana, Standing Bear, Hot Springs, and Miss Janet's. I went into Gatlinburg to make a critical phone call and had a meal, but did negligible resupply there.

Things I have learned:

1) If I can't see the privy from the shelter, walk to it once during daylight to make certain I can expeditiously find it if I need it all of a sudden at night.

2) It's harder to eat healthily when I don't cook.

3) I don't use as much wheat germ or tea on the trail as I do in civilization.

4) MRE entrees are GREAT lunches.

5) Powdered milk in quart pouches are a good size.

6) Treat water the night before, so that I wake up with all my nalgenes full.

7) Most hikers appear to be walking timebombs WRT nutrition, they eat so unhealthily on the Trail. This is especially true for those under 30.

8) There are exceptions to the rule that female thruhikers have, uh, exclusively androgynous shapes, but they are distinctly in the minority.

9) Lots of hikers get sucked into trail towns/hostels, and get delayed for a week or more. This seems more likely for the party crowd, especially if under 30.

10) Section hikers are OK by me. They've all been pleasant, and several times have given me food after I've made the effort to fully answer their questions about thruhiking. (Women section hikers are often much easier on the eyes than woman thruhikers, sometimes gloriously so.)

11) In my experience on my thruhike so far, loose dogs are usually property of dayhikers. However, if a thruhiker or sectionhiker lets their dog run loose, they will almost certainly be unreasoning (e.g., uneducatable) WRT reasonable limits on their animal so that it does not affect the experience of other hikers.

12) I have come to believe that calcium supplements are a good idea, especially for days I don't use powdered milk.

13) The generosity of trail angels continues to astound me.

14) I'm really glad I'm doing this, even when it s*cks (as it does on occasion).

just wanted to cheer you on,hope your hike brings you many wonderful memories:cool: neo

Yo MinnySmith, after meeting you, I think you should drop your MinnySmith name and pick up one from the movie Office Space. Either Milton or either of the two Bobs would work perfectly. People who have met Minny and seen the movie must agree, no??

I've zeroed once each at Hawk Mtn. shelter, Neels Gap, Fontana, Standing Bear Farm, 4 days in Hot Springs (while waiting for critical gear to be shipped in -- wouldn't have done over one otherwise), and so far one in Erwin. I've resupplied in Neels, the Blueberry Patch, the NOC, Fontana, Standing Bear, Hot Springs, and Miss Janet's. I went into Gatlinburg to make a critical phone call and had a meal, but did negligible resupply there.

youve already zeroed more times as we did on our entire thru, and youre not even out of TN yet. :confused:

The version you are using, I generally ID someone using it as a jerk, and ignore them thereafter.

The version you are using, I generally ID someone using it as a jerk, and ignore them thereafter.Getting a little touchy, ain't ya, Ms. Mith?

youve already zeroed more times as we did on our entire thru, and youre not even out of TN yet. :confused:

HYOH, bro.....you're doing what all of us would give our....(insert appropriate body part here) ...to be doing!

One step at a time, minnesotasmith! :sun

Have a great hike! Enjoy every step, even the sucky ones. In the end, it's all worth it.

HYOH

you took waaaay too many zeroes, MS.

HMOH

I am seriously looking forward to dropping winter gear in VA; as I've had slush in my Platypus less than a week ago, that time is not yet here.

you better ship it ahead, them mountains in new hampshire ain't nothing to laugh about if it decides to get nasty in the summer.........

wait til you get to new england...yep, once you cross that mason dixon line you be in another world

you took waaaay too many zeroes, MS.

HMOHit's his hike isn't it, it's okay with me if he doesn't make to kathadin til next year, just take your sweet ole time ms................

you better ship it ahead, them mountains in new hampshire ain't nothing to laugh about if it decides to get nasty in the summer.........

Oh, I already know I have to get it back in NH. Ah, but there are over 1100 miles between Pearsburg and Glencliff to enjoy the lighter load. My 40 degree bag is only about 2.5x the size of my Puffball jacket, and (when in its stuff sack) it falls into my pack.

you took waaaay too many zeroes, MS.

HMOH

Since he's still out there hiking, and apparently enjoying his hike, he must be taking exactly the right number of zeroes.

Since he's still out there hiking, and apparently enjoying his hike, he must be taking exactly the right number of zeroes.

Yes but, one shouldn't be critisizing others for their zeros when he's taken many himself. The fact he took one or two on the trail is commendable.

1) I wrote this haiku, and have posted it in several trail registers recently.
A haiku is a poem style of Japanese origin. It is 3 lines, with 5-7-5 syllables.


The Appalachian Trail


Rocky ups and downs
it’s supposed to have flat parts
I’ve seen maybe two.



2) This famous poem by Robert Service describes a crucible obviously more searing than the AT, with higher stakes for failure, but it still speaks to me about my throughhike. Do keep in mind that I am 44, significantly overweight, and have several atypical life goals for which I believe completing the AT would be a major boost to achieving, to raise the stakes (and what I am prepared to go through).



http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/8336/robertservice/lawyukon.html

Since he's still out there hiking, and apparently enjoying his hike, he must be taking exactly the right number of zeroes.

i was being facetious, hence the "HMOH" instead of "HYOH".....i forgot to include the :D and the ;) ....

And I was reading quickly rather than closely. My apologies, Goat.

you took waaaay too many zeroes, MS HMOH
That's not a legitimate judgment that us folks sitting on the sidelines can make.

Wise hikers let their bodies tell them when a zero day is needed. I suspect as many hikes have been spoiled by those who refused to listen to the messages their bodies were sending than otherwise.

Weary

I never get down to a 3-day supply; at least, I haven't so far. When I resupply, I still have more like 4 days at least left. After a resupply, I'm at least high 50s. My pack weighed 64# at the scale at Amicalola when I left there in Feb.

Just curious...why do you feel you need a 4 day supply of food left in your pack when you get into town. You've been on the trail long enough to gage how long it's going to take you to reach a resupply...so I can only guess you're doing this on purpose. Not downing you...but that is at least 8 lbs of weight you don't use. I understand your reasoning with the water (not for me, but it's your hike)....don't understand the 4 extra days of food though.

Good luck on your hike....there's lots of great trail in front of you, enjoy yourself!

Just curious...why do you feel you need a 4 day supply of food left in your pack when you get into town. You've been on the trail long enough to gage how long it's going to take you to reach a resupply...so I can only guess you're doing this on purpose.

Yeah, four extra days food is a little much. I'm happy to reach town with less than a days worth of food. It's not like you're going to starve on the AT. Most would be happy to give or loan some of their extras, if need be.

If you think about it, MS could be averaging 8 miles a day and during a 80 mile stretch (there ain't many) carry 14 days of food. He'd have to drop to 6mpd. to eat all his food.

Of course, if you carry that much it may just slow you down accordingly, which isn't all bad it you take your time.

That's not a legitimate judgment that us folks sitting on the sidelines can make.

Ain't that the truth. I can't imagine telling a hiker he or she is hiking his or her hike wrong (unless asked, of course).

I don't care if MS is hiking 5 miles a day and taking a zero every other day.

Heck, that might be the only way I get my wife out there, and I'd be proud of it!

Rain:sunMan

.

That's not a legitimate judgment that us folks sitting on the sidelines can make.

Wise hikers let their bodies tell them when a zero day is needed. I suspect as many hikes have been spoiled by those who refused to listen to the messages their bodies were sending than otherwise.

Weary

let me reiterate my facetiousness for you weary, (please refer to the previous two posts before yours)
for the record: i couldn't give a ***** if MS zeroes for the rest of the year, hikes 50 miles a day, yellow blazes, blue blazes, or is a purist.
other than that though, i agree with you!

MS:
1. You're too slow
2. You're fat
3. You carrying too much weight
4. You've got too much water
5. You're too much like Bill Bryson
6. You're too abrasive
7. Your beard is too shaven
8. You're not enough like (insert hiker name)
9. You eat too much.

BUT, remember to Hike You Own Hike. :-?

You've already done more than many on this board. Keep on keepin' on. You'll be there before you know it.

Is he too slow? Is he too overloaded? Is he doing this
right? Is he doing this wrong? Who gives a rat's a**!
At least he's out there. :clap

And as for his opinions....again, who cares.

Carry on, Smith. Perhaps my MN liberalism will counter your MN conservatism when I NOBO in 2010. We'll see.

(One thing that amazes me is the number of postings by people who,
whether ya love him or hate him, are keeping track of progress on htis
thread. Check out the replies column...it up to 277...oops, make that 278.)

MN-Smith keep on trucking! I hear that you might get a free lunch in Damascus from your pal Lone Wolf. That right there would keep me going.

where is minnesota smith right now????

Kincorra - 410 miles! He hiked 18.2 miles yesterday, a personal record. Did 6 miles today then spent most of the day working on resupply and such.

He got caught in a lightening storm atop Hump Mtn, with heavy strikes hitting real close. He laid on the Trail in the rain for 20 minutes until the stome passed.

Speaking of lightening: That's what he's doing to his pack now, trading out his sleeping bag and sending some winter clothes home.

He reports Kincorra is filled to the rafters with hikers. He's not doing a zero, but joining in some slackpacking plans for tomorrow before heading off to Damascus.

Doesn't know if he'll come back for Trail Daze or not. He's thinking he'd be better off to keep walking and come back to enjoy it next year.

He sounds good, isn't having any problems, and his daily mileage is increasing.

Dances With Mice,

Thanks for the update. I don't much care for many of MS' past posts on WhiteBlaze, but I still wish him well. Maybe the hike will mellow him and wear off some of the too-sharp edges?!

Anyway, thanks DWM, and best to MS.

Rain:sunMan

.

I'm glad I never verbalized the thought that "I'd eat my socks if he reached Damascus." Mmmmmm. Thorlos. Yum.

Kincorra - 410 miles! He hiked 18.2 miles yesterday, a personal record. Did 6 miles today then spent most of the day working on resupply and such.

He got caught in a lightening storm atop Hump Mtn, with heavy strikes hitting real close. He laid on the Trail in the rain for 20 minutes until the stome passed.

Speaking of lightening: That's what he's doing to his pack now, trading out his sleeping bag and sending some winter clothes home.

He reports Kincorra is filled to the rafters with hikers. He's not doing a zero, but joining in some slackpacking plans for tomorrow before heading off to Damascus.

Doesn't know if he'll come back for Trail Daze or not. He's thinking he'd be better off to keep walking and come back to enjoy it next year.

He sounds good, isn't having any problems, and his daily mileage is increasing.

well i'm looking forward to meeting him, hope he makes it here soon....

Other things I forgot: Baltimore Jack went through MS' pack at Miss Janet's with some suggestions - one was that BJ would relieve MS of a big jar of macadamia nuts MS had received in a maildrop because they were way too heavy. That's our Jack - what a guy! <insert smiley face>

The other is that MS has noticed that lots of thrus are in their late teens or early 20's and there's many over 50, but he's pretty much alone in the late 30's to early 40's age group.

The other is that MS has noticed that lots of thrus are in their late teens or early 20's and there's many over 50, but he's pretty much alone in the late 30's to early 40's age group.

yep we are a rare bunch.............

I met Minnesota Smith at Rocky Knob, just short of Roan Mt. April 19th. He was an interesting character...made some comment about Valentine's day being better at the end of February...not sure what he meant. I also saw Stumpknocker the same day.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=10749&c=665&userid=1498

...made some comment about Valentine's day being better at the end of February...not sure what he meant.

Maybe he was talking about February 30. ;)

The other is that MS has noticed that lots of thrus are in their late teens or early 20's and there's many over 50, but he's pretty much alone in the late 30's to early 40's age group.

Most AT thru-hikers tend to be under 25 and over 55. Students and retirees. Between 25 and 55, most people tend to be married, have children, a mortgage and/or other responsibilities.

The other trails tend to have more "repeat offenders" and have a wider variety of people in different age groups. Of course, there are less people on the other trails over all.

You can guess which category I fall in. ;)

he just left kincorra yesterday...........

minnesota smith looks a lot like the Good Dr. Hunter S. Thompson in that photo from Shades of Blue.......

Hey MS, thought you might enjoy this article.

CASCABEL, Ariz. — The Oasis Sanctuary is far from the largest retirement community in the Arizona (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/national/usstatesterritoriesandpossessions/arizona/index.html?inline=nyt-geo) desert, but it is certainly the noisiest.

Along with the morning sun each day, there climbs a riotous opera of screeches, shrieks and squawks along with the occasional wolf whistle, "What's up?" and "I love you."



Tucked in a remote river valley, separated from Tucson by an enormous mountain range, the sanctuary is a "life care facility" for some 450 parrots, cockatoos, macaws and other tropical birds.
With life spans that for some species can be 80 years or longer, many of the birds have outlived their human caretakers. Others reached the end of their productivity as commercial breeders. Most were deemed too ornery or skittish for adoption as pets and faced euthanasia.
"Nobody wants these older birds," said Sybil Erden, who founded the sanctuary in 1998, noting that a parrot can take months or years to recover from losing a companion. "People call and say, 'We've had a bird for two months, and it just doesn't like us.' "
Ms. Erden's goal is definitely not to socialize birds for another try with people. "We're helping them learn to have bird friends," she said. "Some of them have a hard time understanding that they are birds."
Still, the enduring imprint of owners past, of decades spent in someone's living room or kitchen, was abundantly audible on a walk through the sanctuary grounds.
Billy, a yellow-naped Amazon, delivered the extended monologue that staff members call a "one-sided phone conversation."
"Hello," he said as a visitor approached and then continued with considered pauses between phrases: "Uh huh" ... "Yeah" ... "O.K." ... "Then what happened?"
Ms. Erden, a onetime artist who has parrots tattooed across her back, opened the sanctuary in Phoenix but moved to this larger isolated location along the San Pedro River six years ago. It occupies an old pecan orchard, miles up a bumpy dirt road, through a rocky landscape of prickly pear cactus and thorny mesquites.
Wild javelinas wander onto the property in daylight, ignored by the resident menagerie of roosters, geese, goats, sheep and cows, each animal with a back story that bears out Ms. Erden's admitted soft spot for forlorn creatures.
Sharing one aviary are some racing pigeons that had faced doom because they could no longer find their way home. The cherry-headed conure named Mingus and two other refugees from the feral flock made famous by the 2003 documentary "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" are also here. Physically handicapped, the three needed a new home after the squatter who tended them in San Francisco was forced from his house.
Two well-trained dogs protect the birds from coyotes and bobcats.
The larger birds are usually paired in rows of large veranda-covered cages. Some, mainly smaller species, inhabit two larger aviaries where they flock and fly, getting closer to their natural state. Ms. Erden hopes to build 10 more aviaries.
Many parrots are monogamous, bonding for life with another bird or, in homes, with a human. A top priority is helping them find a new companion. Self-chosen, companions are not necessarily of the same sex or species.
Milo, a green-wing macaw measuring three feet from head to tail, arrived nearly six years ago after being rescued from an unstable person's fetid basement. Ms. Erden had already been looking to set up Rah Rah, a military macaw nearly as big, so she tried placing them by themselves in a large cage.
"The first thing Milo did was to say 'Hello' in a loud voice," she recalled. "Rah Rah literally fell off his perch."
Two days later, Ms. Erden said, the birds were perched side by side, and Milo actually had a wing over Rah Rah's shoulder. Neither is friendly toward humans. But Rah Rah, who had never uttered English words, started saying the occasional "Hello" and "How are you?" Of course, talking with Milo's accent.
Jasmine, a double-yellow-headed Amazon now around 10 years old, was given up by an owner who became infirm after a series of strokes. Here she bonded with Tabasco, same species, age unknown, and now the two preen and feed each other.
But beware to intruders. When Ms. Erden stopped to talk with Jasmine, Tabasco started biting Jasmine out of jealousy, a behavior these parrots exhibit in the wild to keep their mates from flirting with rivals.
Their mimicking skills are sometimes so acute that it is hard not to impute humanlike reasoning. As Ms. Erden neared Stinkerbelle, a small green and grey Quaker parrot, the bird cried out, "No, no, no!" pecked Ms. Erden's finger and mockingly screamed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
The last thing the sanctuary wants is to produce offspring. Sometimes the birds are seen having sex. But without appropriate nesting sites, they seldom lay eggs, and when they do, ceramic eggs are substituted until the parents lose interest.
Even as she works to expand and improve the sanctuary, whose $250,000-a-year operating budget is financed by donations, Ms. Erden worries about a potential flood of unwanted parrots as pet-owning baby boomers become infirm.
"We're getting more calls from people in their 60's and 70's who need to give up their birds," she said. "We don't see an end to the problem."

Was MS in Kincorra 3 days?

Was MS in Kincorra 3 days?I dunno. He made Damascus this morning. Not staying at The Place, so I guess he's at Some Other Place.

Sounded good still. I think it's all getting routine for him now. I told him to check out Dot's. Hope there's somebody there on a Saturday night...

im out .im in philly 3 days now.i stopped at perisburg. just cant swing the costs. will return 07.all you now bro.take it to the limit.i have the abillity to finish in great debt. in the planning stage i thaught tthe debt was worth the gain. after reaching pearisburg i made the desion to hike next year with more cash saved. it is with great pourpose that i left the trail.not too sad and yet upseting still.just emotional. i loved my 9 weeks and ill simply return in 07 with a plan that doesnt include borrowing the cash from a credit card. it was a zero percent loan but still wrong. it became a burden to think of comming home in debt. so i came home with more time to work and save.ill do this thing my own way and it may take some time. its worth it. and meeting you and hiking a few weeks together was great. good hiking to you sir. good hiking i say.

Nice job Matthewski. I have enjoyed you "straight from the hip" stream of consciousness posts.

All right. If MS makes it to Damascus without yellow blazing, blue-blazing is ok, I'll buy him dinner and make a donation to Whiteblaze. :)
Well Minnesotasmith made it to Damascus, he hunted me down at Dot's and I bought him dinner. He is one likeable sumbitch!:D He WILL make it.

Ok everybody, places! Places, everyone! Can you snug a little closer together in the back, dears? Oh my, do we ever have a lot of baritones today! So you all know the key, 4-4 time, start on my downbeat, stop after the first chorus then we'll work on the bridge. Now everyone hold hands! Great! Ready go...When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me.

That was wonderful! Thank you, thank you all so much! Now take five then come back and we'll rehearse our "Kumbiyah" finale!

Well Minnesotasmith made it to Damascus, he hunted me down at Dot's and I bought him dinner. He is one likeable sumbitch!:D He WILL make it.

That goes to show that we should all give each other the benefit of the doubt here on WB.

If MS is a "likeable SB" in flesh and blood, then we all should give each other credit and assume the best!

Thanks for the update, LW!

is he still in damascus?

He left town around 5:00 PM yesterday.

...i loved my 9 weeks and ill simply return in 07 with a plan that doesnt include borrowing the cash from a credit card...ill do this thing my own way and it may take some time. its worth it...

Bet that was a tough decision, but probably the right one. Respect, man - I bet after your hike next year you'll still think it was worth it to do it your own way.

Well Minnesotasmith made it to Damascus, he hunted me down at Dot's and I bought him dinner. He is one likeable sumbitch!:D He WILL make it.

Glad to hear that! L. Wolf, thanks for the update and sharing the info.

And my best to MS out on the trail.

Rain:sunMan

.

and lone wolf had to like him cause any one who belives women are more beautiful in a dress is cool like that. he told me once , any woman in any dress rather than pants, turnes his head a million times faster .and i new we had a winner.he also can exsplaine why women are 400 times more bitchy than they used to be. cause they used to have 10 menstrule cycles in a life and now have 400. due he exsplaines to nursing and pregnancy causing a smaller number of cycles and they were like that more offten back then in the olden days.stuff like this is what he knows about. and he has a good idea of how the dollar will fail and the end will come. hes the type who will end up alive in a mad max world. his head is on straight and hes humble enough.just.

and i new we had a winner.he also can exsplaine why women are 400 times more bitchy than they used to be. cause they used to have 10 menstrule cycles in a life and now have 400. due he exsplaines to nursing and pregnancy causing a smaller number of cycles and they were like that more offten back then in the olden days.stuff like this is what he knows about. and he has a good idea of how the dollar will fail and the end will come. hes the type who will end up alive in a mad max world. his head is on straight and hes humble enough.just.

Cue the Twilight Zone music (http://faultgame.com/images/twilzone.wav).

He also thought Hot Springs would be a great town.... if only it had a Wal-Mart. Get back w/ me when his days on the trail outnumber his days in town.

and lone wolf had to like him cause any one who belives women are more beautiful in a dress is cool like that. he told me once , any woman in any dress rather than pants, turnes his head a million times faster .and i new we had a winner.he also can exsplaine why women are 400 times more bitchy than they used to be. cause they used to have 10 menstrule cycles in a life and now have 400. due he exsplaines to nursing and pregnancy causing a smaller number of cycles and they were like that more offten back then in the olden days.stuff like this is what he knows about. and he has a good idea of how the dollar will fail and the end will come. hes the type who will end up alive in a mad max world. his head is on straight and hes humble enough.just.

I wish I hadn't read this.

I had started to like MS.

Now I think he's a nut job.

I wish I hadn't read this.

I had started to like MS.

Now I think he's a nut job.


But entertaining, though.

Maybe tin foil hats shoulf be stocked in trail towns?
:)

Maybe tin foil hats shoulf be stocked in trail towns?
:)

I just pack it. Mine weight less than 1/10th of an ounce. It's so light that sometimes I forget I'm wearing it!!!

:banana :banana :banana

On a personal basis, I have a difficult time with someone who has such strong (odd to me)opinions on women and other subjects. As a hiker, I hope that he is able to overcome things and make it to Katahdin. I think it would change some parts of him...but other parts would need a higher power than the trail to fix. Conventional wisdom would say that he doesn't stand a chance in you know where....with his pack weight, water issues, issues on bacteria and other things. However, he seems determined, and will is a huge part of finishing a hike. He does seem to have that in spades. I don't see how he can make it....but I wouldn't bet against him (not trying to bring back that betting thing).

On a personal basis, I have a difficult time with someone who has such strong (odd to me)opinions on women and other subjects. As a hiker, I hope that he is able to overcome things and make it to Katahdin. I think it would change some parts of him...but other parts would need a higher power than the trail to fix. Conventional wisdom would say that he doesn't stand a chance in you know where....with his pack weight, water issues, issues on bacteria and other things. However, he seems determined, and will is a huge part of finishing a hike. He does seem to have that in spades. I don't see how he can make it....but I wouldn't bet against him (not trying to bring back that betting thing).

Maybe the AT will mellow him a bit. There is often a wide gulf between a person's internet personality and his trail personality. From posts here and in journals, it would seem early on MS could not separate the two and was giving fellow hikers the same miserable time in the woods as he has online. But more recently not so much. A kind of Trail Magic all its own may be in the making. Time will tell.

minisoa smith is a plain old good guy. dont be scared by people who have opinions. so women are bitchy. so periods have incresed. so what? do you kill the messenger or learn to learn?

minisoa smith is a plain old good guy. dont be scared by people who have opinions. so women are bitchy. so periods have incresed. so what? do you kill the messenger or learn to learn?

Skewed sample.

M S singlehandedly makes the women that comes in contact with him bitchy is my guess.

He left town around 5:00 PM yesterday.

:D did you introduce him to hillary:cool: neo

http://www.hillary.org/img/hillary1.jpg

Skewed sample.

M S singlehandedly makes the women that comes in contact with him bitchy is my guess.
Yeah. But that was before he became a thru hiker. There is nothing like attempting a 2,175-mile walk to change one's thinking.

I hear old MS is a charter member of the He-Man Woman Haters Club (http://vaiden.net/rascals_files/image009.jpg).

Yeah. But that was before he became a thru hiker. There is nothing like attempting a 2,175-mile walk to change one's thinking.

Becoming and attempting are two different things. Lots of hikers reach Damascus, less make it to Maine.

Becoming and attempting are two different things. Lots of hikers reach Damascus, less make it to Maine.

http://www.hillary.org/img/hillary1.jpg


wow what a babe:cool: neo

Becoming and attempting are two different things. Lots of hikers reach Damascus, less make it to Maine.
Yup. But I sense he will pull it off, barring a serious injury. I hope so, anyway.

eternal and perpetual bragging rights. he will never meet a woman again without telling of how he hiked the trail. and men will hear of his proweless with a walking stick and how he can kick box bears. small children for years to come will hear of minnisota smith and his wilderness adventures as bedtime storys. minnisota smith bracelets ,like the ones for livestrong, will be sold to raise money to help victims of critisizim everywhere.and the white house will invite him to dinner because the presedent will hear of his exsploits and want him in his cabinate minnistry. chairman of emotional defence.jappannese tourists will flock to see where minnisota smith braved the storm that infamouse nite without tent stakes. minnisota smith action figures will flood the market and pepsi will release a new soft drink called minnisota mountain. finnaly,minnisota smith will receive the congressional medale of honer. the highest civillian award. for bravery and heroism beyond the call off duty in defending the american dream.matthewski tells the future.

eternal and perpetual bragging rights. he will never meet a woman again without telling of how he hiked the trail. and men will hear of his proweless with a walking stick and how he can kick box bears. small children for years to come will hear of minnisota smith and his wilderness adventures as bedtime storys. minnisota smith bracelets ,like the ones for livestrong, will be sold to raise money to help victims of critisizim everywhere.and the white house will invite him to dinner because the presedent will hear of his exsploits and want him in his cabinate minnistry. chairman of emotional defence.jappannese tourists will flock to see where minnisota smith braved the storm that infamouse nite without tent stakes. minnisota smith action figures will flood the market and pepsi will release a new soft drink called minnisota mountain. finnaly,minnisota smith will receive the congressional medale of honer. the highest civillian award. for bravery and heroism beyond the call off duty in defending the american dream.matthewski tells the future.

Yes - Yes, I can see it now. Laura Bush welcomes him at the White House reception and asks... "My dear man, why are you hands all bandaged." To which MS responds, "Lady, you try dragging your knuckles for 2176 miles, and see what they'd look like. Oh and by the way, you'd look much nicer in a dress - in the kitchen - barefoot - and pregnant. Jenna & Tonic could use a little brother. Oh, and while we're talking, get me some hors' dourves. But not anything French." :D

http://www.hillary.org/img/hillary1.jpg


wow what a babe:cool: neoshe's a hottie that's fer sure.......

she's a hottie that's fer sure.......Is that a stain on her dress?

Is that a stain on her dress?i think she's still milking..........

only wanderer----milking what?

peace
mf

i think she's still milking..........

so you think she may be nursing a certain white blaze member? is that what you're saying?

Gentlemen! This is a thread about Minnesota Smith's progress NOT one for discussing Clinton's women's penchant for wearing stained blue dresses!

hey hey hey, I think the best thing is to wait and see what Minnesota thinks about Miss Clinton.....
peace
mf

Could there be any truth to what Newt Gingrich said about her....you know the B word?

Could there be any truth to what Newt Gingrich said about her....you know the B word?

Gingrich thinks Hillary is Beautiful??? :eek: ;)

Could there be any truth to what Newt Gingrich said about her....you know the B word?That was the Newt's mother, to be precise.

In other developments:

TROUTDALE! He's passed 500 miles.

MS doesn't recommend the hostel in Troutdale, no laundry facilities on-site. He's doing over 10 miles per day now every day. He says the ponies are still tame. Mt Rogers wasn't all that. He's not zero'd in quite awhile. He sent a shout out to both Baltimore Jack & most especially Miss Janet for their help and hospitality. And to Lone Wolf for the burger! All much appreciated.

He's just a little bummed that his pace is a bit slower than everyone else's so he meets folks once or twice along the way then they're gone. But that's not a big downer, its just the way things are.

He's got a couple of corrections for Wingfoot's book, with shelter locations not exactly located as indicated. Sounds like he's got this whole hiking thing dialed in & he's cruising right along.

He had a couple of words for Matthewski too. "Cold Milk!" He said you'd understand.

Gingrich thinks Hillary is Beautiful??? :eek: ;)

I suppose the 'B' word could go either way but can you imagine what she was like when she found out about Monica? Poor Bill........

yeah,...in the history of the trail section. they could say somthing like,....thru hikers like to use trailnames like matthewski , or minnisota smith to more easily remember each other. no,.. wait,.. i have a better idea. minnisota smith should be in the dictionary.if he writes a book ,were all gonna be in it you know.

He's got a couple of corrections for Wingfoot's book, with shelter locations not exactly located as indicated. Sounds like he's got this whole hiking thing dialed in & he's cruising right along.

Everybody has a few corrections to Wingfoot's book.

If MS will publish his as an addendum I predict it will be widely read.... And perhaps contain more pages than the Handbook.

Personally, I'd pay money for it but I'm hoping MS will post the corrections on WB for free upon completion of his thru. :D

if he writes a book ,were all gonna be in it you know.I edited my post after you posted, would you mind going back and reading the last line then telling us the Rest of the Story? Or do we have to wait for the book?

Let's see--I'm weighing 400 periods vs. 15-20 pregnancies, not to mention the resulting babies and toddlers... No contest.

I don't care if MS is a hiking machine, he's still an idiot. HYOH, MS, and thank goodness you can't keep me from hiking mine.

If MS will publish his as an addendum I predict it will be widely read.... I'm hoping MS will post the corrections on WB for free upon completion of his thru. :D The blame is mine, Skid. He told me but I was standing outside on my porch talking to him while timing how many minutes between visits to the birdhouse the pair of bluebirds in my garden were taking to feed their brood and it all slipped my mind.

so you think she may be nursing a certain white blaze member? is that what you're saying?yep! and i think it's neo! i wish i had the looks he has............

Gentlemen! This is a thread about Minnesota Smith's progress NOT one for discussing Clinton's women's penchant for wearing stained blue dresses!this thread will take many twists and turns before it is over with, in fact i don't think this thread will take a rest for some time to come.........

That was the Newt's mother, to be precise.

In other developments:

TROUTDALE! He's passed 500 miles.

MS doesn't recommend the hostel in Troutdale, no laundry facilities on-site. He's doing over 10 miles per day now every day. He says the ponies are still tame. Mt Rogers wasn't all that. He's not zero'd in quite awhile. He sent a shout out to both Baltimore Jack & most especially Miss Janet for their help and hospitality. And to Lone Wolf for the burger! All much appreciated.

He's just a little bummed that his pace is a bit slower than everyone else's so he meets folks once or twice along the way then they're gone. But that's not a big downer, its just the way things are.

He's got a couple of corrections for Wingfoot's book, with shelter locations not exactly located as indicated. Sounds like he's got this whole hiking thing dialed in & he's cruising right along.

He had a couple of words for Matthewski too. "Cold Milk!" He said you'd understand.keep on trucking ms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent 3 nights with him and I can't see why he's so disliked. He's a different charector and definitly likes to argue but he's a nice person. The hatred out here for him annoys me, keep on truckin' man.

He's at Woody Gap today. Said he got a touch dehydrated one day and took a zero at Gooch Mtn. shelter. Sounded in good spirits. He's hoping to connect with the Hiker Hostel for tonight.




i'm with the other "prognosticators"...i give him an 80% chance that his parade will be rained upon!

i thought MS was a SUPER-hiker!:D

Labeling dislike as hatred can annoy as well.:( Does Minnesota love everyone he talks too? Are some people that MS meets not his cup of tea? If not, find out why he hates everyone.:eek: Maybe he has a problem you could help him with!:D :rolleyes:

I spent 3 nights with him and I can't see why he's so disliked. He's a different charector and definitly likes to argue but he's a nice person. The hatred out here for him annoys me, keep on truckin' man.


Go back and read many of MS' rants on this site (previous to his hike) and you'll quickly see who is full of hate. This thru-hike COULD be the best thing that ever happened to his heart and soul. Many have said thru-hiking the AT can be a life-changing experience. Let's hope so.

Labeling dislike as hatred can annoy as well.:( Does Minnesota love everyone he talks too? Are some people that MS meets not his cup of tea? If not, find out why he hates everyone.:eek: Maybe he has a problem you could help him with!:D :rolleyes:

I wasn't labeling anything, I used the word hate for a reason man, some harsh **** is said about him by people who've only heard of him and a lot of people have never been to this site, there's just this terrible aura surrounding his name out here right now. That's what annoys me.

I met the guy, I can see why people dislike him(especially women and minorities) and I don't expect everyone to like each other, that wasn't my point.

I spent 3 nights with him and I can't see why he's so disliked.

I met the guy, I can see why people dislike him(especially women and minorities) ....

Dude, make up your mind.

I wasn't labeling anything, I used the word hate for a reason man, some harsh **** is said about him by people who've only heard of him and a lot of people have never been to this site, there's just this terrible aura surrounding his name out here right now. That's what annoys me.

I met the guy, I can see why people dislike him(especially women and minorities) and I don't expect everyone to like each other, that wasn't my point. Are you blaming this site for this "terrible aura"? The man in question has over 1,100 posts here in under 2 years, so I would suggest that you read up on his web personality. Trying to imply that the web site or members of WB are the cause of unfair harsh opinions of MS is misguided at best. Hell, I wish the character well, but save the drama for your momma. Happy Mothers Day!:sun

Are you blaming this site for this "terrible aura"? The man in question has over 1,100 posts here in under 2 years, so I would suggest that you read up on his web personality. Trying to imply that the web site or members of WB are the cause of unfair harsh opinions of MS is misguided at best. Hell, I wish the character well, but save the drama for your momma. Happy Mothers Day!:sun

The way I read it he said just the opposite.

"harsh **** is said about him by people who've only heard of him and a lot of people have never been to this site, there's just this terrible aura surrounding his name out here right now. That's what annoys me. "

Since his main connection to the hiking world before the start of his AT hike this year is probably on this site, I made the connection of his image problem to this site. Maybe I'm wrong and MS is making a name for himself out on the trail all by himself. I mearly asked Adom a question about his remarks, and pointed out that the WB site has a lot less to do with MS's image than MS himself does. Knowing about MS through his posts, I imagine he could care less about what anyone thinks about him.:sun Besides that, why does Adom care if people don't like the fella? Maybe he is saying that some AT thru hikers are gossip hags.

I met him. He ain't your dime-a-dozen, cookie cutter "thru-hiker". I'd rather hang out with him. We think a lot alike.

so when are you going to shave LW?:)

When the Pope gets married.

Meanwhile, back on the Trail...

Miz Tilly's Woods Hole Hostel! Pearlsburg tomorrow where he's hoping to do a bit of gear changing.

He is NOT a fan of his Dana Design pack, 'Bridger' model. It's ripped yet again so he's switching to a Gregory. He's seen lots of Gregories on the Trail and nobody has had any problems with them.

His mileage is still going up, he's doing 14 mile days a couple of times a week now. Part of that is due to the Trail getting easier with lots of pasture walking now.

He's noticed the hiker attrition rate is accelerating with people leaving the Trail for physical, emotional, and financial reasons. In his opinion (...go ahead and insert your smartazz remark here, you know you want to...) use of cannabis correlates pretty well with the chance that someone will drop out, as the amount any hiker uses goes up the less likely they are to remain on the Trail. (Reminder: Don't shoot the messenger.)

He's not going back for Trail Daze, most of the over 30 crowd isn't.

Nice beds at Miz Tilly's but it's too cool outside to use the shower.

Everything else is doing well. He has no complaints physically, no foot problems, all joints are still bending. Overall health is good. He's staying on his budget. With the exception of his pack, no complaints at all.

He's still hiking his hike.

In his opinion (...go ahead and insert your smartazz remark here, you know you want to...) use of cannabis correlates pretty well with the chance that someone will drop out, as the amount any hiker uses goes up the less likely they are to remain on the Trail. (Reminder: Don't shoot the messenger.)

If he makes it, I think he'll find lots of finishers smoke weed. Of course, they'll probably be well ahead or not hanging with MS.

He's noticed the hiker attrition rate is accelerating with people leaving the Trail for physical, emotional, and financial reasons. In his opinion (...go ahead and insert your smartazz remark here, you know you want to...) use of cannabis correlates pretty well with the chance that someone will drop out, as the amount any hiker uses goes up the less likely they are to remain on the Trail. (Reminder: Don't shoot the messenger.)



Let me get this straight -MS thinks everyone who smokes weed would pull it out in front of him?
lol

Let me get this straight -MS thinks everyone who smokes weed would pull it out in front of him?
lol Allow me to rephrase: Of the cannabis users he has observed, the ones who indulged the most have also mostly dropped off the Trail.

He's still hiking his hike.And that, boys and girls, is what the trail is all about.

And the fact he is out on the trail doing what we wish we could, has made this forum a much less contentious place.

And that, boys and girls, is what the trail is all about.

And the fact he is out on the trail doing what we wish we could, has made this forum a much less contentious place.
Correct. You nay-saying Aholes need to **** and hike. 1 man has dozens of you in a tizzy. Pretty ***n pathetic.

Correct. You nay-saying Aholes need to **** and hike.

"1 in 20" ... ? ;)

1 man has dozens of you in a tizzy. Pretty ***n pathetic.

I agree completely. It seems to happen a lot... hmmmmm...

Damn,

Not going to trail days because the over 30 crowd is not going to go??

That is some BS??

I guess that I only have a few trail days left then since I am getting close to 30??

ANYONE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE MINNESOTA SMITH is going to be at say, Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning this week. I want to pick him up and bring him along.

2006 Trail Days just wont be the same if he is not walking in the parade... There are lots of WB members who want to whip a ballon or 2 his way I am sure... All in the name of fun though.

Seriously.... is anyone sure that this guy is not related to Bill Bryson??

What is the title to the book going to be... "A SUCCESSFUL WALK IN THE WOODS"????

ANYONE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE MINNESOTA SMITH is going to be at say, Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning this week. I want to pick him up and bring him along.



It's his hike. He's hiking it. Why not let MS experience the trail on his terms?

Trail Days is fun, but it is far from the essential experience for the AT thru-hiker. Especially the hiker who doesn't like to party.

Let him be.

Thx on behalf of MS, Twofiddy, but the reason he's not going to TDaze isn't because he can't find a way to get there.

He may be in Pearlsburg for a few, depending on how long it takes to get his pack situation straightend out.

I am not trying to make any one's hike anything other than there own, I just dont think that anyone should miss trail days the year that they hike. Every one that I have ever talked to that missed it, even those that think that they hate to party or hate this or dont like people etc, wish that they had attended.

I personally, have sat back and watched at this whole thing as kinda unfolded with the arguments online here and the other stuff and I have heard all of the stories from the outfitter store at neals gap, read the journals online, and I personally would like to get to spend a few hours or a few days meeting this person, and trail days is the perfect place to do so.

All the arguements aside, I have all the respect in the world for this guy because he has totally gone about this hike in a way that by todays standard is all wrong wrong wrong. He has listened to almost no one, and he has still been very successful.

He needs to come to trail days....

I am not trying to make any one's hike anything other than there own, I just dont think that anyone should miss trail days the year that they hike. Every one that I have ever talked to that missed it, even those that think that they hate to party or hate this or dont like people etc, wish that they had attended.



Well, you're corresponding with someone who missed Trail Days the year they thru-hiked and has no regrets. Zero.

I'm sure your heart is in the right place. We just disagree.

I'm sure you have the best intentions, and you've made a very generous offer. So look him up, he shouldn't be hard to find. But his mind is already made up and as you've said... He has listened to almost no one, ...don't expect to convince him otherwise.

I am not trying to make any one's hike anything other than there own, I just dont think that anyone should miss trail days the year that they hike. Every one that I have ever talked to that missed it, even those that think that they hate to party or hate this or dont like people etc, wish that they had attended.

I did not attend Trail Days the year I hiked. Can't say I missed it.

For *me*, large hiker get togethers and hiking don't go together well.

Had a blast at Trail Days the following year as an alumni. No pressue about getting out of town or worrying about the amount of people on the trail.

I went to the KOP on the PCT when I hiked. Have more fun attending it now that I am not hiking the PCT.

Love hiker get togethers, just not when hiking!

It is a large umbrellas hikers are under. Plenty of room for different options.

Several thoughts here...

1) I'm skipping Trail Days this year above all BC IMO it's a diversion of time away from actually hiking the Trail and getting to the Big K. It's a long trail, and (to my knowledge) I'm just about the slowest hiker that's made it this far this year. I figure every day and dollar is best spent towards getting further north.

2) I have a ride offer to and from Trail Days from someone on this site, and there are lots of people heading out of this town to it. Transportation is NOT the issue in my not going this year.

3) My pack weight is still high 50s as a rule, with breaking 60 after some of my heavier resupplies. I have several times carried major water over a mile to a shelter without reliable water, such as 10 liters to Chestnut Knob 1.8 from the stream/pond 1.8 miles downhill/south of it.

4) I am breaking 14 miles a day about 2 out of 5 days now.

5) Nothing seems about to give out on my body. I've lost over 30 pounds now, and occasionally actually do pass other thrus when I try to.

6) The majority of the days on the Trail in Virginia have involved rain.

7) Best haiku I've seen on the Trail lately:

Trail comes to a fork
Virginia did not blaze it
Flip a coin and pray.

8) VA is not flat, but is flatter than GA/NC.

Library time is up; back on at Daleville or Waynesboro, I hope.

The way that most thrus are getting closer/along better as the Trail progresses is gratifying. I like many of the hikers, and can tolerate almost all of them.

Keep on truckin' bud.

Well, you're corresponding with someone who missed Trail Days the year they thru-hiked and has no regrets. Zero. I'm sure your heart is in the right place. We just disagree.
I also missed Trail Days in 1993 and have no regrets, though I may go down some year just out of curiosity

your in my prayers this evening. hike on bro. remember the story you were told as you made your walking stick with the guy who made it for you.......he said that he had not seen a tree as straight and clear of that type of wood. remember?well,..your like that staff. straighter and clearer than the usuall maverik.love and my best to you sir,...matthewski remains as allways ,...at your service.at your service is a registered trademark of minnisota smith and is used here with permission.

[QUOTE=minnesotasmith]
6) The majority of the days on the Trail in Virginia have involved rain.
{QUOTE]

Hey MS, are you still carrying your Packa? I thought you were going to call me at Marion? Good Luck MS and keep on Truckin,
CT

Minnesota Smith has left the Trail, saying that thru-hiking is a silly waste of valuable time.

HAH! JUST KIDDING! OF COURSE HE HASN’T.

Today he’s at Mile 688.6, near a store where VA 624 crosses the Trail. It’s the Tuesday after T-Daze and he’s wondering where everyone’s at, the Trail seems deserted. The last day or so over the Devil’s Tooth portion of the Trail he described as “INSANE!”. But in that good, thru-hiker insane kind of way.

He’s dropped at least 35 pounds of bodyweight, says his calves resemble wrought iron, and with the exception of the difficult Trail portion he just conquered he’s been cranking out over 10 miles a day each day. His taste in food have shifted a bit, thru-hikers will probably empathize: major food groups have shifted to MEAT and CHOCOLATE.

His pack strap problems are an on-going issue but the manufacturer has met his short-term need and is fabricating a custom-stitched set for him to pick up at his next maildrop.

He's guessing that only about a quarter of the hikers who've passed him during his journey are still signing the registers. He's observed that those who leave the Trail seem to slink off rather than announce their intentions.

And that brings us to today’s controversial observation: Among the under-30 crowd that have to leave the trail due to lack of funds, the amount of alcohol they consume correlates well with the liklihood that they will run out of money. The over-30 drinking hikers appear to have deeper financial reserves. Or maybe just better tolerance? Discuss amongst yourselves.

He's still walking north. He’s still having fun.

PS - a few personal messages from the Trail he asked me to pass along:

Cedar Tree: He's not using the packa, it was sent back earlier in the hike. Didn't say why.

Matthewski: Do you know if Julie Anne (Jullieanne?) still on the Trail? He hasn't seen her name in the registers in quite awhile.

clothspin or julie ann is so still on the trail it hurts. shes so still on the trail that the city called and asked where she was. she has a website at redwineart.com and posts often. as of tonite she is on a worlwind off trail two week vay-cay to see her prego sister and new york and trail days and shes back on the trail tommorow or there abouts. i miss her. she is still walking with red b. i miss him. im so psycked for next feb 18th it hurts. i miss minnisota and bone pac and jolly green giant and jaywalker and rambler and ramble on and messenger and braveheart and pa bert and tree fingers and tree girl and thoro and lp and blister but and jessica and jason and brett and bluebird and abandon and doo rag and bleach and taco and pebbles and trev and wee willy the prince of whales and pirate and cedar mo and yatsee and so many mor coolies. im actually so thankfull to have met them that i shouldnt fret. im comming class of 07. matthewskis commin.

Minnesota Smith has left the Trail, saying that thru-hiking is a silly waste of valuable time.

HAH! JUST KIDDING! OF COURSE HE HASN’T..

Priceless! I'm still wiping tears from my eyes.


Matthewski: Is Julie Anne (Jullieanne?) still on the Trail? He hasn't seen her name in the registers in quite awhile


I remember seeing a post w/picture recently somewhere. She's got a trailname now but I can't remember it for the life of me. :confused:

A PM to Crutch may yield some info.

Yup. Absolutely true. Which is why I think April 1 is probably the ideal start date. There's little, realistically, to limit what dedicated humans can do. But the wisest among us don't go out of our way to make things more difficult. MS. You are on your way. Stick with it. But truly take your time. There is no rush. Katahdin will remain, now, as forever, "the mountain of the people of Maine.": Percival Baxter..

Weary
The kid is for sure taking his time. He is a true lone wolf. No pack to run with.

Priceless! I'm still wiping tears from my eyes.



I remember seeing a post w/picture recently somewhere. She's got a trailname now but I can't remember it for the life of me. :confused:

A PM to Crutch may yield some info.


Julieanne's trailname is Clothespin. I was involved with naming her at Miss Janet's end of march. Tell her HI for me and say hi To Red B as well. Had a blast with them in Erwin. Thoreau is one cool hiking dog and LP is too. Great folks. Met Jolly green Giant there too as well as Mrs. Gorp, Bruno, Pirate and others I can't remember right now. Hi to everyone and I'll be back on the trail June 1st in Erwin for 7 weeks headed north. CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Cross Troutville off the list. He's hit town & heading out, no zero. People are returning from Trail Days, the shelters are about 3/4 full. The bugs have also arrived, he's sleeping under a mosquito net now.

He caught a nice bit of trail magic near Catawba when an older couple invited him into their house, let him shower & wash clothes, and drove him around to take care of a few errands. He was invited back. Good times.

He's hit other trail magic - drinks in streams, candy bars at road crossings and such - a lot. Maybe 8 times in the last 50 miles. He's heard about another hiker who is scarfing up all the Magic offerings, calling it "hiker boxes".

It's getting a little dry out there. Some water sources in VA have quit flowing.

The Trail isn't well marked near Tinker Cliffs, quite a few hikers have taken a wrong turn in the same area.

All-in-all he just gave me a matter-of-fact report from the Trail. He joked about how now that he's not working he still has to get up and punch the clock every day to put some more miles behind him.

Next goal is Waynesboro in 10 days or so. So, is there a hostel or outfitter in the city that accepts packages? I might want to put together a little CARE package for him.

.......Next goal is Waynesboro in 10 days or so. So, is there a hostel or outfitter in the city that accepts packages? I might want to put together a little CARE package for him.
Tell him to stop at Rusty's. Conservative, liberal, or what not, Rusty is unique. Not necessarily wise, nor knowledgeable. But for people with curiosity, well worth visiting. Only those totally fixed in their views should avoid Rusty!

Weary

Rusty's is worth by-passing.

Next goal is Waynesboro in 10 days or so. So, is there a hostel or outfitter in the city that accepts packages? I might want to put together a little CARE package for him.

Whew! that search is pretty barren.

Rockfish Gap Outfitters: 540-943-1461. Best you can do is call and ask. I couldn't find any reference to mail services, however. Hostels seem to be scarce as well. Here's one:

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&q=churches&near=Waynesboro,+VA+22980&latlng=38077412,-78903461,5653748125836759883)
500 S Wayne Ave, Waynesboro, VA
(540) 949-6171

Luck!

Only those totally fixed in their views should avoid Rusty! You're just trolling now, aren't you?

You're just trolling now, aren't you?
Well, yes. If trolling means recommending somewhat controversial trail places I have enjoyed.

A lot of hikers over the years have enjoyed visits with Rusty. Most find his place fasinating. A few don't. In 1993 the hostels I stayed at -- and I didn't miss many -- tended to be pretty much the same. The exception was Rusty's Hard Time Hollow. There was no other hostel quite like Rusty's. I hear the place has changed since then. But I suspect it is still unique.

How unique. Well, at Rusty's on July 4 in '93 there was a field day. Among the activities was a touch football game between the skins and the pants. The game was different. The reaction to the game from the 30 people staying there that weekend was also fasinating. Being an old guy -- yeah, even then -- I didn't play.

Anyway. I don't know whether MinnesotaSmith is broadminded enough to recognize the uniqueness of the Rusty experience. I suspect even he may not know. But he might find it interesting to find out.

Weary

Interesting to find out?

Maybe. But in that I'm familiar with both Rusty's and with M. Smith, I can assure you that this ain't his kinda place.

me and my son are in puerto rico as planned. hes reading about you. thats pritty cool concidering hes a 16 year old and not into hiking. he loves my storys of the trail and about the people like you. i told him the story of the nights with scary gary and he laughed. and about your crazy job . hope you are well and ignoring all crap and all fools. hike on sweet soda,hike on.matthewski will hike next feb 18th so you can watch my posts next time. any plans to hike the trail again? would love to do it again with you at the start. your a great pace horse for people like me who routinly go to fast at the start.im happy for your weight loss. dont get too skinny. your gonna drop the ladys dead when they see you and im sure youll find happyness with all your energy and smarts. matthewski out.

Interesting to find out?

Maybe. But in that I'm familiar with both Rusty's and with M. Smith, I can assure you that this ain't his kinda place.
Whatever. Someone asked about hostels in the Waynesboro area. I suggested one that many over the years have praised highly. A few have greatly disliked. Those tend to be the kind of places I like to explore. But then I'm less set in my ways than most White Blazers.

Weary

You're less set in your ways, true. But how many of these places have you visited since your hike?

Please note.....this isn't a comment one way or the other about the place in question. It's merely a comment about a certain place and a certain hiker.

I'm not sure Weary has met or spent any time with M.S. I have. I assure you that neither he nor the hostel in question would sit well together. Both he and Rusty's will be the better off if he continues on to Waynesboro.

You're less set in your ways, true. But how many of these places have you visited since your hike?

Please note.....this isn't a comment one way or the other about the place in question. It's merely a comment about a certain place and a certain hiker.

I'm not sure Weary has met or spent any time with M.S. I have. I assure you that neither he nor the hostel in question would sit well together. Both he and Rusty's will be the better off if he continues on to Waynesboro.
Okay, Papa, if you insist. I certainly wouldn't want MS to be exposed to any bad influences.

If you truly believed your last comment, perhaps you'd be more circumspect on where you advised him to visit.

Oh... I mentioned that perhaps you haven't visited some of the places you're touting since you hiked. True or not? You kinda ducked outon that one.

Smitty should go to Waynesboro, get some rest, eat a lot of Chinese food, and keep hiking.

I respect you a good deal, W., but when you talk about places you haven't visited since the Carter Administration, or when you advise people you haven't met, spoken with, or know anything about, your credibility suffers.

If you truly believed your last comment, perhaps you'd be more circumspect on where you advised him to visit.

Oh... I mentioned that perhaps you haven't visited some of the places you're touting since you hiked. True or not? You kinda ducked outon that one.

Smitty should go to Waynesboro, get some rest, eat a lot of Chinese food, and keep hiking.

I respect you a good deal, W., but when you talk about places you haven't visited since the Carter Administration, or when you advise people you haven't met, spoken with, or know anything about, your credibility suffers.
Those are pretty stiff standards, Jack. This would be a pretty boring forum if everyone only offered advice to participants we have "met, spoken with" ..... As for knowing "anything about," I've read many of Minnesota Smith's messages over the months and years. He asked about hostels. I gave him a reference. I'd like to think that MS is wise enough to make his own judgments based on our conflicting recommendations.

However, if you think he'll be mislead by my tales of games between "pants and skins," I'll certainly take your advice and never mention such a thing to him again.

Weary

Chill, everyone.

MS won't be online for awhile and if he happens to call again I'll pass on what I promise to be a fair summary of L Wolf, Jack & Weary's opinions about Rusty's.

I do happen to know how much he values Jack & Mr Wolf's advice so I don't expect he'll choose to visit the Hollow. I'm not knocking it, or anyone, I'm just saying.

I could be wrong.

But, of course, I am willing to bet on it...

has a hiker in the last 5 years been so talked about?minnisoda smith is the bomb!

But, of course, I am willing to bet on it...
Speakin'-o-which, I wonder if those 25:1 odds that were being bandied around in February are still being offered?

I'm betting that LW was only doing that (mostly) to motivate MS in the first place.

But I'm not willing to bet on that last one...

why is everybody so interested in minn.smith
nobody here seems to care about beth aka turtle2:cool: neo


http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=134309


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14650

she is a really cool lady

MS should probably be OK at the Waynesboro YMCA. Not exactly a hostel, but the place where many thru-hikers crash when in town.

Then again, could MS bring himself to stay at a place immortalized in song by the, um, Village People?

As for maildrops, I don't know if the Y accepts them, but I know you can get a message to a hiker via the Y. Then you could send the maildrop (and get a message to the hiker about it) to the P.O. or the Waynesboro Office of Tourism, 301 W. Main St., Waynesboro VA 22980 (they DO accept packages for hikers).

Originally Posted by L. Wolf
1 man has dozens of you in a tizzy. Pretty ***n pathetic.


I agree completely. It seems to happen a lot... hmmmmm...

i agree,i dont get it:cool: neo

why is everybody so interested in minn.smith
nobody here seems to care about beth aka turtle2:cool: neo


http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=134309


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14650

she is a really cool lady

Originally Posted by L. Wolf
1 man has dozens of you in a tizzy. Pretty ***n pathetic.

your right:cool: neo

I'm always right.

I'm always right.
Can I quote you on that? Oh wait...

years from now thru hikers will gather round the fire at night on the trail to hear and tell minnisota smith storys.by then his simple walk will be told as an action thriller with minnasota smith being a giant over 7 feet tall and his pack weighing 200 lbs. crashing over mountains leaving behind a trail of still remembered legonds. and of the ladys he wooed in maine after his body turned into a roman god. and how he summited kataden with all the worlds media eyes on him. how it was on every channel. minnisota smith has a duty here to do for thru hiking, what jarrared did for subway resturants.to do for conservative men what billy gean king did to bobby riggs, ...........to go where no plane old guy has gone before.,.....into the AT history books.can we all start talking about the summiting of katadin since hes nicly dispatched VA? i am so so happy for this guy right now !matthewski gets stupid on line.





















va

why is everybody so interested in minn.smith
nobody here seems to care about beth aka turtle2:cool: neo

So what odds do you give her? You weren't shy about handicapping MS on Feb 21 (Post #37):

f--kin- cool aint lonewolf,25 to 1:cool: neo

years from now thru hikers will gather round the fire at night on the trail to hear and tell minnisota smith storys.by then his simple walk will be told as an action thriller with minnasota smith being a giant over 7 feet tall and his pack weighing 200 lbs.....

Not me, I don't I'll live long enough to see this story end.

Go get em MS....you da man!!!:)

Meanwhile....

MS did about 18 miles yesterday. Today he's at Wildwood Campgrounds - didn't someone else write about this place recently? It's under new management and not especially hiker friendly. $20 for a shower and a place to pitch a tent, mostly microwave sandwiches & ice cream bars at the store, so not a place to resupply. Evidently it sounded much better in W-F's guide.

He'd already decided to bypass Rusty's, no laundry facilities = no go for MS and "solar showers" are not worth a sidetrip.

Bugs are out in force, shelters near water are mosquito havens. Some water sources are getting dry, he's mentioned that before. He's been lucking into quite a bit of Trail Magic along the BR Pkwy.

70 more miles to Waynesboro and he might get there faster than I thought.

like a heart attack my boy aint turnnin back on down the trail he gonna wag his tail all in the face my boy aint gonna make no discrace he a power machine so put you green down when you scream he aint gonna make it cause my boy aint hearin dem words an he way on top like a gold badge cop with his load he gonna arrive in time for a supprise on top of katadin hes bound and slay him we will if as a looser hes found.matthewski raps.

matthewski, next time you are going to be in the great city of brotherly love, let me know and I need to buy you a beer.....i want to hear about MS from someone who knows him
peace
mf

humm!!

if I can just get Plugger and No Lines to hurry up and catch up to MS I might get to hike SNP with him....

I am gonna be out there between the 9th and the 15th.

years from now thru hikers will gather round the fire at night on the trail to hear and tell minnisota smith storys.by then his simple walk will be told as an action thriller with minnasota smith being a giant over 7 feet tall and his pack weighing 200 lbs. crashing over mountains leaving behind a trail of still remembered legonds. and of the ladys he wooed in maine after his body turned into a roman god. and how he summited kataden with all the worlds media eyes on him. how it was on every channel. minnisota smith has a duty here to do for thru hiking, what jarrared did for subway resturants.to do for conservative men what billy gean king did to bobby riggs, ...........to go where no plane old guy has gone before.,.....into the AT history books.can we all start talking about the summiting of katadin since hes nicly dispatched VA? i am so so happy for this guy right now !matthewski gets stupid on line.























va

How much would it cost to buy the rights for that made for very late night TV movie that could come out of this

Chill, everyone.


I do happen to know how much he values Jack & Mr Wolf's advice so I don't expect he'll choose to visit the Hollow. I'm not knocking it, or anyone, I'm just saying.



Jack why are you always at the center of a right or wrong argument.:banana

I could post to bypass Rusty's here, not knocking the man himself, but after staying at the place 1 night in 2004 it is not on my list of HAVE TO SEES on the Trail.

Anyhow, any word on MS in SNP??

Anyhow, any word on MS in SNP??Waynesboro in a week to five days, but I'm guessing. He'll probably take a zero there.

love to tell you how minnisota smith treats his water, more funny is how he eats. 215 668 0898 16th and snyder, work 15th and pine. drink anywhere.call me one two three twiddy

I am not trying to make any one's hike anything other than there own, I just dont think that anyone should miss trail days the year that they hike. Every one that I have ever talked to that missed it, even those that think that they hate to party or hate this or dont like people etc, wish that they had attended.

I personally, have sat back and watched at this whole thing as kinda unfolded with the arguments online here and the other stuff and I have heard all of the stories from the outfitter store at neals gap, read the journals online, and I personally would like to get to spend a few hours or a few days meeting this person, and trail days is the perfect place to do so.

All the arguements aside, I have all the respect in the world for this guy because he has totally gone about this hike in a way that by todays standard is all wrong wrong wrong. He has listened to almost no one, and he has still been very successful.

He needs to come to trail days....

I didn't attend TrailDays the year I thru-hiked, and never, ever regretted not being there. Personally I felt returning the year AFTER my hike was much more exciting and satisfying. TrailDays to me the year I hiked was a distraction and way out of the way. The year after, it was a great reunion, and a reward for a hike, well hiked!

i think.for me.im not goin backwards when im goin forwards. i used to feel the oppisite. but i dont care about trail days as much as thru hiking.

I'm in Waynesboro, VA right now. Got here today. In the home of a trail angel named Darwin. About to lose both pinkie toenails. Did 13.6 and 16.1 milers past 2 days. About to buy a Gregory Whitney pack. Could use a version of my Mombasa Defender mosquito net (from REI) with no-see-um mesh size.

You go kid!
Semper Fi!

I use Aqua Mira, yes. However, I first run it through a small plastic food-grade collapsible funnel in which I put a coffee filter. I think those run about 150 microns for average pore size. Depending upon the original water quality, I can get anywhere from 2/3 to 5+ liters per coffee filter. CFs are very cheap, easy to find to buy, and disappear in a jiffy in any nearby campfire.

Skipped Rusty's. After Woodshole, I figured that "solar shower" probably means "no shower and no clothes washer/dryer".

BTW, the hostel in Waynesboro has a "all hikers out during 0900 - 1700 hours policy. Yuk.

love to tell you how minnisota smith treats his water, more funny is how he eats. 215 668 0898 16th and snyder, work 15th and pine. drink anywhere.call me one two three twiddy

Hay, I work at 4th and Market. We got to get together someday after work and talk.. Maybe on a Friday.

Panzer

Skipped Rusty's. After Woodshole, I figured that "solar shower" probably means "no shower and no clothes washer/dryer".

BTW, the hostel in Waynesboro has a "all hikers out during 0900 - 1700 hours policy. Yuk.
Too bad. Rusty makes regular trips to Waynesboro to allow his guests such luxuries as showers and laundry. I understand Rusty now has electricity. When I was there someone had to pump water to the solar collector by hand.

Weary

Rusty discourages trips to town. You ain't been there in a long time, weary.:rolleyes:

Does anyone have a lead on a product like the Mombasa Defender mosquito net that is sized for no-see-ums? I could really use knowing where to order one. The bugs do have the silver lining of driving many hikers into their tents, so I'm surer to have plenty of room in the shelters.:D

[quote=Dances with Mice]

All-in-all he just gave me a matter-of-fact report from the Trail. He joked about how now that he's not working he still has to get up and punch the clock every day to put some more miles behind him.

quote]that is so cool and yet so true............

I'm always right.hahahaha, your so full of yourself and yet so right on.....................

why is everybody so interested in minn.smith
nobody here seems to care about beth aka turtle2:cool: neo


http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=134309


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14650

she is a really cool ladyfor the longest time we heard about earl and now that he has been taken from us we yearn for a new leader of the pack......therefore i am so grateful that ms has filled in to give us all the hope we long for..............they said it couldn't be done when earl did it and they said the same about ole minnesotasmith when he first lit out on the trail...........that's why we are so interested because he is showing us that he can and will and he's giving us the inspiration to hike our own hike.............

for the longest time we heard about earl and now that he has been taken from us we yearn for a new leader of the pack......therefore i am so grateful that ms has filled in to give us all the hope we long for..............they said it couldn't be done when earl did it and they said the same about ole minnesotasmith when he first lit out on the trail...........that's why we are so interested because he is showing us that he can and will and he's giving us the inspiration to hike our own hike.............


That's my finger poking down my throat you're seeing in the rear-view mirror.

for witch he walks, one pizza, under a dry roof, with clean cloths, and ayce's, and whiskey for all. amen.minnisota smith is a god. matthewski worships at the alter of minnisota smith.

for witch he walks, one pizza, under a dry roof, with clean cloths, and ayce's, and whiskey for all. amen.minnisota smith is a god. matthewski worships at the alter of minnisota smith.

why is rusty's so contraversial? i stayed there for several nights and didn't real see anything contraversial a/b him or his place. he even slacked us for a day so we could stay an extra night. albeit he and his place are definitely "out there", but i thought it was a pretty cool spot to stay, and his hospitality was abundant.

Picked up both maildrops (thank you, Dances With Mice!!), filled in stuff gaps at a Super Wal-Mart, obtained new pack (Gregory Whitney) at Blue Ridge Sports outfitter in Charlottesville (previous thruhiker employee Gearmaster was quite helpful, and did major damage to AYCE Savid's (sp) in Waynesboro. Got to see the location where the sequel to the movie "Bruce Almighty" is currently being filmed, with a pretty good fascimile of an Ark ala Noah's boat. (Pic below, if I can get it to upload.) Had a little misadventure with vehicle keys I'll let Darwin tell you about in his own words.

Darwin here.
Since I picked Minnesota up yesterday in Waynesboro, after he ate lunch at the Chinese buffet, it's been a busy and fascinating, um, series of experiences. First is was swooping around W-boro to pick up a mail drop at the P.O. Then it was back up over Rockfish Gap and down to Crozet to the secret lair of Darwin. Upon arrival, M.S. was immediately encouraged and persuaded to take advantage of the shower and laundry facilities. Bodily purification was followed by a large meat lovers and Hawaiian pizza, Greek salad on the side, taken out from the venerable and almost famous Crozet Pizza, supplemented by a couple of half gallons of orange juice, conversation, talk of peak oil and geopolitics late into the night, then ice cream.

This morning started with breakfast of a pound of hickory maple bacon, eight scrambled eggs, toast with honey and jam, juice. Calls were made to various outfitters regarding the faulty Dana pack shoulder straps and a possible replacement pack, the Gregory Whitney. BRMS in Charlottesville had the pack, so off we went. '94 thru hiker named Gearmaster helped Minnesota fit the massive beast of a thing to his powerful hiker body. It takes a stout pack to carry the Legend of Minnesota Smith around. Also procured were camp suds soap and boxer briefs, as well as Trial maps covering Rockfish Gap to Harpers Ferry. After Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, it was back up over the Gap to Waynesboro to pick up a 2nd mail drop at the Tourist Office downtown. Thence to lunch at Savid's family grill and buffet joint. After lunch, Minnesota decided the Wal-Mart would be the best place to fulfill his remaining needs, so off we went.

When we got inside, he said he needed to go back out to the car and check his maildrop before he bought anything. I handed him my car keys so he could go out and get into the trunk and see what he needed. I loitered in the foot care/shampoo section and oogled the booty, er, waited for him to return. After a time, he did return and reported that he had locked the keys in the trunk. Numerous calls to various places and some tooth gnashing on my part ensued. I boldly hinted at the result I was looking for and let Minnesota work his magic with the social infrastructure. Three hours and $45 of not my money later, a dude from a towing company arrived and unlocked the driver's door and I popped the trunk.
Keys secured, we were under way once again at 5:30 p.m.

On the way home we stopped at outdoor location where a Hollywood movie crew is filming "Evan Almighty." the sequel to "Bruce Almighty" and saw the full-sized ark that's been built there. See Minnesota's photos. We failed to spot the elephants that have been grazing in some local pastures recently -- movie extras.

As far as all the hoopla over Minnesota Smith, I just have to say that he's a stand-up guy and an authentic AT hiker. I don't care about his politics, or whether he wants to carry bricks to Katahdin or if he's carrying 5 rolls (he is) of toilet paper. I don't really care if a hiker is conservative or liberal or gay or straight or rich or poor: the trail teaches hikers every day about life and about themselves. He's doing it his way and he's earning his enlightenment, just as we all, hopefully, do. I'm not threatened by people who hold world views that differ from mine. More people should have the gumption to not run with the herd like he's doing. Minnesota is a scientist by trade. As such, he's is in possession of some of the typical personality quirks of a scientist. I've been glad to host him, glad to meet him, glad to be a part of the legend that is Minnesota Smith. :banana

If you meet Minnesota along the Trail, stop and talk to this guy. He'll school you. Cheers and good hiking, everyone. Best of luck to the Class of '06. ~~Darwin, 1,400 AT miles.

If you meet Minnesota along the Trail, stop and talk to this guy. He'll school you.
Sure he will. :rolleyes:

earl. im not kidding. comparing him to earl got me thinking.if he writes a book about his thru hike........they both use a similer staff........they both like canned food..........there both hat wearers.............old fashoned...........polite......the things my boy has in common with my man are more than just a few.

Darwin here again using M.S.'s login. Please be advised that my post above does not constitute an endorsement of Minnesota Smith's tagline. He and I have discussed (are discussing) that at length. Cheers all.

earl. im not kidding. comparing him to earl got me thinking.if he writes a book about his thru hike........they both use a similer staff........they both like canned food..........there both hat wearers.............old fashoned...........polite......the things my boy has in common with my man are more than just a few.

cangrats, that's the dumbest thing i've ever read on whiteblaze. believe me, that's an achivement.

Darwin here....talk of peak oil and geopolitics late into the night.Yep, that's him. You did not pick up an imposter.

why is rusty's so contraversial? i stayed there for several nights and didn't real see anything contraversial a/b him or his place. he even slacked us for a day so we could stay an extra night. albeit he and his place are definitely "out there", but i thought it was a pretty cool spot to stay, and his hospitality was abundant.
That was my impression also. In 1993 the hollow had no electricity. There was a solar shower -- after you pumped up by hand a supply of water and let the sun do the heating. Refrigeration was a spring house and a cold spring. Cooking was on a wood stove.

The 30 people, pretty much divided between male and female, old and young, that were there on that 1993 fourth of july all seemed to be having a great time.

Lone Wolf keeps hinting that wise people stay away, but doesn't say why. Others have suggested that Rusty likes to take photos of naked hikers. Other than his requirement that only naked people are allowed in his wood-fired hot tub, I didn't see any evidence of that.

He was a 60s +/- bachelor, which made me, and perhaps others, suspect he might be homosexual, but I didn't see any inappropriate behavior towards the younger hikers, so in this day and age I didn't pay much attention. A woman I hiked with for a month before and a month after my Rusty stay thought I was wrong about his orientation. I didn't much care. He struck me as a friendly, generous man, perhaps the black sheep from a prosperous middle class family. I remember his niece was getting married and Rusty said his family couldn't understand why he couldn't go to the wedding.

He explained, "I'll have at loeast 100 hikers here that week, I just can't leave."

Weary

Darwin here....... This morning started with breakfast of a pound of hickory maple bacon, eight scrambled eggs, toast with honey and jam, juice.................. or if he's carrying 5 rolls (he is) of toilet paper............ Cheers and good hiking, everyone. Best of luck to the Class of '06. ~~Darwin, 1,400 AT miles. One word: FIBER:D Keep on keeping on MS. Have you tried the beard yet?:sun

cangrats, that's the dumbest thing i've ever read on whiteblaze. believe me, that's an achivement.

I think mweinstone really wants to have minnisotasmith's baby.
Now, THAT would be an achievement! :D

Darwin here.
As far as all the hoopla over Minnesota Smith, I just have to say that he's a stand-up guy and an authentic AT hiker. I don't care about his politics, or whether he wants to carry bricks to Katahdin or if he's carrying 5 rolls (he is) of toilet paper. I don't really care if a hiker is conservative or liberal or gay or straight or rich or poor: the trail teaches hikers every day about life and about themselves. He's doing it his way and he's earning his enlightenment, just as we all, hopefully, do. I'm not threatened by people who hold world views that differ from mine. More people should have the gumption to not run with the herd like he's doing. Minnesota is a scientist by trade. As such, he's is in possession of some of the typical personality quirks of a scientist. I've been glad to host him, glad to meet him, glad to be a part of the legend that is Minnesota Smith. :banana

If you meet Minnesota along the Trail, stop and talk to this guy. He'll school you. Cheers and good hiking, everyone. Best of luck to the Class of '06. ~~Darwin, 1,400 AT miles.now that has got to be the best i've heard anyone say in this whole thread..............right on!!!!!!!!!!

reuters news service,and united press int., both reporting an appalachian trail thru hiker missing and on the run from authoritys. he is wanted in connection with the dissaperance of the famous myth that joe shmo couldnt do a thru.hey!,....im a stupid dummmy! wow!

reuters news service,and united press int., both reporting an appalachian trail thru hiker missing and on the run from authoritys. he is wanted in connection with the dissaperance of the famous myth that joe shmo couldnt do a thru.hey!,....im a stupid dummmy! wow!

Matthewski is that you? or your teenage son? :rolleyes:

i changed my passcoad but my son is a real computer kid and im affraid hes messed me up.im so pissed off im praying alot for him . hes so bad its like the nanny show, do you know 16 year old trouble? anyway we cant use minnisota smiths site, im not calling it a thread, so ,... i thaught alot about minnisota in my life since i met him feb 24th. thanks its matthewski. and to prove it i will tell you somthing only a thruster would know.cowboys in damascus is good food for a gas staition. and the bathroom accross the street in the laundrymat is so so dirty and the outfitters accross from there hostil is sweet and the folks there are cool as cool can be. nad me and wee willy the prince of whales smoked a butt under the bridge past the place,there. no 16 year old would care about the details of dammascus enough to remember them here. matthewski out

Joe Shmo has thrued many, many times before. Probably even more than the WB famous mweinstone. Good luck Luke, may your beard grow long and your dogs remain leashed. PCT next year?

do you know 16 year old trouble?

Okay, okay, I believe you. I've got a 15 year old. :rolleyes:

Try homeschooling the precious little #&*@!!! until you go hiking next year.

If that doesn't work the fall-back advice for teenage boys is to lock 'em in a barrel and feed 'em through the bunghole 'til they're over 20. ;)

minnisota smith had less in common with the 8500 people who walked a thru than most. and minnisota smith is now more tru to the thru hiker spirit than most. i know. im smart like that. if you talked to all 8500 folks before they started and looked in their pack and at there spirit, and if you tryed to single out the 100 people who you thaught had the least chance,....minnisota would have been in that hundred. and if you talked to them all after the thru,....minnisota smith would represent the best top 1 percentile for most changed spirit and most enjoyed thruhike.

[quote=mweinstone]minnisota smith had less in common with the 8500 people who walked a thru than most. and minnisota smith is now more tru to the thru hiker spirit than most. i know. im smart like that. if you talked to all 8500 folks before they started and looked in their pack and at there spirit, and if you tryed to single out the 100 people who you thaught had the least chance,....minnisota would have been in that hundred. and if you talked to them all after the thru,....minnisota smith would represent the best top 1 percentile for most changed spirit and most enjoyed thruhike.[/quote

Does this mean the people that liked him will not now and the one's that didn't, will now like him ? OOOOOOOO the Atomic # 26 Fe-y (irony) ;)

Check off the Shenandoahs. He'll be at Harper's Ferry in 4 days, the 'Roller Coaster' is coming up next.

He saw a couple bears in the last couple of days, his first sightings on this trip. 2 more unfriendly dog encounters, I'm sure we'll hear the stories later.

He's rolling right along.

He saw a couple bears in the last couple of days, his first sightings on this trip. 2 more unfriendly dog encounters, I'm sure we'll hear the stories later.
Has he ever had a friendly dog encounter? That old sucker is almost half-way huh? Looks like he is gonna go the whole thing. I'm still jealous, wish I could be out there.

Has he ever had a friendly dog encounter? That old sucker is almost half-way huh? Looks like he is gonna go the whole thing. I'm still jealous, wish I could be out there.


If you have THAT many "bad" dog encounters, you sure can't blame the dogs!

(ducking . . .)

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a few months but my curiousity has finally got the best of me. Could someone Please explain to me the story of the Legendary M. Smith? What is with this one guy out of all the other hikers that has retained so much attention here, I've been over quite abit of the forums here and haven't found too much about M.S.... Anyone care to enlighten me and others who might be lurking?

I realize he seems to be carrying the kitchen sink on the trail with a 50 pound pack, but I've read countless others on trailjournals who carry close to that. My own pack goes close to 35 pounds on multiple day hikes, so that seems unlikely as the only source of all the attention M.S. gets here. There is something others dislike about him and his hike why? Shouldn't it be his hike and how he wants to hike his own hike anyway? Thanks in advance to anyone who fills me in!;)

Check his user profile and then check View all Posts by This User

He has his own way of thinking. He can rub some people to the wrong way because he marches to his own music.

His carrying everything, well that is sort of funny that he is changing his packing list given his attitude when asking for suggestions about his gear.

He just has some pretty strong opinions on certain topics. It's all in good humor. Well, most of it is, anyway.

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a few months but my curiousity has finally got the best of me. Could someone Please explain to me the story of the Legendary M. Smith? What is with this one guy out of all the other hikers that has retained so much attention here, I've been over quite abit of the forums here and haven't found too much about M.S.... Anyone care to enlighten me and others who might be lurking?

I realize he seems to be carrying the kitchen sink on the trail with a 50 pound pack, but I've read countless others on trailjournals who carry close to that. My own pack goes close to 35 pounds on multiple day hikes, so that seems unlikely as the only source of all the attention M.S. gets here. There is something others dislike about him and his hike why? Shouldn't it be his hike and how he wants to hike his own hike anyway? Thanks in advance to anyone who fills me in!;)my suggestion is that you get out there and meet him then come back here and tell us why we are talking about this chap as much as we are....

hes a geologist who is locked away on an oil rig in the gulf in a semi trailer full of moniters. he reads about hiking and the AT on line and it is a real passion with him. he commited snow fall charts to memory for the first leg of the thru.he can quote chapter and verse on any topic. he knows vast amounts of cool stuff. hes the right person to be in a liferaft with. hes big and strong and plump like a dark ages fryer. he is polite to a fault,belives strongly in chivilry. thinks brittney spears is a ho and any girl with a dress on is his kind of woman. he likes to eat and makes sighing noises like little orgasims when he eats. usually after dark and alone. he hikes slow and on a millitary schedual. he cannot be roused to violence as he has not a bad bone in him. hes refreashingly nieve. and innocent and young at heart and not to socially graced.he carrys a staff and wears a brimmed hat and sometimes puts a piece of thistle grass tween his toung an cheak. lol!im personally feel great about meeting him for years to come. basicly theres not much special about minnisota smith save his gift of his thru hike to us over this website.and such a great thing it is. a slow hike all can put themselves into in our minds. you go boy. show matthewski what your workin with.

belives strongly in chivilry. thinks brittney spears is a ho and any girl with a dress on is his kind of woman.


Um......

chivalry

n 1: courtesy towards women
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

huh?

Um...... chivalry - n 1: courtesy towards women
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
huh?

I agree. The "chivalry" claim gave me a chuckle too. That's one thing MS is not, at least as evidenced by all I've read on WhiteBlaze. Courteous? Gracious? Kind? Caring? Humble? Altruistic? All things I think of for "chivalry."

Rain:sunMan

.

I'm at Bears Den Hostel, just south of Snickers Gap, VA. This is about 20 miles south of Harpers Ferry, WV, and about 998 miles north of Amicalola (where I started my thruhike attempt). This is a really nice hostel with a lot going for it; I would consider it easily comparable to the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, GA.

Ate a meal at Horseshoe Curve. Decent food at a fair price (e.g., large portions), albeit not whole grains.

1) The "Roller Coaster" (did about the 1st 10.5 miles of its 13.5 miles today) is a bit of a PITA, but would mostly fit right in with the rest of the AT in the Pearisburg-to-Waynesboro stretch.

2) I'm getting back my bear spray. Had 1 leashed (12'+ length) and one unleashed dog (separate incidents) in Shenandoah Park threaten me without provocation, and expect same to occur again as non LD hikers become increasingly frequent on the AT as summer progresses.

3) Have had several people look enviously at my Mombasa Defender mosquito net. Bugs are driving many thruhikers to tent over sleeping in shelters, thus making it easier many nights to find room in them.:D

4) Not much opportunity to yogi in Shenandoah. Saw very few cookouts, and not many people other than ones out just for the day. Heard high gas prices are keeping #s down.

5) Many hikers got sick in Shenandoah. A rangeress politely but pointedly grilled my my 2nd to last morning there on what I knew about that. Apparently this epidemic was taken very seriously by the staff there.

6) Had 2 separate bear encounters in Shenandoah. One was just a midsize cub clumsily scampering off into the brush late afternoon about 0.2 miles north of Byrds Nest #3 (day use shelter @ 924.6 in 2006 Wingfoot book). The other was a sow and 2 cubs near the summit of Pass Mtn. late morning the next day. This was about 20 yards to my right as I proceeded north. Cubs ran up a tree, and the sow took one pace to the base of the tree to guard it. She glowered at me as I took my picture as if to say "Just f'ing try it".

7) Did not see a single participant in "Hike Naked Day". As I only saw male hikers after leaving Rod Hollow shelter this morning, it's just as well IMO.:rolleyes:

8) Am going through significant quantities of insect repellent each day now. I have decided that Deep Woods OFF (the one with 25% DEET) should be declared the official cologne for thruhikers between June and September.

9) Weather is quite warm, albeit still not as much an issue as it was about 12 days ago. Fortunately, I have been in at least 80% shade the bulk of the time. If I were in shadeless areas, it would be much rougher.

10) A number of springs have been dry, but only a time or two was it the one at the shelter. Shelter water sources have been pretty reliable.

11) I did not see any copperheads at Manassas Gap shelter when I was there yesterday, but a hiker assured me that they were numerous under the rocks near the spring just downhill from the shelter. Yikes, that a) they were numerous, and b) that I did not see them.

12) Snakes have been considerably fewer since I hit the Shenandoah. Same with the toads and lizards.

Keep on keepin' on.

I got your PM re your idea for an improvement over the Mombasa Defender. Someone here has volunteered to send me something comparable (don't know the brand). BTW, Cadbury now has acquired a new customer.:D

Say, can anyone give me any comment on how well those 95+% DEET lotions work? I've heard of several thrus out here using them. One guy already decided to flip on up to Maine a couple of weeks ago solely due to the bugs.

One guy already decided to flip on up to Maine a couple of weeks ago solely due to the bugs.

well, he's in for a rude awakening when he gets there!!:D :D i've done maine in june twice.....i live in virginia and i ain't never seen bugs like maine in june, definitely not in VA anyways!

. One guy already decided to flip on up to Maine a couple of weeks ago solely due to the bugs.

Thats like going from the frying pan into the fire.

MS, are you making entries in Shelter registers? I tried to find you in some shelter registers during my section hike last week but couldn't find you. That being said, I didn't look real hard, as I was pretty wasted at the end of each day and didn't feel like doing anything besides eating dinner and sleeping. The section I did was from Indian Grave Gap to Dennis Cove. Sounds like you are having a great time out there! I'm green with envy. Good luck fighting off the bugs. Do you prefer the Deet lotion or the pump spray?
I've never seen a Bear on the trail but have heard them in the distance. That must have been an awesome experience.
You are right about the Bears Den Hostel. I stayed there last year during a section hike and liked it very much.
So, what is this mosquito netting you are using in the shelter and how do you rig it up? Sounds like a good idea.

1) I write an entry in the vast majority of shelter registers. (I do forget occasionally, and rather more often a shelter simply has no register there.) If I only eat lunch there, just the date and "MinnesotaSmith stopped by here" or the like is all I may write. If I slept there, I usually put something more, typically just details about weather, bugs, mice, the # of thrus and sectioners in the shelter and tenting nearby, possibly a comment about the quality of the water source by the shelter, etc. Sometimes I do get pushed past my limit by a previous shelter entry and just have to say something. An example was 10 or so days ago (sometime before I hit Waynesboro) when a thruhiker named Feng Shui wrote in a register that that day she was like a man, with nothing in her mind. I noted that as men create the bulk of inventions, not to mention most literature and art that stand the test of time, this was an illogical position -- that sort of thing.

2) My mosquito net is a Mombasa Defender that I bought from www.rei.com (http://www.rei.com) online. I attach it by a single small screw hook or nail overhead, which I remove when I leave the next morning. (I've used a horizontal line before.) Except for letting no-see-ums in some, it works great. It's item #728960 (for $26.00) there.


3) I use the plastic spray bottle for insect repellent, figuring the lotion would take a lot and/or make me touch the DEET more with my hands. I don't burn it as trash when empty any more than I would batteries (the only batteries I'm using during my thruhike are AAAs for my LED headlamps).

1) Switched from a Dana Bridger to a Gregory Whitney at Waynesboro when Marmot/Dana backtracked and refused to do anything about two critical flaws in my Dana pack. I hereby suggest that no one buy anything Dana ever.

2) I am picking up my 3rd pair of Dunham trail runners at Harper's (in mail drop there). Switched to this pair at Hot Springs. Darwin astutely noted to me at Waynesboro that my current pair (with over 700 miles on them by the time I would hit Harper's) would likely be structurally spent. Have been very happy with this pair. They are starting to crack around the front lip a bit. Does anyone collect trail runners that have hung in there unusually long? I've seen a display at Neels of such.

3) Still wearing same hat, windbreaker, etc. (Sorry to Miss Janet who wanted me to switch to using sunscreen over windbreaker/gloves/bandannas due to summer temps.) Have worn out 2 pairs of socks to point they had to be replaced.

4) Am still on my first two sets of shorts and shirt.

5) My watch (cheapie Nelsonic) is hanging in there despite being on me in all weather.

6) Same topnotch hiking stick (thank you Dances!), same cookpot, same alchol stove, etc.

7) Exact weight loss unknown; was 36# at Pearisburg. Haven't had access to medical place scale since to check (don't trust bathroom scales within 15# either way).

Re. Post 466:

Smitty has indeed left some lively register entries this year, and as for the one he mentions near Waynesboro, folks here in town are still talking about it, especially the women hikers.

I have been one of his defenders here at WB; I've met him , talked with him, answered some questions and tried to give him some advice.

I respect greatly that he's still out here, months after people had written him off. But truth be told, some of his register entries are offensive to a lot of folks. If he's unaware of this, he should realize this affects how a lot of folks view him out here; if he IS aware of this and the remarks are made deliberately, well, this is unfortunate. Sexist, racist, any sort of derogatory mean-spiritedness is not welcome in Trail register entries, and people who insist on making such comments will likely find the Trail to be a lonely place.

Re. Post 466:

Smitty has indeed left some lively register entries this year, and as for the one he mentions near Waynesboro, folks here in town are still talking about it, especially the women hikers.

I have been one of his defenders here at WB; I've met him , talked with him, answered some questions and tried to give him some advice.

I respect greatly that he's still out here, months after people had written him off. But truth be told, some of his register entries are offensive to a lot of folks. If he's unaware of this, he should realize this affects how a lot of folks view him out here; if he IS aware of this and the remarks are made deliberately, well, this is unfortunate. Sexist, racist, any sort of derogatory mean-spiritedness is not welcome in Trail register entries, and people who insist on making such comments will likely find the Trail to be a lonely place.

Read his signature jack. Twisted. It does seem the trail has served him well, but I'm sorry to that some of that kind of thought is still surfacing in public places. I have faith that by the end of the trail many lessons will be learned...

Hope you're doing alright out there Jack. Good thoughts and well wishes to you.

wook

you too Ms - good luck and remember the golden rule

M.S. you might be interested in getting some sulphur for gardening. Powder form sulphur placed in a sock then bang it all around your gear and yourself eachday. Works wonders keeping the bugs off and is harmless from what I know about it, Deep Woods Off in spray form is reported to have the best track record if using manufactured sprays. Another way is to eat the tip of a few book matchsticks, eating Garlic also helps...

Enjoy hearing your hike is going well, Thanks for posting! Do you have a trail journal entry I haven't seen one anywhere? I envy what you are doing, imagine with all the other hikers out there, you have become legendary here on whiteblaze.com and on the trail, all because your hiking your own hike.. Keep the faith and you'll keep going...;)

... you have become legendary here on whiteblaze.com and on the trail, all because your hiking your own hike..

"Legendary"? Surely you jest.

One guy already decided to flip on up to Maine a couple of weeks ago solely due to the bugs.i'll never forget hiking the 100 mile wilderness about this time of year in 2002, i did a southbound hike thru there from abol to monson........let me tell you that dude is in for a rude awakening, them blackflies are triple of what these skeeters and gnats are down here south of the mason dixon line......and i was wearing the skeeter hat, long sleeves, long pants and gloves with duct tape around the wrists and them critters still found a way into me........heck, i seen a whole horde of blackflies carrying a big ole fat hiker off into the woods too as he was kicking and screaming and calling for his momma, it was a horrible site to see i tell you........still have nightmares about that........

we never had a problem with skeeters in maine

Re. Post 466:

Smitty has indeed left some lively register entries this year, and as for the one he mentions near Waynesboro, folks here in town are still talking about it, especially the women hikers.



That must have not been the one at the Maupin Field shelter--his did make for some good entertainment though. It was a page and a half entry about why he saw no reason to go to Rusty's. A subsequent entry scolded him for taking things too seriously.

It was interesting how almost every entry in that logbook dealt with Rusty's.

this is going to be a post about Minnesota Smith, the AT, and America in general in 2006.....could be a soapbox, so I am warning you all now.

I have been dumbfounded by some of the comments smith has made in the past. I love animals, am a long-haired hippy liberal, and generally would subscribe to beliefs that are the exact opposite expressed by Smith.

That said, I recently had the pleasure of spending some time hanging with a couple other whiteblazer's (great time Wonderfoot and Matthewski) one of which spent some considerable time with Smith on the trail. My opinion is that Matthewski is a kind-hearted person. If he tells me that Smith is a "good guy", that is good enough for me.

As to his comments, and this is where it gets interesting for me, I find myself wanting to defend him. We are in the USA. The First Amendment to our Constitution is pretty clear about preventing infringment on our freedom of speech. So what if a person will be lonely on the trail, so what if someone's speech is offensive to another. That person is not to be skewered because they shared a different opinion.

we need more opinions out there that people do not like. they all need to be heard. I live my life from a perspective of do as little harm to others/the world as possible. Sometimes I feel that we liberals can be a little too prescriptive.

thanks for reading
peace
mf
and you keep on truckin MS.......

Geez, thanx Mother's Finest for reminding me that I'm hiking in America this summer and not Albania. Very kind of you to point this out.

Plerase re-read my post. Nobody, least of all me, is attempting to restrict Mr. Smith's right to say or post anything he wishes, on the Internet, in a Trail Register, or anywhere else. But one thing should be very clear.....if you write in a register, or opine in a hiker hostel (and this one I personally over-heard), that women should be quiet, subservient, stay in their place, not be on the Trail, and should generally be second-class citizens on the Trail and elsewhere.....well, this is not the sort of commentary that is likely to endear one to other hikers.

I wasn't "skewering" Smith. On the contrary, I was merely trying to point out that gross offensive speech is apt to leave folks with a negative impression of him, and this is too bad, because he certainly has his positive points. But if someone insists on making ugly comments in hostels, towns, registers, and elsewhere, well, they're skewering themselves, and yes, they're likely to suffer for it as a result.

As they should.

1) Switched from a Dana Bridger to a Gregory Whitney at Waynesboro when Marmot/Dana backtracked and refused to do anything about two critical flaws in my Dana pack. I hereby suggest that no one buy anything Dana ever.

2) I am picking up my 3rd pair of Dunham trail runners at Harper's (in mail drop there). Switched to this pair at Hot Springs. Darwin astutely noted to me at Waynesboro that my current pair (with over 700 miles on them by the time I would hit Harper's) would likely be structurally spent. Have been very happy with this pair. They are starting to crack around the front lip a bit. Does anyone collect trail runners that have hung in there unusually long? I've seen a display at Neels of such.

3) Still wearing same hat, windbreaker, etc. (Sorry to Miss Janet who wanted me to switch to using sunscreen over windbreaker/gloves/bandannas due to summer temps.) Have worn out 2 pairs of socks to point they had to be replaced.

4) Am still on my first two sets of shorts and shirt.

5) My watch (cheapie Nelsonic) is hanging in there despite being on me in all weather.

6) Same topnotch hiking stick (thank you Dances!), same cookpot, same alchol stove, etc.

7) Exact weight loss unknown; was 36# at Pearisburg. Haven't had access to medical place scale since to check (don't trust bathroom scales within 15# either way).

at 60lbs you're overloading the bridger. not the packs or manufacturers fault.

you probubly overloaded it.

"Legendary"? Surely you jest.

24,000 +++ views is pretty good the "ATsub -40 challenge has 37,100 ++ views. "Legendary" has many def's: like the 'Red Sox' :rolleyes: but sota does have a lot of intrest in 06,
" you two are dumber than a bag of hammers" ;)

Jack, the post was not directed at you or The Wook. More that your posts just sparked my gears turning.
this is exactly what I am talking about.
We take things way too personally here. (not just WB, but USA in general) We need to let the piss be taken out of us more often.
peace
mf

"Legendary" has many def's: like the 'Red Sox' :rolleyes:

Yes, I would agree that 1 championship in 88 years is a legendary record of futility. ;)

this is going to be a post about Minnesota Smith, the AT, and America in general in 2006......... We are in the USA. The First Amendment to our Constitution is pretty clear about preventing infringment on our freedom of speech. ....

Huh??? You do know, don't you, that the Constitution restricts the GOVERNMENT. Not sure what the First Amendment has to do with WhiteBlaze at all. But if it does, I'm ready to be enlightened.

I'm just surprised when folks drag the Constitution into relations between individuals, not between individuals and the government.

Perhaps we should be discussing common sense and decent courtesy and how they infringe (or maybe should infringe?) one's freedom of speech? Such as Mowgli's hobby horse harangue about the Damn Yankees and the B-Sox? ~wink~

Rain:sunMan

.

Geez, thanx Mother's Finest for reminding me that I'm hiking in America this summer and not Albania.
I first saw "Alabama", and not "Albania."

Heheh. I'm a curious George, etc.

dead tired of reading negative posts.

hey, i've got some shocking news for some people here: MS is one of many, many thru-hikers this year; nothing more, nothing less.

even more disturbing to me than anything MS has said (although i find that many of his musings are comparable to someone with mild dementia), are those of "matthewski":rolleyes: ....seriously man, i hope MS has health insurance during his hike b/c i think your face needs to be surgically removed from his posterior.

MS should be well served by the Gregory Whitney. I wonder if he has considered using an external frame, given the load he carries? A Kelty Super Tioga would probably suit him better than most internal frames. However, as I said, he can't go wrong with the Whitney.
I'm sure MS is quite amused at the attention he gets on WB. His controversial stances on some issues make him a lightning rod for attention. He marches to his own drum and says what he thinks but probably is quite amiable if engaged in conversation face to face. Many folks seem to be hoping that the trail will change him in some way, perhaps so that he will become right thinking as "they" are. The trail may indeed change him in some ways but I doubt MS will cave on his core beliefs. He seems to know what he believes and is sure of himself. I'm sure this really does help him on his thru hike.
Maybe I've got the wrong impression but I don't know what frat party antics, dope smoking and partying have to do with hiking. There seems to be an A.T. sub-culture or clique which MS is not a member of and does not subscribe to. This puts him at odds with some folks on the A.T. who may think the trail and its environs are some place to engage in anti-social behaviour. Of course, this is just my perception and I could be totally way off. I know everyone will let me know if I am. BTW, I'm not talking about Billville (hey, I'm still not sure what the heck this is anyway), hiker feeds or any of that stuff. From what I can tell, anyone is welcome at these functions.

MS does not care what anybody thinks of him. He finds this forum humorous. As do I. He gets the last laugh.:D

MS does not care what anybody thinks of him. He finds this forum humorous. As do I. He gets the last laugh.:DMS you are doing great,Good Luck.Sorry I missed getting to meet you as you passed thru Franklin,NC
:o

20some miles out and he's looking for a hostel.:rolleyes: 1 in 25 chance.

I love this one too,it's the second post on sotas thru hike. L.Wolf seems to have warmed to him since then.

hey MS, i got a Dana Longbed that can take any kind of abuse you do to it, the things built like a tank....want to give it a shot?????

MS does not care what anybody thinks of him. He finds this forum humorous. As do I. He gets the last laugh.:D

The last laugh... Laughing to himself? Maybe, very few others? :-?

Humorous indeed. :rolleyes:

are thru hikers willing to autograph stuff?i got traumma to sign my pack. and pirate too. i want my pack to be full of autographs to inspire me next year. any one like this idea?

Man, you're all about idolizing folks. Respect is one thing, but building an internet shrine to 'sota and having random hikers sign your gear? Set your sights a little higher, matthewski. JMHO - but who am I to say? HYOH.

Trying to track down an errant set of new trail runners that Walasi-Yi was supposed to order for me. They don't answer their phone. Have done about 12.6 miles today, with about 6 more to the next shelter. Hostel here is pricy; hoping rumor the outfitter lets thrus crash on their porch turn out to be true. Headed there ASAP.

Trying to track down an errant set of new trail runners that Walasi-Yi was supposed to order for me. They don't answer their phone. Have done about 12.6 miles today, with about 6 more to the next shelter. Hostel here is pricy; hoping rumor the outfitter lets thrus crash on their porch turn out to be true. Headed there ASAP.NOT TRUE. DON'T GO. SEE RECENT THREAD.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15557&highlight=outfitter

are thru hikers willing to autograph stuff?i got traumma to sign my pack. and pirate too. i want my pack to be full of autographs to inspire me next year. any one like this idea?

At Trail Days this year, a couple of little girls (and I mean under 10 y.o.) were having thru-hikers sign their T-shirts with colorful markers, which the girls were carrying around with them. Their mom is trying to build the kids' enthusiasm for long-distance hiking. The kids seemed pretty psyched about it.

I was walking along in the rain by the RR tracks, on my way out of town in the rain about 9:00 P.M. Stopped to talk to a hiker I had chatted with earlier in the day elsewhere. To make a long story not so long, a married couple took myself and that section hiker (named Nomad) and his puppy Mud into their home. We are in their guest house/home office. We were fed stuff they fixed just for us, have TV with cable, are getting showers and laundry done, etc. The man is fixing homemade bread in the morning. All we have done in return thus far (other than unload a few groceries) is my volunteering to help the woman clip wings and nails on her parrot in the morning. (I used to have birds and can do all that.)

The AT is truly a magical place where many people are better than people in general seem to be. I keep relearning this.

I went there today, and bought over 100.00 of stuff. He said that a hiker relieved himself out in the street, disgusting the outfitter's neighbors, so that was not an option any more.

He said that the Bilville event in Duncannon would be quite worthwhile.:-? :banana

Minnesota,

I gotta say I was at Priest shelter about two weeks after you, and your register post and the one by the section hiker you spent the night with were some absolutely HI-larious reading!!! It appears you made a great impression upon them....at least everyone behind you knows who you are!!!