• Getting into towns are great, leaving towns to get back in the woods is even better. I seem to clump up with other hikers when town is close, but am able to escape towns and get out on my own relatively easy. There are a lot of people out here and it sort of takes away from the independent, out on your own feeling. I am trying to find a balance between the two. Luckily I am getting ahead of the slower crowd and have found a few awesome people that I can relate to, who have thousands of miles under their belts as well, but still this is a HUGE herd of hikers.
• I miss the PCT. Thru hiking is definitely a lifestyle, but each trail seems to have it's own culture. The PCT is mores style. Very fortunate to be a west-coast boy. I know why the early settlers went West, to get away from the crazies! (and to steal everything from the natives)
• I am about this (><) close to stopping off at an animal shelter and picking a pup that looks worthy of a thru hike. I miss hiking with a dog, and I should have been training one for the last six months to do this with me. The shared connection with a dog is stronger than the one I have with most humans. Y'all know what I mean.
• I say "Y'all" in just about every sentence now. And I've even caught myself asking "y'all fixin' to...." a few times. It would take me about a month living in the south to sound about as backwoods as some of my extended family. (no offense intended, I love my crazy family)
beard freezing to my face in the cold and rain...
