(6/2_ /12) Great Barrington, MA (Phone Update)

Ugh. I was able to chat with Brett for a while, but I was so busy taking notes of his activities that I never wrote down the date of this phone call.

Brett had pushed himself the day before, hiking 26 miles. He said it was too much and he was hurting because of it. He had blisters from his new shoes. He hiked only a few miles and arrived at a hostel that morning-what they call a Nero day (near zero). His goal was to hike 20 miles the next day.

He was spending the day at the hostel taking care of errands-phone calls, laundry, and a shower. He planned on ordering pizza for dinner.

Brett said he hiked all through Connecticut without really seeing other hikers. He was in kind of a weird bubble. Some hikers were about a day ahead, some about a day behind, but he was really hiking alone.

They had record heat the previous weekend. Brett said the smell has gone up to a whole different level. He sat in a creek pouring water over his head to cool down his core temp. He said to himself, I could handle some rain. Not much later he was stuck in a thunderstorm with hail the size of a cherry or grape, with nowhere to go. It was June and there was an inch of ice on the ground. He from hot to freezing in about 15 minutes. The hail was smooth and round, making it difficult to walk over. Brett said you have to be careful what you wish for. Brett said it was raining again; another grey day.

Brett was in Massachusetts and said that the mosquitoes were the worst he's ever seen. They continued biting even while he was moving.

On the positive side, Brett said there were wild blueberries all over the place. He was out of the range of the wild raspberries, and the huckleberries weren't ripe yet. He passed by a small, out-of-the-way, but busy creamery. I told him folks know how to do ice cream in New England.

Brett was in Great Barrington, MA. He planned to resupply in Lee.

I didn't hear much about it, but Brett was able to have visitors along the way. His friend Nancy and her sister were able to hike with him for a couple of days. Although I think Brett had to significantly slow down his pace, it's worth it to be able to have good company for a little while.

(Tue. 5/29/12) Duncannon, PA - E-mail From Brett

I am past Duncannon in another shelter as a big thunderstorm is in for the evening.  I have poison ivy on my arm. The weather is the hottest that it has been so far for the last few days. It is hot even for the Florida boy. Water has been scarce. I am carrying a lot of extra weight, because I do not want to run out. I miss you, it seems like more each day. It feels like it has been so long since I have seen you--much longer than it has felt for you, because time goes by slower on the trail.  I know your birthday is coming up. I never know if I will have service the next day, so happy birthday if I do not have service. I do not know what town I will be in next, but I will figure it out in a day or two and let you know my plan.

(Thu. 5/31/12) Shy of the 501 Shelter, PA - Phone Update From Brett

Brett called me while eating his lunch on the top of a mountain. He had good cell phone reception and wanted to call me while he had a chance (didn't want to miss my birthday). Lunch was a tortilla with tuna fish and hot sauce.

Brett said that is was a nice day, the first nice day he had in over a week. He was enjoying an absolutely clear sky. It had cooled down to 60 degrees the previous night and was supposed to go down to the 50's that night. With a light breeze on the mountain, dry air, and a slightly wet shirt, Brett was almost chilly. He said he was looking forward to snuggling up in his sleeping bag instead of laying naked on top. The weather in Penn. has been unseasonably hot with high humidity. He said he was hearing locals complain about the weather, and didn't think they were used to is.

Brett said they got some of the tail winds of Albert, a tropical storm that came through. It rained for about a day and a half.

Brett woke up to a clear, bright sunny morning and started hiking early. He finished 10 miles by lunch and only had 6 more miles to go before his goal of reaching the 501 Shelter. The 501 Shelter is close to the road. You can order pizza there, and there is also a place to charge cell phones.

Brett said people easily recognize him as "The Dude". While I was on the phone with Brett another hiker said, "Oh, you must be 'The Dude'." I asked Brett how this hiker would know that if they had never met before. Brett said if the hiker had seen his name in a log, it would be easy for him to match the name with the right person. Recently another hiker said to Brett, "I sure hope your name is 'Lebowski' or something like that." When Brett told him that it was "The Dude", this hiker replied that Brett had one of the most fitting names. I have never seen the movie this is from, but apparently the resemblance is striking.

Brett had complained about his knee hurting. When I asked him about it again, Brett said that it is not bothering him anymore, but that it did take about a week for the pain to go away. Now his has a cramp in the bottom of the foot. He's not the only one who is feeling the aches and pains. He said everyone walks with the Hiker Hobble. Your body stiffens up after any kind of break. Brett did say that the hills are almost getting easier. Brett has consistently complaining about going uphill, so this was good new to hear.

Brett got some poison ivy. He said that is bothering him. When treated, it heals faster. But Brett said it would probably take a couple of weeks for the rash to completely clear up.

Brett said that he had a nice visit with his friend Don. Brett could have stayed longer, but he felt like he needed to get going. He didn't want to sit around too much. Brett and Don worked together on an out-of-town project in GA some years ago, but Don is friends with a dentist her in Niceville. Another case of It's a Small World.

(Sat. 5/5/12) Montebello, VA - Email Update From Brett

I am at Dutch Haus B&B. No cell service, but I have Internet. I should be in Waynesborough on Tuesday. I have a new backpack being sent there. I am just about done with the Blue Ridge Pkwy. There is no way that we could have worked out a way for Dad to meet me. It was just not what I thought it would be.

I am having some medical issues that I am worried about but will talk to you about those later. I am in for a good rest today and should be back on the trail tomorrow afternoon. Things are still going well. Once I get to Shenandoah NP it is rumored that the terrain will get easier. I am looking forward to that.

I may not be out of the so-to-say "blues," but I do feel better again about what I am doing. I do believe that I can do this. It is just tough and somewhat monotonous. Someone I was talking to a few days ago said something to me like, "Either you think it is worth the effort [and tough it out] or you go home. It is that simple." I thought that was a good way to put it simply. It really is that easy of a choice. I know it is worth the struggle. I am the one who is making myself climb this stupid hill and cuss it the whole way. I am deciding to do this, and I can decide to quit whenever I want to. I know that it is worth the effort. What is keeping me going right now is that it will get easier soon.

I am still taking pictures, but I have to say they are tapering off, because there is not as much to see. Anything that is worthwhile I do take a picture of.

I crossed the James River the other day and was told that it was a tradition for a thru hiker to jump off the bridge. So I had to do that twice. The first time I had to see if I would survive, and the second time I jumped to get it on video to show everyone else how stupid I am. It would be like jumping off the top of Shalimar Bridge. Scary as hell to actually let go of the rail the first time. Then it was fairly easy. Gravity took over and did the rest. The water was cold but felt refreshing after a few.

We have had a few 90 degree days. It really takes a toll on hiking up hills. I think I came close to drinking 3 gallons of water the other day, and I really did not pee much.

I should be able to call in a few days. Until then, love you Hun.

Email from Brett later in the day:
If the scale here is right, I am now below 200 pounds. That is over 40 pounds lost.