(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.

(Fri. 6/8/12) - Sunfish Pond, NJ (Phone Update)

Brett called me while stopping for lunch on the trail. He found the perfect place to stop and enjoy the view at Sunfish Pond in NJ. I was told it was the southern-most glacier-formed lake (in the U.S.? on the trail?). Brett said it was an absolutely beautiful alpine lake. He found a nice boulder to sit on. What started out as a lunch stop turned into an hour-long (at least) break of enjoying the scenery.

A few other other hikers stopped by while Brett was on the phone, and I was able to say hello to Hawkeye and one other (I can't remember now who it was). It sounds like Brett has met a few nice guys who have continued to pass each other (leap-frog) and keep up with one another since they started in February.

(Fri. 6/1/12) 501 Shelter, PA - Phone Update from Brett

I was able to talk to Brett twice today. It was my birthday, so he called me first thing in the morning. He called me again in the middle of the day when we had more time to talk.

Brett chose to take a zero day at the shelter. It is a pretty decent shelter. He was able to order to pizza the night before and said he would order it again that evening. There was supposed to be some pretty bad weather coming in at 1:00pm that day. Brett didn't think he would be able to reach the next shelter before it got bad, so he decided to enjoy the Zero. However, by lunch the weather didn't look like it was really going to get that bad.

Brett had been able to meet up with two of his dad's cousins when he was in Harper's Ferry. In the next few days Brett will be able to meet up with his second cousin. Brett has never met any of them before, though his dad keeps in touch. I think it's really neat that they are interested in Brett and want to show their support for him, just based on the contact Brett's dad has had with them. Without this experience, I doubt Brett would ever have had an opportunity to meet them.

Brett had a cool nature-encounter. He was walking over a bridge going over a pretty big river. While he crossing he was dive-bombed by a pair of peregrine falcons. The falcons had nested under the bridge and there were two fledgelings in the nest. Apparently, the parents felt like Brett was getting too close to the nest and they swooped down at him. The birds flew pretty close to Brett, obviously. Of course, Brett would likely never have noticed the nest if they hadn't drawn attention to themselves.

(Tue. 5/8/12) Waynesboro, VA - Phone Update From Brett

Brett made it into Waynesboro, so he had reliable phone service. He was tenting outside of the YMCA. They allow hikers to set up tents outside and use the showers in the YMCA. He was expecting heavy thunderstorms that evening.

Brett had to replace his backpack. He had a new one shipped to Waynesboro. Brett had made some modifications to his first backpack. There was a few things, including a "poofy pocket" for a water bottle, that he wanted to add to this new backpack as well. So he ended up spending about two hours sewing the new pack until his fingers were bleeding. He whittled down some of his gear again and sent a box back home.

Brett has been hiking in his Chaco sandals for about 100 miles so far. He has always been a sandal person, and the weather is only getting better for them.

It was still early enough that Brett was headed to the library in town. I think he was looking forward to having some indoor quiet time for writing in his journal and maybe using the computer (if they allowed non-residents to use them).

Brett finished the Blue Ridge Parkway that day and would be starting the Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive. The trail in Shenandoah should be easier.

Brett is down at least 37.5 pounds, even though he's eating as much as he can carry. (Yes, he's taking his vitamins.)

Brett's tooth is feeling better this week. It's not hurting like it was. I hope that he will get it taken care of when he visits his friend Don in Pennsylvania.

I asked about wildlife. He sid that he is hearing more birds in the woods, but hasn't seen anything spectacular. He did see a black and white nuthatch that was pretty. He saw a big rattlesnake on top of a mountain. And while he was walking through Waynesboro he saw some pretty cute baby goslings in the park.

When he was staying at the Dutch House Hostel he enjoyed seeing the pretty goldfinches and hummingbirds at the feeders the owner had said up. Apparently, at certain times of the year the hummingbirds come through in such great numbers that the feeders have to be refilled daily.

What Brett has really liked seeing on the trail are the red/bright orange salamanders. He said the color is so unreal, they look like little gummy worms you could just pick up and eat. (I'll have to get him to identify the species when we get to a computer.)

I think Brett is looking forward to seeing  more wildlife in Shenandoah, which is known for tame deer . . . and bears . . . and ticks. He has found about a dozen or so ticks on him, only two of which were buried in. The rest he could just brush off.

Brett is really enjoying the small towns on the trail: small-town America. He feels completely comfortable in these small towns and doesn't feel out of place. He does look a little out of place, though. Brett said he definitely looks homeless: long hair, long beard, dirty, smelly, with pants that keep falling down. He had been sitting by the side of a road. Someone passing by stopped and offered him a beer saying, "You look like you could use one." (Brett graciously declined.)

Brett did comment on the sad dental state of many a small-town West Virginia/Virginia resident. He was shopping in a Dollar General recently, and the young, pretty girl at the cash register had just one front tooth. Brett said these kind of toothless smiles are, sadly, prevalent.

I asked Brett whether he has been keeping the same pace with any hikers. He said "Buzz Kill" is still around. They started at Springer on the same day and have leap-frogged each other throughout their hikes. The last few days he enjoyed keeping up with a retired Marine from Virginia Beach. The Marine was a section hiker who would be getting off in Harpers Ferry, I believe.

Brett's attitude is definitely getting better. I can hear the difference in his voice as we talk. He said does not have the big doubts that he had earlier in Virginia. (Those of us at home never doubted him!)

(Wed. 4/18/12) Bastian, VA - Phone Update From Brett

Had a phone call from Brett this day. Brett made it to the small town of Bastian, VA, and resupplied at Trent's Grocery. He was able to take a shower, but didn't have soap or a towel. He set up in the yard of the owner's of the store. (Brett was chased by a duck while we talked.) It had rained all day and Brett was wet and cold. He expected to stay at a hostel south of Pearisburg the next day. Brett had not seen Ed in a few days. Ed was pushing on more. Brett's had about three toe blisters. He asked me to send him his Chaco sandals, saying that his toes want to spread out a bit. There is an outfitter about 100 miles north of Bastian where Brett could pick up a mail drop.

I told Brett that a lot of people ask me, "So, is Brett really enjoying it?" I never know how to answer that question. Brett agreed. Answering "yes" or "no" isn't really accurate. It is hard work. But with that hard work comes a sense of accomplishment. It is personally satisfying. One of the hard things for Brett is going uphill. There are a lot of false peaks, and sometimes Brett is just ready to get to camp. This day Brett crossed 600 miles. That is a lot of miles! Hiking the trail is a good experience. Town is fun. And it is nice living in the mountains for months.

Brett said that the water situation had not been good that week. There had not been any rain until that day.

The trees are really showing the light green of Spring. In two weeks Brett's expects to be in full shade in the mountains from the foliage. Brett saw the biggest toad in the middle of the trail. A huge, two-pound (exaggeration?) toad! He has found tons of ramps, an onion/garlic bulb that grows wild in the mountains. The leaves are strong, but the bulb is mild. Brett picked some and sauteed them with his dinner. He also found a Morel mushroom, but didn't gather or eat that.

Brett has been eating the mess out of fruit roll-ups. He has been able to resupply fairly easily. Most every small town has a Dollar General, which is where he ends up going a lot.

Virginia is pretty, though he has gone through some "dumpy" towns. The lower elevation has a lot of pastures and climbs that aren't as big.

He came across two sisters (and their dog) on the trail who grew up in Pensacola. There were going rather slow.