Brutal Ascents

I got off to another slow start this morning, it took about an hour and a hald to eat, pack up, and hit trail. My brain, for the start was in its own little world. The only mountain of significane was Albert Mountain, that was a steep climb. It reminded me of hiking in Maine. The climb kicked my ass. The summit was a delight. I deemed myself worthy of a warm lunch, I had a Lipton-like pasta packet. A little rest and relaxation goes a long way. The hike from Albert Mountain to Rock Gap Shelter was quite easy. I decided to hike as fast so I could, that made me feel a whole lot better. I spent most of today playing leapfrog with Travis and Hillbilly, I mostly hiked on my own. I have determined I hike faster than a lot of people out here. It is not purposeful, it just happens to be that my hiking speed is quicker than others. I enjoy my pace though, it makes my day a whole lot better. I am currently at the shelter for the night. There are several other hikers here as well. People are starting to drop, and I am noticing familiar faced at the shelter each night. It takes a while for everyone to get into the swing of things, but we are slowly but surely getting used to the life of a thru hiker. Tomorrow I shall go to Franklin, NC, where I shall stay with Ron Haven at the Budget Inn. I need to resupply and figure out my plan for getting to Fontana Dam. I also need to pick up a couple pieces of small gear. The life of a hiker. In the end, we lead very simple lives. Our purpose is o walk, nothing more, nothing less. We are out here to attempt to find a rational for all our life decisions, good and bad. Katahdin is no longer just a mountain, it is the representation of the end of an ideological struggle against one's self. Our sole purpose is to walk. Kirby

Ga>ME 2008