Also, I bought a new backpack

Wow, it's hard to believe that I'm practically done with the state of New Hampshire. It's been a difficult trip so far, but I'm definitely glad I came out here. I've seen what a lot of people claim are the most beautiful and the hardest parts of the entire trail. I've certainly seen some beautiful things over the last month. I've also considered leaving the trail several times for various reasons (nasty stomach bug, cold+rainy weather, insane insect populations...) but I'm very relieved that I stuck with it.

Before I forget, here's a link to all the photos that Dr. Rudder has taken so far with his digital camera. I'm still trying to figure out an easier way to get my own photos up on the web. Rudder's are much nicer anyway.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelandandrea/

Anyway, I'm going to be in CT some time toward the end of August. If anyone wants to meet me for some hiking, or just to camp for a night, let me know. I'm off to sample some of the culinary delights offered by the town of Hanover.

Dorothy

Boy, you're going to carry that weight, carry that weight a long time

Hello all,
The last week of hiking has been so great, I just don't know where to start.

I finally saw a moose (two of them, actually, on seperate occasions). One was swimming across a lake with just his nose above water, and the other one was hauling itself out of a bog when my group came down the trail.

I've climbed over several mountains, some above the timber line. It's getting much easier to climb, but it still isn't easy.

I'm also getting much better at eating. So far today, I've consumed about 3000 calories, and it's only 3:00 in the afternoon.

One of the best things that has happened since my last blog post relates to the people I'm spending my time with. At this point, there are four of us in our group. We're calling ourselves the Bear Mafia, and it's flippin' sweet. My fellow bear gangsters are Dr. Rudder (Joel), Cats (Andrea), Humanzee (Jeff) and Jimmy Legs (Yael).

Its really great having a group that I can relate to like these guys. After putting in a long 17 mile day, its nice to have friends who just went through the same thing to talk to. They're always willing to share their food or water, and they don't mind that I smell like mildewed ass.

I wish I could sit on this computer all day and tell you all about the delicious wild strawberries growing along the trail, all the mossy pine forests and cloud-shrouded mountaintops... but the library here has a 20 minute limit. I think next time I'll plan what I'm going to write, so I can actually express a series of coherent thoughts instead a frantic list of neat things. Maybe some more audio posts will let me keep up with all my observations and thoughts...

-Adam "Dorothy" Leston

Monson, ME is a nice town

Wow, what an adventure it has been so far. I've seen lots of truly beautiful terrain. I've hiked over several really tall mountains. I feel stronger each morning when I wake up. You guys should all radically change your lives so they can be more like mine. Seriously.

I'm feeling really great right now. I've hooked up with a group of 6 other people aged 21-29. We've spent a few days hiking together, and we've spent the last couple days hangin' around here in Monson, resting up. Everybody else is nursing their sore feet and blisters, but I'm in perfect health. It's tough to get back on the trail, though. We were going to leave today, but it's raining right now and nobody wants to do anything.

I was going to bring my journal that I've been keeping, so I could actually remember all the cool things I've been up to, but I forgot it at the hostel. You'll have to wait until I get back to get the complete rundown. In short, I saw a lot of mossy rocks and mosquito-filled bogs. We were loitering around the old quarry last night and we spotted a moose swimming in the lake. Pretty neat stuff. It's kinda weird how you start to really appreciate the small things out here. Like dry socks. Dry socks are my new fetish, I think.

Well friends, the librarian is kicking me off the computer. It's their policy that you can only use the internet for half an hour at a time. I'll probably be back this afternoon or tomorrow morning to finish this post. It's really lacking the content I wanted to put in here. But, if anyone wants to start making a bear suit for me, I'd really appreciate it. I'll explain that one later too.

-Adam "Dorothy" Leston

From the shores of White House Landing...

Are you sure this is going to work?

Hello, and welcome to my very first blog post ever. I never saw the need for a blog before, since I'm usually able to share my profound observations and witty remarks directly with my friends. However, I'm about to start a 5 to 6 month hike on the Appalachian Trail. I'm leaving on Sunday (11June2006).

The main theme for today is that big things don't look very big until you get right next to them. Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the first people to notice this. He put the idea of perspective to work for him in his paintings of Florence, Italy. Unlike Brunelleschi, I have not found a way to make a profit from my observation. Filippo and I, we both know that the closer something is to you, the bigger it's going to be. He used this information to create beautiful paintings, but I've only been able to use it to rationalize my nervousness about Sunday.

It may not look like much to you, but that pile of crap on my bed has been getting bigger by the day for the last couple weeks. Literally and figuratively. I've been adding things to it, and thinking about it more and more. I keep questioning why I decided to take all that stuff and carry it with me for 2000 miles.

But don't get the wrong idea, I'm really looking forward to this trip. I'm determined to finish the whole trail, and I've got a sneaking suspicion that I may actually do it.