June 23rdEllicottville, NY

June 23, Wed, Kelly Lodge, Ellicottville, NY

Spent 1 1/2 days reworking my schedule, I was very overly ambitious planning, in the back of my head I still had the mileage I could have done at the end of the AT hike, I am far from that with a new hip and added weight, plus 10 years of muscle loss that just happens with age. My thighs have lots the most, I can tell it when I go up hill. Other thoughts, there is allot of details to a hike, it is not just going out, filling up your backpack and starting to walk. For example, if you leave an important item out, you cannot just run down to the store and get it. Or as someone the other day, when I said I was having trouble finding water while hiking, why don't you just go and buy a gallon of water, well, think about it ???? I am finding it takes me an hour and 1/2 to set up camp and eat before I go to bed, and it takes the same amount of time in the morning before I can start hiking. I try to get on the hike by 7:30 and stop for the evening at 6 pm. I find that I have to be careful not to loss anything, there is no replacement handy, even in town if it is a small town. The other thing is the organization of the pack, where to store certain items that might be needed during the day -- there are 3 levels of possible need --- the least goes in the bottom of the backpack. Other observations, pushing harder on the right foot going up hill does not make the body go faster (the body is not a car). Water is were you find it, anywhere, run off, spring, creek, river, pond, or someone's back door. I find that I feel small be side the cars and trucks that pass me when the trail is on the road rather than in the woods, I feel small and frail compared to those be objects we as a species has created. There are certain foods one starts to crave after 3 days of dried food i.e. veggies, fruit, milk shakes, salty hamburgers, and chocolate milk. Mail out my bounce box for 2 stops ahead in N. Hornell, took at least a pound of "stuff" out of my pack and added to the bounce box. At the Subway I talked to the man behind the counter about my hike, he told me to come in tomorrow morning and have breakfast on him before I started hiking (I did, Yea for Yogi). Tracy said she would take me to the trailhead tomorrow morning. I know I have dropped some weight, but no scales to check it out. feel rested, a town day is not just a rest day, there is laundry, planning the next stretch of trail, buying food or supplies if needed, catching up on the weather and looking at the 10 day forecast. Plus interacting with people where one is staying or in the town. For example, I asked a woman where the post office was, and she gave me directions. Later in the afternoon, walking up to the library, I passed her on her porch; she recognized me and we had a chat about mildew, porches, paint, and hiking.