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[at-l] Thruhiker extraordinaire



	Some on the List will remember Jan "Tagalong" Kerns, who broke her leg 
during a 1997 thru-hike and had to quit.  She retired, moved from Fla. back up to
the Smokies area, and got back into hiking, little by little.  This year, she set
out on May 21st to pick up her thru-hike where she left off, but had to quit on
June 5th because of a sprained ankle and stressed knee on her bad leg.  She
feels like the old injury just wasn't healed enough.  Her ankle on that leg
doesn't have full flexibility from side to side.  She was also having pack and
tent problems!

	Here's a wonderful "Trail Angel" story from her last evening on the Trail:
"I was the last one on the Trail to the War Spur shelter.  Everyone had long since
passed me...  I could hardly walk - really.  When this nice kinda young man hiking
in Tevas came  up.  He had hiked 24 miles that day!  He went on to the shelter.  I
thought I never would come to it.  Then here he was coming toward me.  He had gone
to the shelter, left his pack, put on his headlamp and came back to see about
me... He said he thought dark might catch me.  He asked if it would offend me if
he carried my pack.  I almost cried & said oh no.  He carried my pack & I hobbled
in... It would have been dark when I got there if that wonderful man had not come
back for me."

	This extraordinary thruhiker was "Aristotle," ladies & gents.  I don't
know his "real" name or where he's from, but Jorge "Excellent-Good Half Moon"
Alvarez has mentioned him in his journal on Trailplace.  Let's hear a campfire
round of applause for this guy!

	Jan has decided she's not going to try backpacking again...just stick
to day hiking...so she has gear for sale...brand new pack and tent bought to
replace the pack and tent that gave her problems, then only used ONE DAY! before
she had to quit.  I think the pack's an Osprey Vector One internal and the tent's
a Clip Flashlight.  Anyone possibly interested can reply to me privately and I'll
put you in touch with her.  She hasn't gotten back to me yet with the details on
the gear, so I'll give her a little e-nudge in a minute.  :-) 

	--  eArThworm


Linda L. Patton, Reference Librarian, Strozier Library, Florida State Univ.
      Tallahassee, FL 32306-2047 (850)644-5019 lpatton@mailer.fsu.edu
          "A world without wilderness is a cage." -- David Brower
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