Re: [at-l] Trip Report (Adventures of a Thruhiker Tagalong)

[ThatSloetoe <sloetoe@yahoo.com>]

--- WHHAWKINS@aol.com wrote:
> It is GA to ME or ME to GA. 
> The trail is the same both ways, 

### BillBillBillBillBillBill, this is simply not true. Katahdin, at 5,280
feet, is roughly 1,530 feet taller than Springer, at roughly 3,750. Thus,
Nobos stroll an uphill battle.

How much uphill, you ask? Well, 1,530 feet total implies an average per mile
gain in altitude of (1,530/2,167) .7 feet, or 8.5 inches. To ignore that kind
of incline is to essentially trip over a large rock each mile. I do not
recommend this.

Look further at the numbers and you might imagine you are on a perfectly
smooth path with an incline per mile of ((1,530/2,167)/(5,000,000/2167)) =
.000306 feet, or .003672 inches. Coincidentally, this happens to be the
English conversion of the metric-measured gap for a 1974 BMW R90/6 motorcycle
engine's exhaust valve gap, post "unleaded conversion" head/gasket treatment.
And Nobos face this daunting dealie with *each* footie plant.

Small detail to make it even worse department: Nobos pass the lowest point on
the trail (Bear Mtn Bridge [80? feet]) a mere 791 miles from DaBigK; they
thusly have to hump that wicked (5,280-80) 5,200 feet at a rate of
(5,200/791) 6.57 feet per mile, or 6 feet, seven inches, PER MILE. Or put
another way, (6.57/(5,000,000/2,167)) .00285 feet per footstep, or .034
inches. Coincidentally, this happens to be the cold-weather spark plug gap
for a 1974 BMW R90/6 motorcycle, post "unleaded conversion" head/gasket
treatment. 

Shoot. No wonder New England's tougher.
Sloe'd weigh duck down.

=====
"The tragedy of man is not that a man dies,
     but what dies within a man while he's still alive."

               Mind your soul.

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