[at-l] Still out here!

[kellyswhitman at hotmail.com (Kelly Whitman)]

Hi, all!  I'm briefly resubbing just to let folks know I'm still on the 
trail.  I left it at the midway point in PA in the middle of the summer with 
severe plantar fasciitis, returned in September to hike through NH (wanting 
to get the Whites out of the way), hitched up to Katahdin and then went 
south through Maine, then hopped over NH to continue SOBO through VT.  I'm 
now in Dalton, MA, and hope to finish in PA by New Year's.

There are actually more people out here than I expected, and while I'm 
mostly enjoying the solitude, I'm always glad to see someone and have a 
chat.  I've met a few section hikers, some trail maintainers (checking on 
shelters), day hikers, and lots of hunters (deer season; yes, I'm wearing 
blaze orange).  Some of the Long Trail hikers I met have me seriously 
considering doing the LT next year.  Very neat and interesting folks out 
here.  Lots of kindness.

It's COLD in this part of the country, at least to this native Los Angelean. 
  The coldest temp I'm logged so far was seven.  Seven!  That is a child's 
age, not a temperature.  That was at Stratton Pond.  The pond froze, my 
contact lense solutions froze, my shoes were two bricks of solid ice... made 
for a very interesting morning, heh heh.

Other than a little frostbite on my toes and fingers, and what I think is a 
hairline refracture of my left wrist (which I fractured earlier in the 
summer in a fall on the trail), I am doing well.  I'm camped on Tom's porch 
here on Depot Street in Dalton - nicest fellow in the world - he loaded me 
up with hot cocoa, blankets, and - joy of joys - a real PILLOW last night!  
All very much appreciated.  I am going to do some laundry, pick up my mail 
drop, and be back on the trail tomorrow, heading for Kay Wood shelter.  I'll 
try to check my email tomorrow morning, then I'll unsub again.  I'll resub 
"for real" when I'm back home in January.

Hope everyone is well!

Kelly Whitman
GA -> PA <- ME '04
"There ARE no other women like me."  -- 7 of 9

P.S.  Did I already mention my trail name?  It's "Pooja the Bear Chaser."