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[at-l] Progress Report -- Alec

FYI Alec (NTN) called today from Monson.  He plans to stay there at
Shaw's (which he says is a very fine place) two nights and then head for
Katahdin.  Staying there an extra night because he is trying to delay
his finish until we can join him, and we can't leave here until 7/7...I
predict he finishes before we actually get there, but will probably be
gracious enough to let us climb Katahdin with him again after we arrive
;^)  He seems to be going to be the third hiker who started in GA this
spring to reach Katahdin, unless he passes Luvtuhike between Monson and
the end.  It is my understanding that Let it Be, Sausageman and
Dragontail are now slightly behind him.

He and Brigitte's daughter Megan (who now has the trailname PEDRO, I
believe) and her pal SISTER SMILES spent last night at a shelter
together.  Their other friend, Scott, is now a couple of days ahead of
them, it seems.

He reports one exciting story (and rather alarming, but no one came to
any permanent harm), he met two hikers who were actually knocked down by
lightning. They are finishing up a hike started last year, doing the NH
and ME section now. They said the lightning struck their poles and
knocked them face down in the mud.  When they had recovered their wits
and gotten up one of them found that his walkman had completely
vanished.  Earphones still in his ears, walkman nowhere to be found.
They even went back later and looked around but never located it.  Alec
said they spent three days in Caratunk recovering from the experience
;^P  I don't know if the poles, acting as lightning rods actually saved
their lives, or were what attracted the strike to them in the first
place.  I guess if it struck *them* but travelled down the poles to the
ground, then the poles saved them?  Natural science types chime in now.

Katherine Beard
Free Union VA

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