[at-l] Letter from Felix

[Milt Webb <milt@iqsc.com>]

Rec'd this letter from our buddy Felix, postmarked 9/23 White River
Junction VT. As written by Felix (in a fairly lucid state...) -Milt

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The beat goes on:

Well, now there then, Diane...

We are currently visiting some friends of Ke Kaahawe. They are away
and we are looking through their belongings.

Rewind to Gorham:
Had a nice stay with Bruno and Mary Ann. I was ready to get going,
though. The Whites were calling louder than the donuts. we headed
out of town with an addition to our crew; Stoat was joining the
frey.

The weather was still incredible. The scenery was incredible. The $6
AYCE breakfast at Pinkham Notch was Fan-damn-tastic!

On top of Mt. Madison was where one of the most amazing things of my
life, not just my trail life, but LIFE, happened. Patch and I
crossed the summit in some of the most extreme wind conditions I've
ever seen. Simply amazing. I asked the man at Mt. Washington the
next day what the winds on Mt. Madison were the previous day. He
said, "Based on what they were here, I'd say 85-95 MPH." Hiking
across a boulder field in 90MPH winds is an incredible thing, to say
the least.

Two days after experiencing the most incredible day of hiking, I
experienced the worst day of my hiking life. A hard, cold rain in
high winds on Mt. Lafayette was miserable. The rain lasted all day.
I met the "Family" (mom and 5 kids thru-hiking) on their way up. I
met them again in North Woodstock that evening. They were thinking
about quitting.

We decided to take a day off and let things dry out. This is when I
realized I needed new boots. After ordering $225 worth of Moraines I
headed back to Cascade B&B to meet none other than Earl "The Pearl"
Shaffer. Quite a treat.

At breakfast the next morning, Earl put brown sugar in my coffee. I
politely told him to keep his hands off my coffee. Later, I caught
him putting vinegar in my water. A small shoving match ensued, with
me finding out the little guy is wirey and wiley. After we were
separated, we shared a shuttle back to the flume trailhead. A couple
of sneers and jeers later, an all-out melee broke out. I thought I
was at a hockey game. I walked away with skinned elbows and some
blood on a knee, but I think I got the better of him. (p.s. All the
stuff was true up to the part about breakfast and fighting Earl ;-)

We're in Manchester Center. Over 525 miles hiked.

Is an oxymoron some who is too dumb to breath?

Felixosophy: If a hiker is in the woods, and a tree doesn't fall,
can he still hear?

Conversation of the Past Few Weeks (Possibly excluding the one with
the guy telling me the windspeed on Mt. Madison was 85-95MPH): 

Me talking to an older woman working in the US Post Office in N.
Woodstock. I was explaining that I may have mail with my trailname
on it (as opposed to my real name) and this happened:

	Me: Check for Felix J. McGillicuddy.
	Her: I need to see some I.D.
	Me: Okay, but that's not the name on it.
	Her: That's OK, the picture will be the same.



The Conjugal Visit: 

Following in the tradition of other McGillicuddies, Ne'er-do-wells,
scheisters, swindlers and cheaters) I've been honing my rip-off
artist's skills. Here's what I do: Pull into a shelter full of
northbounders. Tell them I, too, am a northbounder. I will then
start to pick up little items and juggle them (McGillicuddies have
good hand-eye coordination.) When I see an item I want, I'll start
to juggle it. I then say, "This is too light. Give me that Petzl."
I'll then put whatever was too light in my pack. After 10 or 15
minutes of this, I have a pack full of new gear. I then say, "Well,
I'm gonna push on. See you tomorrow." Everyone is so mesmerized by
the the juggling that they don't realize I'm walking away with lots
of their gear. This is called the "Con Juggle Visit."

It is 40 deg. out this morning. It has been very hot of late.

Pog, send me a new mailing address.

Squid, send me a phone number.

As I said in an email, I am using my identical-twin stepbrother's
I.D. to claim mail at Post Offices. Please send mail (and keep
sending, too) to his name, Rob Davis. October 10th will be be Bear
Mountain 10911.

Sorry so long between writin' and sorry this is so boring. It's the
hecticity of a thruhike.

Word of the day: In honor of the Native Americans, and disrespect to
capitalistic tourism, the work shall be "Incognito" ...

For instance: Tourists think being incognito. Me think being in cog
disgusting.

We've passed one northbounder in last week. So, they may be about
done. We've recently passed Chase, JPIC, Choovers the the Blister
Sisters - all on section hikes.

R.E. Vour (Felix)


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