4/26/01
Since I'm still enjoying another gorgeous day at the Laurel Creek Lodge and cabins doing zero miles, I thought it would be a great time to respond to the latest batch of e-mails. To Brian S....the trail experience has been simply incredible and it's people like you who make it so special. I'll keep in touch. To Jim M....great to hear from you, Jim. I can see you at the Price farm on the tractor with your cell phone conducting business...hopefully I'll be back from Maine in time for our annual BSA trip and we can catch up then. To Danny M....great to hear from you. Serge is still on the trail, however, his knees have been giving him some problems and he is behind me but I'm sure we'll see each other in trail towns. Come join me for a few days on the trail. To Tom S. - thanks for the e-mail. Another year of annual training is behind you. Hope the truck business is going well and you're taking time to spend some quality time in the woods. To Abby, I haven't forgotten that after the trail I have to go back to work for a few years. Keep it going and I'll see you sometime in September. Thanks for the words of encouragement and support. To June and Hank...thank you for the e-mail and for helping support Paula while I am on this journey. I'm sure she will need your continued support through the balance of the time I'm away. To Greg C. and Marla, thanks for the e-mail and for your friendship and especially for checking in on Paula. She'll need to hit the town with you some so feel free to call her. To Roman, happy belated 40th. Sorry I wasn't there to celebrate with you...have a brew for me. Remember, the jokes flow fast. RABBIT
Today was the "virtually perfect" day. I slept in late, had a warm room on a cold night, spent $12.50 for a private cabin with Hip, had a private bathroom and shower, made lunch when I was hungry, caught up on journaling, wrote some postcards, caught up on E-mail, surfed my website and others, went to town on the shuttle and drank a 48 oz. chocolate milkshake, had an incredible gourmet meal courtesy of Aswah (the French chef thru-hiker), enjoyed the hot tub and a couple of cocktails and laughed a lot with friends. Wow! ! ! The Laurel Creek Lodge and Cabins experience was by far the best hostel experience thus far on the AT. Thru-hikers staying at the hostel tonight include Yolo, Doodlebug, Jeopardy and Java, Kodiakak and Lollipop, River Wizard (my cabin mate for the night), John and Sherry, Keychain, Aswah and Little Bit. This was a great zero mile day and it couldn't have been any better. Thanks to Mary and Dennis for the great hospitality and value. Thanks to Aswah and Chuck (chef) for the excellent dinner (o.k. I have to list the dinner so I won't forget: salad, roasted chicken stuffed with ham and herbs and stuffing, green beans, collard greens (yeah baby!), cornbread, homemade biscuits, homemade gravy, and peach cobbler and ice cream for dessert). Today's stats; low 29 degrees (but I was INSIDE), high 65. Bright sunshine, mileage: ZERO
