Filler..............

I'm on another trail break in Hiawassee. Ga. Indoor swimming pool and hot tub. As an added bonus, my old friend Gary Hammond, who facilitated this trip at it's inception, joined me by surprise last night.
The computer here at the hotel won't go to trailjournals for some reason, so there won't be any updates there until I reach my next destination 40 miles up the trail...........in Franklin, N.C.
It's a bit past time for a 30 day summary, but that will have to wait as well.
Yet another bit of the ancient machinery is protesting the abuses I'm heaping on it.........my achilles tendon is a bit tender............so I'm resting it today and giving it spa treatments.
In a few hours I'll feed it some bar-b-que and beer........that oughta fix it.
I was bitten on the toe by some mutant form of carniverous shelter mouse........that coupled with near frostbite laid me out for a few days and forced me back into sandals.
By the time I leave Franklin I should be back to 100%.
In spite of all the setbacks and issues and rain and cold and frustration, I'm hav ing the time of my life........................the walking is, after all, just hard work. It's the time by the campfire, in the company of some of the greatest people I've ever met, under some of the biggest skies I've seen since childhood that make it all worthwhile.
I'll eventually get pics posted.......but they won't do it justice.
With any luck I'll be walking out of Georgia and into North Carolina sometime tomorrow evening...........................one state down, thirteen to go.

Thus endeth the entry..............................

Short and Sweet................

I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail....................
I'll post more when I can.....................
I am posting most of the day by day stuff here......http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=6591
This is a G-rated journal I created so that Grand children could follow along with Papa Cecil's adventures.
Of course it stands to reason that I will have things to say that are not so G-rated.
But if you want to follow along for now.......that's the place.
I'm working on pics and such...............bear with me.

Thus endeth the entry................

The Eve of De truckin'......

There is a set of yellow footprints with my name on it about 8 miles from where I sit right now.
If you understand that reference.....................Semper Fi!
I'll be hiking by 900am tomorrow..............
It will be a few days before I get to a computer again.
Wish me luck.

Thus endeth the entry.....................

Anticipation

I just wanted to enter a short post tonight to say that everything is going swimmingly.

Gary and his wife Camille are amazing hosts, and the guest house they put me up in is mind boggling.

Gary and I did a tour of Pickens county today, stopped for some truly competitive ribs, took his Jeep into places I'd seriously be afraid to take a pack mule, and got a flat tire.

We wrestled with it 'til it was did...............though we had the wrong tools...........but we got 'er done.

For a moment, as we struggled with the tire and worked out how to cope with jacking the jeep with a too short jack, on a hillside no less, we stopped being a couple of 60 year old men overexerting ourselves.
We were once again 20 year old jarheads dealing with a situation that had interfered with crazy ass fun. It's so good to see Gary again after all these years.

In short I couldn't ask for a better start to my through hike. Today's exertions made me feel much more confident in my ability to do this.

I will write more tomorrow.............................and I have pics.

Thus endeth the entry..................................

The Adventure Begins..........

On the nineteenth of February I deadheaded home on Amtrak train #4. On the way home the transmission blew out my old , faithful truckosaurus. Sunday night I marked off on a week of vacation.
On Monday, March 1st at about 5:00 am I marked up from vacation. Shortly thereafter I bumped a turn and sat down at a computer terminal and took my annual rules test, for which I was compensated. On the way out the door at the conclusion of my test, I approached the nearest available Trainmaster and handed him a grocery sack with all my work equipment in it.
Whilst he was still looking at me with a quizzical expression on his face, I handed him my employee I.D, my engineers license, and my lodging card.
After explaining to him that I no longer had any use for those items, I strolled out of the building a retired person.....................a former BNSF employee.
Today, at 2pm is my retirement party..................(at the Cue and Brew).
Tomorrow I fly to Atlanta, Georgia......................to be met at the airport by an old service buddy whom I haven't seen for over 30 years.
On Wednesday, I will begin a through hike of the Appalachian Trail.
I'll post a link to the g-rated trail journal I've set up so my grandchildren will be able to read about Papa Cecil.
Everyone seems to think I'm going to be eaten by a bear.
I'm like a kid at Christmas.
Thus endeth the entry..................................

P.S......................yes Emily dear, I'm back!

Also Spach....................

If I were God.......................

I would appear to all the world with my hand outstretched. A great voice would boom in every mind, in every language at once.

It would invite everyone who would kill in my name to climb into my hand. (I would know your heart....................hey, I'm God right?...............so, only those would would truly kill for me would make it.)

Once all those who would truly do murder in my name were safely (and, no doubt, smugly) nestled in the palm of my hand....................

I would make a fist.

Thus endeth the entry.....................

Gutz, Glory, and Gunpowder...........

I haven't slept well lately. By lately, I mean to say that I haven't slept more than 2 to 4 hours a night for about 4 or 5 months. I sleep in increments of around 45 mins to an hour at a stretch, get up take more aspirin, piss, smoke a cigarette and try again. I get up at 5 am, don't sleep during the day and stay up until at least 10 or 1030 pm. I don't know why I have these bouts of sleeplessness....................it just happens.

I turned off the T.V. at 1030 and came out to go to bed. Just as I turned out the light, the lard-ass, peter puffing cretin that lives next door set off a string of firecrackers................15 minutes later, he set off another one. Half the morons in the neighborhood have a truckload of assorted explosive devices and they are going to spend the next several hours setting them off................it sounds like fucking Beirut out there.

So much for sleeping..................

Happy Fourth of July..............
'
Whoop-de-fuck..................

I need more aspirin...............

Do you suppose the British spend the 4th getting drunk and kicking themselves in their collective asses? Think about it................had they not been such short sighted, self serving idiots a couple hundred years ago they'd still amount to something as a country. It goes without saying that George Bush is an embarrassment.................but even he is a couple ticks higher on the scale of human development than that collection of inbred cartoon characters the Brits call royalty.

At least they aren't out in force blowing up their neighborhoods tonight.

Have a jolly fucking fouth......

Thus endeth the entry.............