Fitty Shrimp on the Trail: June 2014

Having passed the official halfway mark a few days ago, I have now made my way well into central Pennsylvania. I'm back on pace to finish the Appalachian Trail at Mt. Katahdin by mid to late September.

I was able to find out about my early travel partners from the "Highway Shrimp Gang." When I last saw them in Franklin, North Carolina, they needed to go make up about 20 miles they had skipped, and they assured me they would catch up within a couple weeks. I had a feeling I would not see them again during this journey. As it turns out, Shrimp Shady was injured and had to go off the trail for a couple weeks. The rest moved on, but they are now over 200 miles behind me. I will be following their progress and I hope they all make it.

I met up with Smokey the Beard and Smurf at Fontana Dam, and we have traveled together, within a day or so, for the past 800 miles. They got ahead of me a couple weeks ago, and then at Harpers Ferry, I got ahead of them when they spent some time in D.C. I'm pretty sure they'll catch up to me within a week or so. They move pretty quickly.

There have been many other good friends in my general hiker bubble. Bags unfortunately broke his foot about a third of the way along the trail; I miss him and his little dog Jager. I said goodbye to Blueberry Bear this week. He is leaving to attend his son's wedding, and I'll be pretty far along by the time he returns.

Fitty Shrimp and Blueberry Bear

I feel healthy, and the abrupt weight loss was probably just my body's way of getting to where we needed to be for this type of activity. My weight is down 20 lbs. or so from when I started and the body fat is now at 7%. I used to really labor while climbing up and down mountains, but now I hardly get winded. But, it's summer now, and I sweat a lot. It's really hard to stay hydrated. I'm hiking 13 to 17 miles per day, with a few 20+ days.

I sent a good bit a gear home, six and a half lbs. of mostly winter stuff that I won't need until I get to New Hampshire. It's remarkable how little stuff a person really needs. I had a few minor malfunctions, had to get new tips for my trekking poles and a new harness for my backpack when the shoulder strap started to tear. I also patched some holes in the mesh part of my tent. Also, I got a new pair of shoes which I hope will last for the remaining 1,100 miles.

I am thankful to so many people, family, friends, and complete strangers, who have provided a helping hand or maybe made a supportive comment. Once again, thanks to all who helped with my fundraising efforts to assist with my cousin's kidney transplant, most recently, Kim and Vince, Bill, Carol, Sarah, Mom and Dad, and everyone else. Rich is still going to his job and going to dialysis while waiting for a suitable donor. Here's the link if you'd like to make a contribution... believe me, we are both blown away by all of the generous support. A Kidney For My Cousin

Also, I have quite a few videos uploaded to Youtube. Feel free to subscribe there for more frequent updates... Kurt's A.T. Thru-Hike 2014 #13

Here are a few new photos to share... Happy trails everyone!

Fitty Shrimp