Letter from Kalb

Monday, May 13, 2002

Hey from Erwin, Tennessee,

First, I'd like to thank the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for donating the mousepad for the computer in the public library here.

The results for the trail name voting are a tie between William Wallace and Skippy. Someone also tried to give me the name 'Chewie' because I groan like Chewbacca sometimes, and some UNH students on spring break tried to name me the Granite Letowsky because a letowsky is a trail maintenance tool, and I go to school in the Granite State.

Additionally, 'Bear Buster' has surfaced because, as you'll see below, I ain't afraid of no bears. So maybe Skippy Wallace as a trail name? Oh well. I'll just take Skippy.

The first night out of Hot Springs the shelter was full, so I slept in my tent. I found out at about 9:30 that my sleeping bag was coming into contact with the roof and that all of the condensation was getting my bag wet. Fortunately, no damage was done, but I slept the rest of the night in my clothing. That put me in the market for my third shelter.

The third morning out, I was walking out to get water when, all of a sudden, I saw this rustling in the bushes. Then I saw this bear running away like a blue streak. He had been less than twenty feet from me. All the pamphlets say that black bears aren't afraid of humans. This one sure was.

Overall, this was a tough segment. I felt somewhat lethargic for most of it, but I managed to have a little fun. From what I've heard, almost no one is leaving Hot Springs. Some people seem to want stuff like clean clothing and showers. Weird.

I also was short on food for the first time. I arrived here with literally no food. What seems to happen with me is that I eat all of my candy bars in the first two days, which is fine if I get more food on the third day, but I tried to go four and a half days this time, which was just no good. I got awfully lucky though. One guy had some extra stuff he was looking to get rid of, and I found an unopened Clif bar lying on the trail.

Also, the last day, I was really hungry. I got to a shelter, and there was a Meal Ready to Eat, which is an army ration that people take out here despite the fact that one weighs about two or three pounds and costs a lot. However, MREs are good, and they have these cool just-add-water chemical heaters. So, after enjoying a Mars bar and Chicklets, I accidentally put the fruit cocktail in the heater instead of the chicken stew and had hot fruit. I then started to fire up my alcohol stove to boil the stew, but my lighter, which I had bought three days earlier, would not work. Fortunately, the MRE came with matches, so I had my stew a few minutes later and was on my way.

Maybe one reason why people stay in town so long is the way the trail is set up leading into towns. There is a nice, easy section just long enough that you think you're going to have a cakewalk into town. The trail winds over every hill until you're close enough to see the town and think, 'I'm almost there!' Then, just when you expect a quick, hard descent into town, the trail sends you on the best-graded, easy switchbacks. They go on forever. Going into Erwin, the trail winds into switchback, but then it sends you back up twenty feet over a 'scenic overlook.' The town is no closer than it was twenty minutes ago. It's probably good for the local economy, though, because you end up taking a day off.

I'm taking a day off. I arrived in Erwin needing to re-supply, buy a tent, and do a few other minor things. Unfortunately, by the time I got into town and got my clothing washed, it was noon, and I still, even now, need to buy food and go to KFC (I've been craving it for some reason for a week now).

Anyway, I hope y'all are doing well.

Take care,
John

Letter from Kalb

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