Second Journey 2005
I took the rest of June and Most of July off at home. On July 20-2005 I took the bus back up to Dalton Mass. and will
hike back south to Harper’s Ferry West Virginia. I want to finish the trail next year so I decided to do 555 miles more
this year to make it easier in 2006. The fall in Mass. south will be a fun trip too. As for now good bye!!! Rowmin
GOAT
August 18, 2005 - Salt Springs Florida North on bus
Jacksonville Florida 1:00 p.m. I am sitting in a bus terminal in Jacksonville Florida and it will be 40 more minutes
before the bus leaves north on I-95. This is a big terminal with a lot of people scurrying around. I had a nice bus
ride from Stark, where my wife Virginia dropped me off this morning. We were supposed to stop at West Jax. terminal
but I guess they don’t do that anymore. The people are nice enough, but there are way too many. I live in the
booneys and don’t see many people each day. You see all kinds of people on the bus. You see old people who do
not drive any longer, mothers with kids, and on my trip from Stark I shared the bus with released prisoners. The
state of Florida has a big prison in Stark. The busses are comfortable and clean so far. I seem to have forgotten my
bus schedule at home. If that is all I forgot I will be fine. I ate ½ of a sub on the way out of Stark and will eat the other
half when the bus leaves again. 2:35 pm. I am on the move again. We are at the Georgia border after leaving a little
late. They had to put on another bus since the first one was full. I am on the second bus and there are only 12
people on it. We will be playing musical busses on the way up the I-95 corridor. The first bus is up in front of us. I am
listening to the radio and gawking out the window as we fly down the road at 70 m.p.h. This bus riding isn’t so bad
after all. We have several people on this bus that will go to New York City, and one will actually go and get off with
me in Pittsfield Ma. We are passing everything on the road. I didn’t change busses until I got to N.Y.C. I did carry my
pack away from the bus as instructed 3 times, but got back on the same bus. They seem as if they are confused at
the place. [Greyhound]
August 19, 2005 - On the bus in route to Dalton Mass.
I went through Washington D.C. at 5 a.m. and got great views of the monuments in the hour before daylight. We
went right through the center of the city and did not stop. We did however stop at the travel plaza outside Baltimore
and took a breakfast break. I got chicken and a biscuit to eat. We continued on and when coming into New York City
I got to see the Empire State Building and Manhattan. We got here 10 minutes late but I have a 3 hour layover
anyway so it did not matter. I walked around a bit and had a bite to eat and got a cup of coffee here to get awake. I
came over to the Bonanza gate 13 where I will leave from about 90 minutes early and I will write until then. We left
The Big Apple at 1:30 p.m. We went down Broadway and saw many shops N.Y.C. is famous for such as flowers in
the open air, pizza shops. This is a very vibrant city with lots of traffic and honking of horns. I’m glad the bus driver
was good at his job. He drove fast through the city, running about all the lights and weaving in and out of other lanes
intended for the motorist coming toward us. He was calm as a cucumber during all of this too. We skirted Central
Park for a mile or so and it was nothing like I had ever imagined. It was rocky and lush with green growth. We also
went through what I believe was Harlem. Overall, N.Y.C. was fun since I didn’t have to drive or park here. We arrived
at Pittsfield Ma. 15 minutes late and I caught the city bus to Dalton 5 minutes later from the same stop. It worked out
good for me. I stayed at 83 Depot Street at Tom’s place on the front porch. I stashed my pack and bought a few
groceries at general store up the street and went to the Deli nearby and got a sub, or if you live around here a
grinder. I bought some booze for my trip too and came back to Tom’s place at dark. This is not a hostel at present
time but Tom will help you out in any way he can.
August 20, 2005 - Tom’s place at 83 Depot Street to Kay Woods Shelter
I had a nice sleep on the porch at Tom’s. It was the first real sleep I have had in two full days. I packed up and
headed out of Dalton and as I left I stopped at a tag sell. [Garage sale] I have learned that up here in the Northeast
they have different names for a lot of things! They tell me I talk funny too!! I bought a stack of comic books from the
60’s for $5.00. I then had to walk one mile back to the post office and send them home to Florida. I called Virginia
again after eating breakfast across the Community Center. I had to wait for the Post Office to open. This is where I
ate for breakfast in 1981. As I hiked back to the place where I had left my pack I bought a sub to eat at the shelter
later. The shelter isn’t far up the trail and I need a day to rest after all the movement I have encountered over the
passed 2 days. I stopped by the lumber yard on the edge of town and got Coleman fuel which they give hikers
without charge. I thanked them and disappeared into the woods. At the lumber yard I met Peace Pipe, the older one
from this year of two and we talked for a minute or two. He was thru-hiking the trail from south to north. I made it to
Kay Woods Shelter at 11:30 a.m. where I will stay tonight. It is trying to rain and 3 miles is enough to hike on the first
day. The trail has been easy to here. If I go slowly on the first days out I will adjust better in the long run. This is a
two tiered shelter with a nice privy and what I first thought was a pee pit turned out to be a grey water pit. Isn’t pee
grey water? [Yellow water] With that cleared up I went down to the water source which was steep over the hill but
good water. At 12 noon it was dark and cool for me at 60 degrees and raining. It is .3 mile from a road here and you
can hear the traffic down below. I read the shelter register and recognized 10 to 15 people whom I met in the south
in the early spring time on my trip from Partnership Shelter to Springer Mt. Georgia. I am sure I will soon meet some
people for the second time soon. I never forget a face or trail name. It is 4:20 p.m. and I have had a slow enjoyable
day here at the shelter. Life is good today. It has been sprinkling all day and I am in a dry shelter. I ate the other half
of the sub I bought in town. I found a book, “Beacon Street Mourning” by Diane Day, and will carry it and read it. I am
trying to write more clearly in my journal. At 7 p.m. I am here alone, a couple stopped by an hour ago for a break
heading south too. I had Ramin noodles for dinner tonight and tea afterwards for to keep this southern boy warm. I
started out with 4 days of food and will go to October Mountain Shelter tomorrow. I hope to find some mushrooms
tomorrow since the recent rains should be growing them in this cooler weather. The mosquitoes are getting bad
here in late evening. I will be in bed soon as it is getting dark. I zipped up my 40 degree bag all the way up and slept
well. The new bag did very nice.
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