Day 1501: Thru hiker Rob

Steve is wrapped in a blanket next to the blazing wood stove recovering from hours at a huge fire in Brocton.  It was brutal out there in fifteen degrees with a wind chill that dropped the temp below zero.  Investigators think the fire started around three pm when the homeowner cleaned out the fireplace, put the ash in a plastic bucket next to the fireplace and then left the house.  So very unfortunate because the house was totally destroyed.

Rob spoke to our backpackers today and I was totally enthralled. The kids were polite and receptive, although I think some of them got bored cause he barely took a breath.  I suspect Rob hasn't had much of an audience to listen to his stories.  He started at 2:20, the kids left at 3:00, and he continued talking to me and Kathy till 4:30.

We were very grateful for his promotion of our methods, instruction and equipment list.  He repeated many of our mantras: cotton kills, pack light, carry duct tape.  He loves hiking poles, wears trail runners instead of boots, wore a kilt, never shaved.  The kids wanted to know about wild animals, but he warned that the greatest threats were ticks and giardia.  He did have a few close calls with bears and snakes, but the most dangerous moment came in a rushing, rain swollen creek.

I asked Rob if he carried any antibiotics in case of illness, but he didn't.  His first aid kit consisted of only ibuprofen and duct tape.  No one bothers with moleskin cause their feet are wet all the time.

He could have talked all day and I could go on and on about his adventures.  Rob first became interested in the AT when he was in fifth grade and his teacher's son completed the trail. Then Quest fed the flame.   I just hope that he was able to plant a seed in someone's mind that will one day blossom into an amazing journey.

Steve's photo of the burning home.  Many people in the community are banding together to raise funds for the families who lost everything.