Following the Blue Blaze, Day 11

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After a weekend of living in luxury, Andy set off on the third leg of his odyssey. It occurred to him that he could have taken the weekend break at home, but Ghost Writer thinks it was better for him to stay close to the trail, where the reality of everyday responsibilities remains distant. He'll be returning to the world of bills and yard work and traffic and domestic duties soon enough. He's ready to forge ahead with just one simple food drop-off between now and the end of the hike.

It was good to hear more about his adventures. He has his routine down pat and a precise way of packing that allows him to find things easily. We did have some momentary panic on Saturday when he couldn't find his camera once we'd arrived at the hotel. I had taken a picture of him at the pick-up point at the Finland Recreation Center, and he remembered putting away the camera in a "smart place," but where the hell was that smart place? Just when we'd all but given up and resigned ourselves to the possibility that it was left on a picnic table at the Rec Center, I checked one more spot, and voila, there it was.

It's amazing how much he can fit in his pack, thanks in part to compression sacks. Check out the photo of him holding one of them, which contains:


• a spare shirt
• two pairs of socks
• a spare pair of underwear
• a fleece jacket
• a sleeping bag
• a small pillow



What seems to stand out more than anything when he talks about his journey is his encounters with other friendly hikers. He has really enjoyed conversations with kindred spirits. His trip is well-timed for seeing a landscape that's slowly changing colors. And he's crossed over on to map #3. So far, so good.

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Photos

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Compression sack

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Making the next game plan

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Next destination