Jeremiah looks into the trash searching for foods scraps tossed out from the night before. Instead some trail magic roller blades had been abandoned. He pulls them out, puts them on and we get some live entertainment from a sore hiker trying to roller blade.

Jeremiah Johnson (that’s actually his name) from Ohio started his hike in Georgia but in Damascus, Virginia decided to go the other way. He took the bus up to Maine and after having started a month ahead of me, we both are in Delaware Water Gap, hiking together.

Koi, from Massachusetts, started only a few days ahead of me but will be leaving the trail in a few days due to lack of funds.

Olive oil left Katahdin the same day I did and I actually met her a couple days into our hikes. However, due to two bad knees (hence the trail name ‘olive oil’) and an amazing ability to ‘zero’ multiple days in a row had to skip vermont and new hampshire to get south enough to avoid dangerous weather.

And Torch from Indiana, raised mormon, known for lighting a mouse nest on fire with a stick rapped in lighter fluid soaked cloth, did the same stunt as Jeremiah. Torch ‘flip-flopped’ from Damascus at quite a later date though, having needed to finish up his senior year of high school. Torch is not much the talkative time. One night I had an entire conversation with him without him saying a word. I guess rather it was a monologue.

These are the characters that have come together to hike as of now, torch, jeremiah, thirst, olive oil, and koi.