| Date | Location | Days | Mileage | Total Miles | Actual Date | Actual Days | Miss |
| 4/18 | Minneapolis, MN | -4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 4/21 | Springer Mtn, GA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/22 | 0 | 0 |
| 5/07 | Fontana Dam, NC P.O. 28733 | 15 | 162 | 162 | 5/9 | 18 | +3 |
| 5/20 | Erwin, TN P.O. 37650 | 14 | 173 | 335 | 5/24 | 15 | +1 |
| 6/04 | Troutdale, VA P.O. 24378 | 14 | 165 | 500 | 6/5 | 12 | -2 |
| 6/16 | Catawba, VA P.O. 24070 | 13 | 185 | 685 | 6/18 | 13 | 0 |
| 6/28 | Waynesboro, VA P.O. 22980 | 12 | 150 | 835 | 6/29 | 11 | -1 |
| 7/10 | Harper’s Ferry, VA P.O. 25425 | 12 | 161 | 996 | 7/11 | 12 | 0 |
| 7/24 | Port Clinton, PA P.O. 19549 | 14 | 193 | 1189 | 7/24 | 13 | -1 |
| 8/07 | Bear Mtn, NY P.O. 10911 | 14 | 186 | 1375 | 8/9 | 16 | +2 |
| 8/17 | Dalton, MA P.O. 01226 | 10 | 166 | 1541 | 8/23 | 14 | +4 |
| 8/30 | Norwich, VT P.O. 05055 | 13 | 172 | 1713 | 9/3 | 11 | -2 |
9/09 | Gorham, NH P.O. 03581 | 10 | 145 | 1858 | 9/17 | 14 | +4 |
| 9/23 | Monson, ME P.O. 04464 | 14 | 180 | 2038 | 10/5 | 19 | +5 |
| 9/30 | Baxter State Park, ME | 7 | 103 | 2141 | 10/12 | 7 | 0 |
| 10/03 | Katahdin, ME | 3 | 15 | 2156 | 10/15 | 3 | 0 |
While the above plan is a guesstimate only, I do hope to roughly follow that pace for the walk. It assumes a pace average of about 15 miles per day, walking six days per week. Thats for all except the first two to three weeks, which average eight to ten miles per day, so Heidi and I can get into the routine of the trip, as well as gradually adjust ourselves physically to the experience.
The schedule itself isn't all that important to me, in terms of which dates I'm in which towns. For a more accurate schedule of where I am and what I've been up to, you'll have to check the site where my buddy Kevin is keeping track of my whereabouts. That site will also give you an idea of where to send mail (see below) if thats what you're into.
Summary: 178 total days, including zero-days. 2156 miles, for a 12.11 MPD (avg miles per day). Seems low, considering all the 20 milers in VA, MD & PA. However, I'll say I had more zero days than I planned on. I don't recall the exact count, but a couple in Damascus, a couple at Rusty's, a couple at home, harper's ferry, Gorham, Monson, another small town in Maine that I don't recall, Dalton & Millinocket. So call it 11 (though I think there were others I don't recollect, as I write this in 2003). Which takes me up to 12.91 MPD. Anyway, compared to the 15 MPD I planned on initially, its a metric worth noting for folks planning future hikes.
Mailing to a thru-hiker is pretty simple stuff. Pick a post office, preferably one that you know the hiker will be visiting. Then mail your letter, card or parcel to the hiker in care of the selected post office (it is also helpful to put the estimated time of the hiker's arrival on the parcel). For example, to send something to me in late July, you might pick the Bear Mountain, NY post office:
Brian Simon
c/o General Delivery
Bear Mountain, NY 10911
Please hold for thru-hiker, ETA 7/31
Pretty simple, eh? Beyond that, I humbly request that you submit any mailings allowing for plenty of lead time for my arrival. If the item arrives after I've been there, I won't get it! And we all know how pissed off you'd be if _that_ happened...
Also, in an additional effort to help people figure out where I'm a gonna be, a friend will be updating the schedule, in the event of drastic departures from it.
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