Email
No. 18:
March 26, 2006
Heading
Off On The Appalachian Trail Hello all,
The very first thing I want to do before diving into this email
is to apologize to everyone for pretty much falling off the radar
the past four months and even more so the last two. With the exception
of my mom, dad, grandma and very few others I have been absolutely
terrible about keeping in touch. My last few months in PC were
both wonderful and stressful with packing up a house, saying goodbye
to people and it finally sinking in that I was leaving my *home*
of the past 3 1/2 years indefinitely. While I hope very much someday
to return, I have a lot of things to figure out for myself on this
side of the globe first.
So I guess that's a good lead in how I'm going to figure that out
and to what I'm doing now. Currently, I'm at fellow RPCV Heidi's
house in South Carolina, with another RPCV Colleen. Colleen and
I are leaving here tomorrow to start hiking the Appalachian Trail
(Georgia to Maine). Heidi will meet us about a week later and then
double back to finish the last part after we've (hopefully) reached
Maine. The (whole) 5 weeks that I've actually been back in the
United States have been fairly well spent running around prepping
for this. Family is very happy that I've actually managed to work
visits in to my brother, grandmother, mum and dad in there (I'm
pretty happy too =0)). Preps have gone well and we're extremely
excited, though by far not in as good of shape as we'd like to
be to undertake this. One day at a time though. I plan to enjoy
every minute of it.
Several people have asked me if they can send *small* care packages/
letters along the way and so I am including a list of mail drops
in this email. I promise that I will be writing many more letters
than i have in the past few months. I figure that on nights I don't
crash absolutely exhausted into bed, I'll be wanting to write to
people and share everything that I'm experiencing. While the list
is a start, it is no way the final plan. It's based upon the fact
that Colleen needs to be somewhere in early September. We are starting
on this timeline, but I think that somewhere up the road we will
part ways as I would much rather enjoy my surroundings than blaze
through it. That being said, the list is still a good one to go
by as I'll never show up to these places ahead of schedule, so
I'll still get a letter, even if it has to wait for me for a little
bit.
Lot's of love to you all! A super special pole sana kwa kupotea
kwa rafiki zangu za Peace Corps bado kwenye Tanzania. Sijawa sahau
na nimepata barua/ pepe barua zote zenu. Nitawaandika. Nawakumbuka
sana.
Jess
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For
USPS offices:
Mail should be addressed to (I actually recommend you put all three names so
that if only one person goes into the post office to check the mail while others
do other errands there will be fewer problems): |
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Jessica
Bruck, Colleen Thomas, or Heidi Hawkins
c/o General Delivery
City, State, Zip Code (noted below)
AND the notation " HOLD FOR A.T. THRU HIKER"
(followed by the expected arrival date) |
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For Hiker Hostels
(those marked in bold), the packages should be addressed the same
as for USPS offices except there will be an actual street address
in the place of General Delivery. |
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All
drops marked with a " * " are
drops that we are planning on picking up our own packages at
the post office. If you have something important it should be
sent to these drops. We will
be trying to pass by the post offices in the other towns as well
as we will
be in town anyhow
for resupply,
but there is always a chance that we will miss a few trying to
get in and out of town quickly (or we come into town on a sunday
and it's closed and we don't want to wait an extra day to just
to get the mail). |
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| Destination |
Expected
Arrival Date |
For US:
post by |
For Tz/ int'l
post by |
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| *Fontana Dam, NC 28733 |
4/11 |
4/01 |
n/a |
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*Hot Springs, NC 28743
|
4/18 |
4/08 |
n/a |
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*Erwin, TN 37650
|
4/23 |
4/13 |
n/a |
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*Kincora Hiker's Hostel
1278 Dennis Cove Road
Hampton, TN 37658
|
4/28 |
4/18 |
3/28 |
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*Damascus, Virginia 24236
|
5/2 |
4/25 |
4/2 |
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*Atkins, VA 24311
|
5/8 |
4/30 |
4/8 |
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Bland, VA 24315
|
5/11 |
5/1 |
4/11 |
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Pearisburg, VA 24134
|
5/14 |
5/04 |
4/14 |
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Daleville, VA 24083
|
5/20 |
5/10 |
4/20 |
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| Waynesboro, VA 22980 |
5/28 |
5/18 |
4/28 |
*Linden, VA 22642
|
6/2 |
5/26 |
5/2 |
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*Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
|
6/6 |
5/30 |
5/6 |
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Boiling Springs, PA 17007
|
6/11 |
6/01 |
5/11 |
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*Port Clinton, PA 19549
|
6/18 |
6/8 |
5/18 |
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*Delaware Gap, PA 18327
|
6/23 |
6/13 |
5/23 |
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Vernon, NJ 07462
|
6/27 |
6/17 |
5/27 |
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*Fort Montgomery, NY 10922
|
7/1 |
6/23 |
6/1 |
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Kent, CT 06757
|
7/5 |
6/26 |
6/5 |
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Salisbury, CT 06068
|
7/7 |
6/28 |
6/7 |
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Dalton, MA 01226
|
7/12 |
7/2 |
6/12 |
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North Adams, MA 01247
|
7/14 |
7/4 |
6/14 |
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Manchester Center, VT05255
|
7/19 |
7/9 |
6/19 |
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Hanover, NH 03755
|
7/25 |
7/15 |
6/25 |
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*Glencliffe, NH 03238
|
7/31 |
7/21 |
6/31 |
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North Woodstock, NH 03262
|
8/1 |
7/23 |
7/1 |
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*Gorham, NH 03581
|
8/6 |
7/27 |
7/6 |
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*Andover, ME 04216
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8/10 |
8/1 |
7/10 |
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Statton, ME 04982
|
8/16 |
8/6 |
7/16 |
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| *Monsoon, ME 04464 |
8/22 |
8/12 |
7/22 |
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