Hannibal's Pacific Crest Trail Chronicle

As some of you might have guessed, the "waffles" were a metaphor. To post that recipe is outside the scope and good taste of this family-oriented blog. However, on my pay-per-view site...

I heard from a couple of people I have not spoken to in awhile:
Jim, glad to know you are following the blog. You mentioned my weight loss in the email you sent...something our community here may find interesting...to date I have lost 42 pounds. A rather incredible number, but not unexpected. I may not have mentioned this in previous postings, but my training regimen pre-hike (Julie will snicker at this) included much ice cream, extra large portions of food, lots of snacking and minimal exercise...in short, being an average American. In 5 months I gained 20 lbs, from 180 to 200. So, the net loss is only 20 lbs or so. I am very lean, as Julie would attest, and muscle mass has shifted as you might expect from upper body to lower. Most importantly, I feel great and hike 30 or more miles per day without excessive fatigue or hunger. At 158 lbs, I weigh about what I did in high school, and am fantastically fit.
I don't mean to say I am never hungry, however, as I usually have a low-grade hunger going on all the time on-trail. A consequence of my calorie deficit. Simply put, I cannot carry enough food to satisfy my hunger completely. So, I make up for it in town.
For instance, here in Etna I indulged in the Marble Mountain Marvel; 5 scoops of ice cream, 3 toppings and whippedcreamnutscherries. Without guilt! Eric often recounts with amusement the sheer volume of food I consumed when he met me for dinner near the Appalachian Trail.
To finish this talk about food, my rate of weight loss has decelerated since I started hiking, as my body has adapted to the routine. It would be concerning if it didn't. For those of you who are interested in a diet-exercise combination that achieves maximum fitness and weight loss goals without sacrificing favorite foods in the process, long-distance hiking is it. Hopefully it will not be the latest craze...the trail is crowded enough. The only consequence being: Your spouse may not immediately recognize you when you surprise her for your anniversary!
Trail Czar, great to hear from you...sorry for your losses. I can't make up for both, but I am happy to send you my pictures since, after all, we walked the same trail. You bring up a reality of long-distance hiking...the difficulties with coming home and readjusting to life off the Trail. I do not have the time now, but will address this at my next stop...Ashland, Oregon. Finally, Oregon!
In the mean time, I have more training to do...for the Seiad Valley Pancake Challenge. I'll tell you about that as well.