Crazy fast hikers can't possibly be enjoying selves

9-18-09 day 108
start: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter, VA
end: Brown Mountain Shelter, VA
daily mileage: 15.8
total mileage: 1383.0

Stopped in a cool field for lunch at Hog Camp Gap. There was a tree swing! As we were eating there we saw a guy blow past us without stopping to say hi (a bit unusual on the trail, but not exceptionally so)... Sea Monster thought he recognized him to be a southbounder we met up in Maine. That seemed unlikely (he would have had to been making HUGE miles to catch up with us if we met up there!) but the guy we remembered had claimed he was going to finish his hike in 85 days (for reference, that's almost 1/2 of our estimated hiking time, and is generally agreed upon to be insane).

We got to the shelter and met Cricket, Fiddler, Tin Man, Little Dipper, the Professor and Curse. It was fun having so many southbounders together, and we got to know them a lot better... but the shelter was unpleasantly crowded, for sure. We confirmed that the guy that passed us was the 85 day dude... he must be hiking an AVERAGE of 26 miles a day. That's unbelievable... frankly, there's no way he's having any fun. But whatever, to each his own.

Fiddler got out his violin that he hikes with and played us some tunes before bed time. He's pretty good, and it was really fun to listen to.