Subject: some shreds of info I'm just now remembering...
Date: Apr. 21, 2009

1. I broke from the pack of Dobies, Satterfield, Pat, Wendel, and others while we climbed Rat Jaw.
   Dobies and some others arrived at the tower ahead of me but were still sipping water when I left.
   i never saw them again. I caught Carl at Beech Fork. I was feeling slightly better than he.
   I left him going down the back of Bird on the next loop, there i caught Byron. I left him on
   Big Hell after we hiked most of  loop 2 together. On Loop 3, I saw Satterfield looking painful,
   and someone else at the bottom of Rough Ridge. Saw Dobies near the top of Chimney Top looking painful.
   Saw Pat sleeping by Book 11 at Chimney Top. Saw a group coming up Big Hell. Saw Johnny D coming off
   Frozen Head. Saw no one else.
2. I got off course a couple of times. On the first loop overshooting book 2 with Satterfield and
   Williams. On Loop 5 finding Beech Fork. I missed right and looped around. I didn;t see Craig's
   scraggly Oak marking the hard right to rhododendron ridge. I used the compass once, on loop3
   finding Indian Knob. i missed right by 100 ft. which can be confusing with all the capstones.
   I missed left 100 ft. on loop 4. I nailed it dead on on loop 5. I stepped through the "needle's
   eye" on all 5 loops. as instructed.
3. I thank everyone who stuck around to see me run. You were all a part of my experience and I
   remember all of your faces while in the haze of the game. you guys are awesome!
4. I usually end up reading at least one entire page during the race. This year, on loop 4 I picked
   right. While sitting on the summit log in a driving fog and rain, I read an explicit page (my page)
   involving a full sex scene complete with post-sex conversation. This kept my mind occupied for a
   while. I stored it with my other pages.
5. I met the film crew at the bottom of testicle. There were 4 of them. they followed me to the
   new River. Thats when i started getting sick.
6. I saw a bobcat at Rawdog falls on loop 4.
7. I missed the bottom of Pighead creek on loop 4.(right).  Had to climb around a lot to figure out
   where the hell I was. I was guided by the prison lights, which I knew I shouldn't be aiming for.
   This episode is probably why I had such a case of poison ivy the following week.
8. I found one of those bottomless mine shafts open to the surface while being off-course on loop 5
   on Big hell.
9. I carried one water bottle, a bladder, and a lightweight backpack on every loop.
10. I lost my waterbottle on big hell on loop 3, recovered it on loop 4, stashed into the bottom of
   the beech tree.
11. I dislocated my right clavicle on Jan 19th. Didn;t train for a month. Trained myself not to reach
   out with that hand to grab trees on the downhills. Didn't injure the shoulder all weekend.
12. Almost forgot to bring food on loop 1. Hurried to pack food with only minutes to spare. Ended
   up forgetting salt tabs for loop 1. Bummed some from Satterfield. Found a bagfull later on.
13. Monday night after the finish was the most agonizing night of my life. My feet exploded with 
   blisters and heat, and couldn't even brush up against even the softest material. It was cold
   as hell with small particles of snow blowing under the tent fly. The floor of the tent was soaked,
   along with my airmattress. I froze, even though my feet were boiling.
14. I was the last person to leave Big Cove; several inches of snow coated everything including the
   last 2 pieces of Barkley chicken.
AT.