I had forgotten about that part of the book (I read it a long time ago) and that got me thinking - I follow a number of Trail Journals every year and you see people who get off to attend parties, go to San Francisco, Portland, weddings, etc and it does seem to take the focus off the hike. You think about it, it is a a 4 to 6 month job, day in and out to hike, hike and hike. It has to be weird to take a week off then head back.

And then there are those who never get off.

It is interesting to see who lasts and who doesn't. Always is!